Biochemist, born in Budapest. He studied at Budapest, then lectured at Groningen, Cambridge, and Rochester, MN, where he isolated ascorbic acid. He was professor at Szeged (1931-45) and Budapest (1945-47), discovering actin, which is responsible for muscle contraction. He emigrated the the USA, becoming director of the Institute of Muscle Research at Woods Hole, MA (1947-75), and scientific director of the National Foundation for Cancer Research, MA (1975). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1937 for his work on the function of organic compounds (especially vitamin C) within cells.