It is unclear whether the thieves were from the cemetery staff or other perpetrators, but the fact is that several dozen expensive cigars have disappeared since Vajna’s funeral on January 31st. Bors estimates the value of the cigars at least HUF 500,000 (US$1,800). Vajna was a known cigar aficionado and many of his friends and acquaintances left cigars on his grave as a final goodbye.
Born András György Vajna in Budapest in 1944, Vajna fled Hungary after the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising and studied cinematography at UCLA to later become a well-known producer of action movies. These include the first three Rambo movies, Evita, Red Heat, Total Recall and Air America.
He returned to his native Hungary and was appointed Government Commissioner for the Hungarian film industry in 2011 and essentially reformed movie production along market requirements, while also establishing the state-financed Hungarian National Film Fund that recently financed titles such as the Oscar-winning Son of Saul.
