I am an endangered species, a living fossil, a walking dinosaur. For 45 years I trained birds and beasts for the motion picture industry. I started my career in the last century in Hungary, the country that gave us Zsa Zsa Gabor, Count Dracula and the national dish , goulash. In 1956 after the Russians crushed our bloody uprising against Bolshevism, I defected to the West and ended up in the Eastern U.S. A.
Eight years later I moved to California with my Indian leopard and golden pointer. A job awaited us , a two part T.V. show for the Disney Studios.
In the following years my animals and, at times, myself, as a stunt double, appeared in over 150 films, T.V. shows and commercials.
My animals received seven PATSY awards . ( Performing Animal Star of the Year. ) My lions are in the Oscar wining " Out of Africa"
Movie training is different from any other form of animal handling. In the circus the trainer is in a steel cage with his group of predators. In the movies I was responsible for a large crew and exotic humans like Rex Harrison, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Elizabeth Taylor , and Pee Wee Herman. In Africa Jackie Kennedy stepped out of a hot air balloon to pose with my lioness playing the role of Elsa in the " Born Free " series.
On the triple Razzie Award winning film " Sheena Queen of the Jungle. " I took 5 lions , 3 leopards, 4 chimpanzees, 4 white horses , l Rhodesian Ridge back, 12 flamingos, 2 macaws , 1 elephant and 1 rhino to Kenya. A world record for animals shipped back to the cradle of mankind.
Sheena was a bad picture , almost painful to watch, but for me and my crew it was fun to do and financially rewarding.
What I have done with real animals future generations will only read about. Digitally created , cheesy wolves in the " Twilight Saga." and ridiculous C.G.I. lion in " Narnia" are replacing live animal actors.
In my book, Lights, Camera, Lions, I bring the past alive , not to lecture but to entertain.
Eight years later I moved to California with my Indian leopard and golden pointer. A job awaited us , a two part T.V. show for the Disney Studios.
In the following years my animals and, at times, myself, as a stunt double, appeared in over 150 films, T.V. shows and commercials.
My animals received seven PATSY awards . ( Performing Animal Star of the Year. ) My lions are in the Oscar wining " Out of Africa"
Movie training is different from any other form of animal handling. In the circus the trainer is in a steel cage with his group of predators. In the movies I was responsible for a large crew and exotic humans like Rex Harrison, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Elizabeth Taylor , and Pee Wee Herman. In Africa Jackie Kennedy stepped out of a hot air balloon to pose with my lioness playing the role of Elsa in the " Born Free " series.
On the triple Razzie Award winning film " Sheena Queen of the Jungle. " I took 5 lions , 3 leopards, 4 chimpanzees, 4 white horses , l Rhodesian Ridge back, 12 flamingos, 2 macaws , 1 elephant and 1 rhino to Kenya. A world record for animals shipped back to the cradle of mankind.
Sheena was a bad picture , almost painful to watch, but for me and my crew it was fun to do and financially rewarding.
What I have done with real animals future generations will only read about. Digitally created , cheesy wolves in the " Twilight Saga." and ridiculous C.G.I. lion in " Narnia" are replacing live animal actors.
In my book, Lights, Camera, Lions, I bring the past alive , not to lecture but to entertain.