István Vágó
István Vágó (14 February 1949 – 29 April 2023) was a Hungarian television host and political activist. He is best known for hosting Legyen ön is Milliomos!, Hungary’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Vágó was born and raised in Budapest. He started as a chemist and later worked for the Medimpex import-export company. He spoke at least five languages. He wanted to create a political show, but ended up hosting quiz shows, which made him one of Hungary’s most popular TV personalities. He was often called “the Quiz Professor.”
He hosted Millionaire for several years. The show returned in 2007 with Vágó as host, but the revival was canceled in 2008. He worked for MTV (the Hungarian public channel) for 22 years, then moved to TV2 and later RTL Klub. In 2009 he hosted on TV2 and created the game show Átvágó on Story4, which lasted one season; after that he retired from hosting.
Vágó was an atheist and skeptic and served as president of the Hungarian Skeptic Society. He supported left-wing politicians, including Ferenc Gyurcsány and the SZDSZ party, and took part in antifascist demonstrations. In 2014 he ran in elections for the Democratic Coalition (DK), and in 2015 he joined DK’s leadership. In 2016 he was elected as a district representative for the party.
Music was also part of his life; he played guitar from his teens and was the bassist for the band Favágók. He was a fan of The Beatles and Paul McCartney.
István Vágó died on 29 April 2023, aged 74.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:56 (CET).