Frankenstein (1931 film) 12, 1931, "Dracula" starring Bela Lugosi had sold 50,000 tickets, building a momentum that culminated in a $700,000 profit, the largest of Universal's 1931 releases. As a result, the head of production, Carl Laemmle Jr., announced immediate plans for more horror films. Immediately, following his success in "Dracula", Bela Lugosi had hoped to play Dr. Frankenstein in Universal's original film concept. However, the actor was expected by producer Carl Laemmle Jr. to play the monster (a common move for a contract player in a film studio at the time) to keep his famous name on the bill. After several disastrous
AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role the AFI Awards). When the AFI launched the Academy in 2011, it changed the annual ceremony to the AACTA Awards, with the current award being a continuum of the AFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. From 1971 up until 1975, the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress were awarded in a single category for Best Performance. In 1971 the prize was given to Monica Maughan over fellow nominee Peter Cummins, who received a special mention for his performances in the films "Some Regrets", "The Hot Centre of the World" (1971 short film), "Bonjour Balwyn" and "Carson's