It was 1919, and Frida Gombaszogi thought she’d never work again.
Luckily, she survived.
But the shooting left her with scars both literal and psychological.
Getty Images/Courtesy brand. Design by Bella Geraci
And that’s where the brand, which was founded by the eponymous Hungarian dermatologist, took root.
But after a series of surgeries, Gombaszogi was desperate to treat her ensuing scars.
How, exactly, did she get there?
(More on Iren later.)
In 1916, Gombaszogi began a lengthy tenure as a company member of the Vigszinhaz theater.
She hit the heights of fame but there was a dark side to all the exposure.
In 1919, Gombaszogi was injured by an anonymous man’s bullet.
His name has been lost to time.
Laszlo got to work on Gombaszogi’s scars in 1920.
Schuffenhauer says it contained essential fatty acids.
And with time, against the odds, the scars on Gombaszogi’s chin healed.
But it wasn’t just Laszlo’s products that got the job done.
“He saw the need for curing someone in and out.
He helped [Gombaszogi] to not only heal her skin, but regain her confidence.”
And Gombaszogi unknowingly gave Laszlo something other than her complete trust: She lead him to his wife.
During appointments with the dermatologist, Gombaszogi introduced Laszlo to her sister, Iren, who he would marry.
After the procedure, Gombaszogi married her second husband, a publishing mogul named Andor Miklos, in 1922.
When he died 11 years later, Gombaszogi quit acting to run his business.
After the Communist takeover of 1949, which nationalized businesses, Gombaszogi no longer had control of Miklos company.
Gombaszogi died at the age of 70 in September 1961.
Barkoczi says all but one of her silent movies have been lost to time.
Still, Gombaszogi is remembered by historians for her contributions to Hungarian theater.
