Melchior Lengyel

''Melchior Lengyel'' is a Hungarian playwright, journalist, and screenwriter known for his internationally successful play ''Typhoon'' and for originating the story that became the 1939 film ''Ninotchka''.

Born Menyhért Lebovics on January 12, 1880, in Balmazújváros, Austria-Hungary (now Hungary), Lengyel began his career as a correspondent for Hungarian newspapers in Switzerland before establishing himself as a prominent journalist, author, and critic in Germany and Austria. He transitioned to playwriting and achieved early success with ''Tajfun'' (''Typhoon'', 1909), which gained worldwide recognition for its commentary on Japan's rapid modernization and perceived global implications. Other notable plays include ''Próféta'' (''The Prophet'', 1911), ''A cárnö'' (''The Czarina'', 1913), ''Róza néni'' (''Aunt Rose'', 1913), ''Sancho Panza királysága'' (''The Reign of Sancho Panza'', 1919), and ''Antónia'' (1925). He also wrote the libretto for Béla Bartók's ballet ''Csodálatos mandarin'' (''The Miraculous Mandarin'').

In 1929, Lengyel served as director of a Budapest avant-garde theater, but political changes prompted his emigration. He moved to London in the early 1930s and then to the United States around 1935, where he worked in Hollywood and collaborated with director Ernst Lubitsch. His original story for ''Ninotchka'' (1939), starring Greta Garbo, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and became one of his most enduring contributions to cinema. He also contributed to films such as ''Angel'' (1937), ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1942), and adaptations of his own works like ''A Royal Scandal'' (1945). Lengyel died in Budapest on October 23, 1974.