Turhan Bey (born Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Sahultavy on March 30, 1922 in Vienna) is a popular Hollywood leading man of the 1940s. His father was a Turkish diplomat and his mother was a Czech industrialist. In 1930, young Turhan moved to the United States. He gravitated towards acting, and studied at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California. His first film was Shadows on the Stairs n 1941.
Turhan Bey was frequently cast in "exotic" roles, often opposite Maria Montez. They appeared together in Raiders of the Desert, Arabian Nights, Bombay Clipper, White Savage, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Bowery to Broadway, Follow the Boys and Sudan. He also has a memorable role in The Amazing Mr. X.
Bey's career faded towards the end of the 1940s, with his last movie role being Prisoners of the Casbah in 1953, until he had a brief renaissance in the 1990s. He appeared in one episode of the sci-fi TV series Babylon 5 as the Emperor of Centauri, who also had the name Turhan.
A documentary film about Bey, Vom Glück verfolgt. Wien - Hollywood - Retour, was made in 2002 by Andrea Eckert.
