Hofi

Géza Hofi (born Géza Hoffmann, July 2, 1936 in Budapest; died April 10, 2002 in Budapest) was a Hungarian actor and comedian. He is probably the most popular Hungarian parodist and had strong influence on Hungarian cabaret.

Hofi Géza was for many years the highlight of Hungarian cabaret. He never followed any pattern or trend; he was always following his own trail. His unique performances made him the most popular comedian of his time in Hungary. His death created an enormous vacuum in Hungarian comedy, and it is a common consensus among people who witnessed his performances that there may never be another comedian like him. His style as a comedian was unique. It couldn't exactly be categorised as stand-up comedy, though it didn't fit any other category either. There are no current comedians in Hungary who would try to emulate his style—his legacy on Hungarian humour is somewhat analogous to that of Beethoven's on German music in the 1800s. His theatre shows were sold out many months in advance, and there was rarely an empty seat in the house.

Being a "stand-up" comedian in a totalitarian regime was never going to be an easy state of affairs. Hofi was walking on thin ice as he never passed up an opportunity to ridicule the obvious absurdities of the communist government. However, there are indications that his shows were viewed by those in power as a safe way to discharge the people's frustration with the system. In the decades following the anti-communist uprising of 1956 the government was cautious not to shut down the voice of the people (Hofi) but rather to let them laugh—and in particular to laugh at those in power. Hofi however never held back and on numerous occasions spent a few nights in prison.

Hofi's historical significance — beyond his obvious merits as a comedian — was that he maintained his identity and dignity in a totalitarian regime where most others would have bailed. He can never be compared to those stand-up comedians who were making fun of politicians while living under a democratic government. Hofi often parodized János Kádár the communist leader of Hungary at the time—and in doing so it wasn't his impeccable match of Kádár's speech patterns that left those in the audience gasping for air, but rather the incisive critique of the contemporary politics.

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