Tony Curtis




American actor















































Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis 1958.jpg
Curtis in 1958

Born
Bernard Schwartz


(1925-06-03)June 3, 1925

Manhattan, New York, U.S.

Died September 29, 2010(2010-09-29) (aged 85)

Henderson, Nevada, U.S.

Resting place Palm Memorial Park (Green Valley), Las Vegas, Nevada
Education City College of New York
Alma mater The New School
Occupation Actor
Years active 1948–2008
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s)



  • Janet Leigh
    (m. 1951; div. 1962)


  • Christine Kaufmann
    (m. 1963; div. 1968)

  • Leslie Allen
    (m. 1968; div. 1982)

  • Andrea Savio
    (m. 1984; div. 1992)

  • Lisa Deutsch
    (m. 1993; div. 1994)

  • Jill Vandenberg (m. 1998)


Children 6, including Kelly, Jamie Lee, and Allegra Curtis

Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925 – September 29, 2010) was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades but who achieved the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama. In his later years, Curtis made numerous television appearances.


Although his early film roles mainly took advantage of his good looks, by the latter half of the 1950s he had demonstrated range and depth in numerous dramatic and comedy roles. In his earliest parts he acted in a string of mediocre films, including swashbucklers, westerns, light comedies, sports films and a musical. However, by the time he starred in Houdini (1953) with his wife Janet Leigh, "his first clear success," notes critic David Thomson, his acting had progressed immensely.[1][2]


He achieved his first serious recognition as a dramatic actor in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with co-star Burt Lancaster. The following year he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in The Defiant Ones (1958) alongside Sidney Poitier (who was also nominated in the same category). Curtis then gave what could arguably be called his best performance: three interrelated roles in the comedy Some Like It Hot (1959). Thomson called it an "outrageous film," and an American Film Institute survey voted it the funniest American film ever made.[3] The film co-starred Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, and was directed by Billy Wilder. That was followed by Blake Edwards’s Operation Petticoat (1959) with Cary Grant. They were both frantic comedies, and displayed his impeccable comic timing.[4] He often collaborated with Edwards on later films. In 1960, Curtis played a supporting role in Spartacus, which became another major hit for him.


His stardom and film career declined considerably after 1960. His most significant dramatic part came in 1968 when he starred in the true-life drama The Boston Strangler, which some consider his last major film role.[4] The part reinforced his reputation as a serious actor with his chilling portrayal of serial killer Albert DeSalvo.


He later starred alongside Roger Moore in the ITC TV series The Persuaders!, with Curtis playing American millionaire Danny Wilde. The series ran twenty-four episodes.


Curtis is the father of actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis by his first wife, actress Janet Leigh.[5][6]




Contents






  • 1 Early life


    • 1.1 Military service




  • 2 Career


    • 2.1 Universal as "Anthony Curtis"


    • 2.2 Stardom


    • 2.3 Major star


    • 2.4 Comedic roles


    • 2.5 The Boston Strangler


    • 2.6 Later career


    • 2.7 Painter




  • 3 Personal life


    • 3.1 Marriages and children


    • 3.2 Philanthropy


    • 3.3 Books and appearances




  • 4 Later years and death


  • 5 Filmography


    • 5.1 Film


    • 5.2 Television


    • 5.3 Box office ranking




  • 6 Radio appearances


  • 7 Awards and nominations


  • 8 References


  • 9 Further reading


  • 10 External links





Early life


Tony Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925, at the Flower-Fifth Avenue Hospital on 105th Street in Manhattan, New York City, to Helen (née Klein) and Emanuel Schwartz.[7][8]
Biographies have propagated a misconception that he was born in the Bronx, probably due to the family's moves when he was very young, but Tony pointedly corrected this in a TV interview.[9]
His parents were Jewish emigrants from Czechoslovakia and Hungary: his father was born in Ópályi, near Mátészalka, and his mother was a native of Nagymihály (now Michalovce, Slovakia); she later said she arrived in the U.S. from Válykó (now Vaľkovo, Slovakia).[10][11] He did not learn English until he was five or six, delaying his schooling.[12] His father was a tailor and the family lived in the back of the shop—his parents in one corner and Curtis and his brothers Julius and Robert in another. His mother once made an appearance as a participant on the television show You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx.[11] Curtis said, "When I was a child, Mom beat me up and was very aggressive and antagonistic." His mother was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. His brother Robert was institutionalized with the same mental illness.


When Curtis was eight, he and his brother Julius were placed in an orphanage for a month because their parents could not afford to feed them. Four years later, Julius was struck and killed by a truck. Curtis joined a neighborhood gang whose main crimes were playing hooky from school and minor pilfering at the local dime store. When Curtis was 11, a friendly neighbor saved him from what he felt would have led to a life of delinquency by sending him to a Boy Scout camp, where he was able to work off his energy and settle down. He attended Seward Park High School. At 16, he had his first small acting part in a school stage play.[13]



Military service


Curtis enlisted in the United States Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor and war was declared. Inspired by Cary Grant's role in Destination Tokyo and Tyrone Power's in Crash Dive (1943), he joined the Pacific submarine force.[12] Curtis served aboard a submarine tender, the USS Proteus, until the end of the Second World War. On September 2, 1945, Curtis witnessed the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay from his ship's signal bridge about a mile away.[14]


Following his discharge from the Navy, Curtis attended City College of New York on the G.I. Bill. He then studied acting at The New School in Greenwich Village under the influential German stage director Erwin Piscator. His contemporaries included Elaine Stritch, Harry Belafonte, Walter Matthau, Beatrice Arthur, and Rod Steiger. While still at college, Curtis was discovered by Joyce Selznick, the notable talent agent, casting director, and niece of film producer David O. Selznick.



Career


In 1948, Curtis arrived in Hollywood at age 23. In his autobiography, Curtis described how by chance he met Jack Warner on the plane to California, and also how he briefly dated Marilyn Monroe before either was famous.



Universal as "Anthony Curtis"


Under contract at Universal Pictures, he changed his name from Bernard Schwartz to Tony Curtis and met unknown actors Rock Hudson, James Best, Julie Adams and Piper Laurie.[15] The first name was from the novel Anthony Adverse and "Curtis" was from Kurtz, a surname in his mother's family.[16] Although Universal Pictures taught him fencing and riding, in keeping with the cinematic themes of the era, Curtis admitted he was at first interested only in girls and money. Neither was he hopeful of his chances of becoming a major star. Curtis's biggest fear was having to return home to the Bronx as a failure:


I was a million-to-one shot, the least likely to succeed. I wasn't low man on the totem pole, I was under the totem pole, in a sewer, tied to a sack.[13]


Curtis's uncredited screen debut came in Criss Cross (1949) playing a rumba dancer, dancing with Yvonne de Carlo. The male star was Burt Lancaster who would make a number of films with Curtis.


In his second film, City Across the River (also in 1949), he was credited as "Anthony Curtis".[17] He had four lines in The Lady Gambles (1949) and a bigger part in Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949). He could also be spotted in Francis (1950), Woman in Hiding (1950), and I Was a Shoplifter (1950).


He was in three Westerns, Sierra (1950), starring Audie Murphy, one of many names he worked with (including fellow Universal contractee, Rock Hudson), Winchester '73 (1950), starring James Stewart and Shelley Winters. He supported Murphy in another Western, Kansas Raiders (1951), playing Kit Dalton; this time he was billed as "Tony Curtis".



Stardom


Curtis was receiving numerous fan letters, so Universal awarded him the starring role in The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951), a swashbuckler set in the Middle East with Piper Laurie. It was a hit at the box office and Curtis was now established.


He followed it up with Flesh and Fury (1952), a boxing movie; No Room for the Groom (1952), a comedy with Laurie directed by Douglas Sirk; and Son of Ali Baba (1952), another film set in the Arab world with Laurie.


Curtis then teamed up with then-wife Janet Leigh in Houdini (1953), in which Curtis played the title role. His next movies were more "B" fare: All American (1953), as a footballer; Forbidden (1953), as a criminal; Beachhead (1954), a war film; Johnny Dark (1954), with Laurie, as a racing car driver; and The Black Shield of Falworth (1954), a medieval swashbuckler with Leigh. The box office performances of these films were solid, and Curtis was growing in popularity.


For a change of pace he did a musical, So This Is Paris (1955), then it was back to more typical fare: Six Bridges to Cross (1955), as a bank robber; The Purple Mask (1955), a swashbuckler; The Square Jungle (1955), a boxing film.



Major star


Curtis graduated to more prestigious projects when he was cast in support of Burt Lancaster and Gina Lollobrigida in Trapeze (1956). It was one of the biggest hits of the year.


Curtis made a Western, The Rawhide Years (1957); was a gambler in Mister Cory (1957); and was a cop in The Midnight Story (1957). Lancaster asked for him again, to play scheming press agent Sidney Falco in Sweet Smell of Success (1957), starring and co-produced by Lancaster. The film was a box office disappointment, but Curtis, for the first time in his career, received sensational reviews.


Another star-maker was eager to work with him - Kirk Douglas - in The Vikings (1958). Janet Leigh also starred, and the resulting movie was a box office hit. Curtis then co-starred with Frank Sinatra and Natalie Wood in Kings Go Forth (1958), a war story. It was mildly popular, but The Defiant Ones (1958), was a bigger success. Curtis gave an Oscar-nominated performance as a bigoted white escaped convict chained to a black man, Sidney Poitier.





Curtis with Marilyn Monroe in
Some Like It Hot (1959)


Curtis and Leigh then made a popular comedy for Blake Edwards at Universal, The Perfect Furlough (1958). He co-starred with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe in Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959). It was a huge success and became a classic; equally popular was Operation Petticoat (1959), a military comedy which Curtis made for Edwards alongside Cary Grant.


Curtis and Leigh made one more film together Who Was That Lady? (1960), a comedy with Dean Martin. He and Debbie Reynolds then starred in the romantic comedy The Rat Race (1960).


Douglas came calling again, offering Curtis a key role in the former's epic production Spartacus (1960). It was a huge hit and earned Curtis a Golden Globe nomination.


Curtis then made his first movies in a while without a significant "name" co star. Both were biopics: The Great Impostor (1961), directed by Robert Mulligan, playing Ferdinand Waldo Demara; and The Outsider (1961), where he played war hero Ira Hayes. He went back to epics with Taras Bulba (1962), co starring Yul Brynner and Christine Kaufmann, who soon became Curtis' second wife.



Comedic roles


He and Kaufmann were reunited on the comedy 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962), which was a mild hit.


Curtis was one of many stars who had small roles in The List of Adrian Messenger (1963). He supported Gregory Peck in Captain Newman, M.D. (1963) and had an uncredited dual role in Paris When It Sizzles (1964). He and Kaufman made their third movie together, the comedy Wild and Wonderful (1964). His focus remained on comedies: Goodbye Charlie (1964), with Debbie Reynolds; Sex and the Single Girl (1964), with Natalie Wood; The Great Race (1965), with Wood and Lemmon for Blake Edwards — the most expensive comedy film up till that time, but popular; Boeing Boeing (1965) a sex farce with Jerry Lewis; Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966) with George C. Scott; Drop Dead Darling (1966), a British comedy; Don't Make Waves (1967), a satire of beach life from director Alexander Mackendrick, with Claudia Cardinale; and On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who... (1967), an Italian comedy with Monica Vitti. In the early 1960s, he was a voice-over guest star on The Flintstones as "Stoney Curtis".



The Boston Strangler


Curtis's first dramatic film after a number of years was The Boston Strangler (1968) playing the title role. Response from the critics and public was excellent. He returned to comedy for Monte Carlo or Bust! (1969), an all-star car race film in the vein of The Great Race.


He made some comic adventure tales: You Can't Win 'Em All (1970) with Charles Bronson and Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970).


Curtis decided it was time to turn to television and co-starred with Roger Moore in the TV series The Persuaders!.


He was one of the villains in The Count of Monte Cristo (1975) and had the title role in the gangster film Lepke (1975). Curtis had the lead in a TV series that did not last, McCoy (1975-76). He was one of many names in The Last Tycoon (1976) and had the title role in an Italian comedy Casanova & Co. (1977). Later, he co-starred in Vega$ and was in The Users (1978).



Later career


Curtis supported Mae West in Sextette (1978) and starred in The Manitou (1978), a horror film, and The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978), a comedy. He had good roles in It Rained All Night the Day I Left (1980), Little Miss Marker (1980) and The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980) and was one of many stars in The Mirror Crack'd (1980).



Painter


Throughout his life, Curtis enjoyed painting and, since the early 1980s, painted as a second career. His work commands more than $25,000 a canvas now. In the last years of his life, he concentrated on painting rather than movies. A surrealist, Curtis claimed Van Gogh, [Paul] Matisse, Picasso, and Magritte as influences.[12] "I still make movies but I'm not that interested in them any more. But I paint all the time." In 2007, his painting The Red Table was on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. His paintings can also be seen at the Tony Vanderploeg Gallery in Carmel, California.


Curtis spoke of his disappointment at never being awarded an Oscar. In March 2006, Curtis received the Sony Ericsson Empire Lifetime Achievement Award. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame inducted in 1960, and received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France in 1995.[citation needed]



Personal life



Marriages and children


Curtis was married six times.[18] His first wife was actress Janet Leigh, to whom he was married from 1951 to 1962, and with whom he fathered actresses Kelly and Jamie Lee. "For a while, we were Hollywood's golden couple," he said. "I was very dedicated and devoted to Janet, and on top of my trade, but in her eyes that goldenness started to wear off. I realized that whatever I was, I wasn't enough for Janet. That hurt me a lot and broke my heart."[18][19]


The studio he was under contract with, Universal-International, generally stayed out of their stars' love lives. However, when they chose to get married, studio executives spent three days trying to talk him out of it, telling him he would be "poisoning himself at the box office." They threatened "banishment" back to the Bronx and the end of his budding career. In response, Curtis and Leigh decided to defy the studio heads and instead eloped and were married by a local judge in Greenwich, Connecticut. Comedian and close friend Jerry Lewis was present as a witness.[13]


The couple divorced in 1962, and the following year Curtis married Christine Kaufmann, the 18-year-old German co-star of his latest film, Taras Bulba. He stated that his marriage with Leigh had effectively ended "a year earlier".[12] Curtis and Kaufmann had two daughters, Alexandra (born July 19, 1964) and Allegra (born July 11, 1966). They divorced in 1968. Kaufmann resumed her career, which she had interrupted during her marriage.


On April 20, 1968, Curtis married Leslie Allen, with whom he had two sons: Nicholas Bernard (December 31, 1970 – July 2, 1994)[20][21] and Benjamin Curtis (born May 2, 1973). The couple divorced in 1982.


Two years later, in 1984, Curtis married Andrea Savio; they divorced in 1992.[22]


The following year, on February 28, 1993, he married Lisa Deutsch. They divorced only a year later in 1994.


His sixth and last wife, Jill Vandenberg, was 45 years his junior. They met in a restaurant in 1993 and married on November 6, 1998.[22] "The age gap doesn't bother us. We laugh a lot. My body is functioning and everything is good. She's the sexiest woman I've ever known. We don't think about time. I don't use Viagra either. There are 50 ways to please your lover."[23]


In 1994, his son Nicholas died of a heroin overdose at the age of 23. After his son's death, Curtis remarked that it was "a terrible thing when a father loses his son."[24]


According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Curtis, who had a problem with alcoholism and drug abuse, went through the treatment center of the Betty Ford Clinic in the mid-1980s, which was successful for him.[22]



Philanthropy


Beginning in 1990, Curtis and his daughter Jamie Lee Curtis took a renewed interest in their family's Hungarian Jewish heritage, and helped finance the rebuilding of the Great Synagogue in Budapest, Hungary. The largest synagogue in Europe today, it was originally built in 1859 and suffered damage during World War II.[25] In 1998, he also founded the Emanuel Foundation for Hungarian Culture, and served as honorary chairman. The organization works for the restoration and preservation of synagogues and the 1300 Jewish cemeteries in Hungary and is dedicated to the 600,000 Jewish victims of the Holocaust in Hungary and lands occupied by the Hungarian Army.[26] Curtis also helped promote Hungary's national image in commercials.[27]



Books and appearances




Curtis, during a signing of his 2008 memoir, American Prince


In 1965, Tony Curtis was animated in an episode of The Flintstones; he also voiced his character Stoney Curtis.
In 1994, a mural featuring his likeness, painted by the artist George Sportelli, was unveiled on the Sunset Boulevard overpass of the Hollywood Freeway Highway 101 in Los Angeles. The mural was relocated to Hollywood Boulevard and Bronson Avenue in September 2011.[28] His face is featured among the celebrities on the cover of the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album by The Beatles.


Also in 1994, the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation awarded its Lone Sailor Award for his naval service and his subsequent acting career.


In 2004, he was inducted into the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Hall of Fame.[29] A street is named after him in the Sun City Anthem development of his adopted hometown, Henderson, Nevada.[citation needed]


In 2008, he was featured in the documentary The Jill & Tony Curtis Story about his efforts with his wife to rescue horses from slaughterhouses.[30]


In October 2008, Curtis's autobiography American Prince: A Memoir, was published.[31] In it, he describes his encounters with other Hollywood legends of the time including Frank Sinatra and James Dean, as well as his hard-knock childhood and path to success. It was followed by the publication of his next book, The Making of Some Like it Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic American Movie (2009).[32] Curtis shared his memories of the making of the movie, in particular about Marilyn Monroe, whose antics and attitude on the set made everyone miserable.


On May 22, 2009, Curtis apologized to the BBC radio audience after he used three profanities in a six-minute interview with BBC presenter William Crawley. The presenter also apologized to the audience for Curtis's "Hollywood realism." Curtis explained that he thought the interview was being taped, when it was in fact live.[33]



Later years and death


Curtis was a lifelong Democrat and attended the 1960 Democratic National Convention alongside such liberal performers as Edward G. Robinson, Shelley Winters, Ralph Bellamy, and Lee Marvin.[34]


During the 1971 filming of The Persuaders!, Curtis developed a reputation among his costars and crew as a frequent marijuana smoker.[35] Curtis developed a heavy cocaine addiction in 1974 while filming Lepke, at a time when his stardom had declined considerably and he was being offered few film roles.[36] In 1984, Curtis was rushed to the hospital suffering from advanced cirrhosis as a result of his alcoholism and cocaine addiction. He then entered the Betty Ford Clinic and vowed to overcome his various illnesses.[37] He underwent heart bypass surgery in 1994, after suffering a heart attack.[38]




Curtis in 2004


On July 8, 2010, Curtis, who suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), was hospitalized in Las Vegas after suffering an asthma attack during a book-signing engagement in Henderson, Nevada, where he lived.[39]


Curtis died at his Henderson home on September 29, 2010, of cardiac arrest.[40][41][42] He left behind five children and seven grandchildren.[43] His widow Jill told the press that Curtis had suffered from various lung problems for years as a result of cigarette smoking, although he had quit smoking about 30 years earlier.[44] In fact, during the 1960s Curtis served as the president of the American 'I Quit Smoking' Club.[45] In a release to the Associated Press, his daughter, actress Jamie Lee Curtis, stated:



My father leaves behind a legacy of great performances in movies and in his paintings and assemblages. He leaves behind children and their families who loved him and respected him and a wife and in-laws who were devoted to him. He also leaves behind fans all over the world. He will be greatly missed.[46]


His remains were interred at Palm Memorial Park Cemetery in Henderson, Nevada, on October 4, 2010. The service was attended by daughters, Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis; Arnold Schwarzenegger; Rich Little; and Vera Goulet, Robert Goulet's widow.[47][48] Investor Kirk Kerkorian, actor Kirk Douglas and singer Phyllis McGuire were among the honorary pallbearers.


Five months before his death he rewrote his will, naming all his children and intentionally disinherited them with no explanation, then leaving his entire estate to his wife.[49][50][51]



Filmography



Film







































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Year
Title
Role
Notes
1949

Criss Cross
Gigolo
uncredited
1949

City Across the River
Mitch
credited as Anthony Curtis
1949

Johnny Stool Pigeon
Joey Hyatt
credited as Anthony Curtis
1949

The Lady Gambles
Bellboy
credited as Anthony Curtis
1949

Take One False Step
Hot Rod Driver
uncredited
1949

How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border
unknown role
Short film
1950

Francis
Captain Jones
credited as Anthony Curtis
1950

Woman in Hiding
Dave Shaw (voice role)
uncredited
1950

I Was a Shoplifter
Pepe
credited as Anthony Curtis
1950

Sierra
Brent Coulter
credited as Anthony Curtis
1950

Winchester '73
Doan
credited as Anthony Curtis
1950

Kansas Raiders
Kit Dalton

1951

The Prince Who Was a Thief
Julna

1952

Flesh and Fury
Paul Callan

1952

No Room for the Groom
Alvah Morrell

1952

Son of Ali Baba
Kashma Baba

1952

Meet Danny Wilson
Himself – Nightclub Patron
uncredited
1953

Houdini
Harry Houdini

1953

All American
Nick Bonnelli

1953

Forbidden
Eddie

1954

Beachhead
Burke

1954

Johnny Dark
Johnny Dark

1954

The Black Shield of Falworth
Myles

1954

So This Is Paris
Joe Maxwell

1955

Six Bridges to Cross
Jerry Florea

1955

The Purple Mask
Rene de Traviere aka Purple Mask

1955

The Square Jungle
Eddie Quaid/Packy Glennon

1956

Trapeze
Tino Orsini

1956

The Rawhide Years
Ben Matthews

1957

Mister Cory
Cory

1957

The Midnight Story
Moe Martini

1957

Sweet Smell of Success
Sidney Falco
also Executive Producer
1958

The Vikings
Eric

1958

Kings Go Forth
Corporal Britt Harris

1958

The Defiant Ones
John "Joker" Jackson

1958

The Perfect Furlough
Corporal Paul Hodges

1959

Some Like It Hot
Joe/Josephine/Shell Oil Junior

1959

Operation Petticoat
Lieutenant Nicholas Holden

1960

Who Was That Lady?
David Wilson

1960

The Rat Race
Pete Hammond, Jr.

1960

Spartacus
Antoninus

1960

Pepe
Himself
uncredited
1960

The Great Imposter
Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Jr./Martin Donner/Dr. Gilbert

1961

The Outsider
Ira Hamilton Hayes

1962

Taras Bulba
Andriy Bulba

1962

40 Pounds of Trouble
Steve McCluskey

1963

The List of Adrian Messenger
Organ Grinder
cameo
1963

Captain Newman, M.D.
Corporal Jackson "Jake" Leibowitz

1964

Paris When It Sizzles
Maurice/Philippe – 2nd Policeman
uncredited
1964

Wild and Wonderful
Terry Willams

1964

Goodbye Charlie
George Tracy

1964

Sex and the Single Girl
Bob Weston

1965

The Great Race
The Great Leslie

1965

Boeing, Boeing
Bernard Lawrence

1966

Chamber of Horrors
Mr. Julian
uncredited
1966

Not with My Wife, You Don't!
Tom Ferris

1966

Arrivederci, Baby!
Nick Johnson
also known as Drop Dead Darling
1967

Don't Make Waves
Carlo Cofield

1967

On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who...
Guerrando da Montone

1968

Rosemary's Baby
Donald Baumgart (voice role)
uncredited
1968

The Boston Strangler
Albert DeSalvo

1969

Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies
Chester Schofield
also known as Monte-Carlo or Bust!
1970

You Can't Win 'Em All
Adam Dyer

1970

Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
Shannon Gambroni

1975

Lepke
Louis "Lepke" Buchalter

1976

The Last Tycoon
Rodriguez

1977

Some Like It Cool
Giacomo/Casanova

1977

The Manitou
Harry Erskine

1978

Sexette
Alexei Karansky

1978

The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
Marvin Lazar

1979

Title Shot
Frank Renzetti

1980

Little Miss Marker
Blackie

1980

It Rained All Night the Day I Left
Robert Talbot

1980

The Mirror Crack'd
Martin N. Fenn

1982

Black Commando
Colonel Iago

1982

BrainWaves
Dr. Clavius

1982

Sparky's Magic Piano
TV interviewer (voice role)
Direct-to-Video
1983

Dexter the Dragon & Bumble the Bear
unknown role (voice role)
English version
1983

Balboa
Ernie Stoddard

1984

Where Is Parsifal?
Parsifal Katzenellenbogen

1985

Insignificance
Senator

1986

Club Life
Hector

1986

The Last of Philip Banter
Charles Foster

1988

Welcome to Germany
Mr. Cornfield

1989

Lobster Man from Mars
J.P. Shelldrake

1989

Midnight
Mr. B

1989

Walter & Carlo i Amerika
Willy La Rouge

1991

Prime Target
Marietta Copella

1992

Center of the Web
Stephen Moore

1993

Naked in New York
Carl Fisher

1993

The Mummy Lives
Aziru/Dr. Mohassid

1995

The Immortals
Dominic

1997

Hardball
Wald

Direct-to-Video
1997

Brittle Glory
Jack Steele

1998

Louis & Frank
Lenny Star Springer

1998

Stargames
King Fendel

1999

Play It to the Bone
Ringside Fan

2002

Reflections of Evil
Host

2006

Where's Marty?
Himself
Direct-to-DVD
2007

The Blacksmith and the Carpenter
God (voice role)
Short film
2008

David & Fatima
Mr. Schwartz



Television

























































































































































































































































Year
Title
Role
Notes
1955

Allen in Movieland
Himself
Television Movie
1955–1956

The Ed Sullivan Show
Himself (Guest)
3 episodes
1959

The Joseph Cotten Show: On Trial
Charlie
Episode: "Man on a Rock"
1960

Startime
The Juggler
Episode: "The Young Juggler"
also Executive Producer
1965

The Flintstones
Stony Curtis (voice role)
Episode: "The Return of Stony Curtis"
1968

The Song Is You
Himself
Television Movie
1968–1971

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Himself (Guest Performer)
recurring role (8 episodes)
1971–1972

The Persuaders!
Danny Wilde/Aunt Sophie
series regular (24 episodes)
1972

The ABC Comedy Hour
Himself (Guest Performer)
Episode: "The Friars Roast of Joe Namath"
1972

The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour
Himself (Guest Performer)
2 episodes
1973

The Third Girl from the Left
Joey Jordan
Television Movie
1973

Shaft
Clifford Grayson
Episode: "Hit-Run"
1975

The Count of Monte-Cristo
Fernand Mondego
Television Movie
1975–1976

McCoy
McCoy
series regular (5 episodes)
1978

The Users
Randy Brent
Television Movie
1978–1981

Vega$
Roth
series regular (17 episodes)
1980

The Scarlett O'Hara War
David O. Selznick
Television Movie
1981

Inmates: A Love Story
Flanagan
Television Movie
1981

The Million Dollar Face
Chester Masterson
Television Movie
1982

Portrait of a Showgirl
Joey DeLeon
Television Movie
1983

The Fall Guy
Joe O'Hara
Episode: "Eight Ball"
1986

Mafia Princess
Sam Giancana
Television Movie
1986

Murder in Three Acts
Charles Cartwright
Television Movie
1989

Tarzan in Manhattan
Archimedes Porter
Television Movie
1989

Charlie
Scott Parish
Television Movie
1990

Thanksgiving Day
Max Schloss
Television Movie
1992

Christmas in Connecticut
Alexander Yardley
Television Movie
1992–1993

Hollywood Babylon
Himself (Host)
5 episodes
1994

Bandit: Beauty and the Bandit
Lucky Bergstrom
Television Movie
1994

A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Grimacing Governor
Johnny Steele
Television Movie
1994

Cilla's World
Himself
Television Movie
1995–2003

Biography
Himself (Interviewee)
4 episodes
– Episode: "Roger Moore" (1995)
– Episode: "Ernest Borgnine" (2000)
– Episode: "Tony Curtis" (2001)
– Episode: "Janet Leigh" (2003)
1996

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Dr. Mamba
Episode: "I Now Pronounce You..."
1996

Roseanne
Hal
Episode: "Ballroom Blitz"
1997

Elvis Meets Nixon
Himself (uncredited)
Television Movie
1998

Suddenly Susan
Peter DiCaprio
Episode: "Matchmaker, Matchmaker"
2004

Hope & Faith
Morris
Episode: "Jack's Back"
2005

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Himself
Episode: "Grave Danger (Part 1)"
2006

60 Minutes
Himself
Episode: "Gay Marriage/The Marilyn Mystery"
2010

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Himself (Celebrity Question Presenter)
Episode: "Million Dollar Movie Week 1"


Box office ranking


For a number of years Curtis was voted by exhibitors in an annual poll from Quigley Publishing as among the top stars in the United States:



  • 1954—23rd

  • 1959—18th

  • 1960—6th

  • 1961—9th

  • 1962—18th



Radio appearances


















Year Program Episode/source
1951 Suspense
The McKay College Basketball Scandal[52]
1952 Stars in the Air
Model Wife[53]


Awards and nominations








































































































































































































































































Association
Year
Category
Nominated Work
Result

Academy Awards
1959

Best Actor

The Defiant Ones
Nominated

BAFTA Awards
1958

Best Foreign Actor

Sweet Smell of Success
Nominated
1959

Best Foreign Actor

The Defiant Ones
Nominated

Bambi Awards
1958

Best Actor, International

Sweet Smell of Success
Won
1959

Best Actor, International

The Defiant Ones
Nominated
1960

Best Actor, International

Some Like It Hot
Nominated
1973

TV Series International

The Persuaders!
Won

Bravo Otto Awards
1972

Best Male TV Star

The Persuaders!
Won
California Independent Film Festival
2004
Lifetime Achievement Award

Won

David di Donatello Awards
2001

Special David

Won

Empire Awards
2006

Lifetime Achievement Award

Won

Golden Apple Awards
1952

Most Cooperative Actor

Won
1958

Most Cooperative Actor

Won
1964

Least Cooperative Actor

Won

Golden Camera Awards
2004

Lifetime Achievement Award

Won

Golden Globe Awards
1958

World Film Favorite, Male

Won
1959

Best Actor in a Motion Picture—Drama

The Defiant Ones
Nominated
1961

World Film Favorite, Male

Won
1969

Best Actor in a Motion Picture—Drama

The Boston Strangler
Nominated

Jules Verne Awards
2005

Lifetime Achievement Award

Won

Laurel Awards
1958

Top Male Dramatic Performance

Sweet Smell of Success
Nominated
1960

Top Male Star

Nominated
1960

Top Male Comedy Performance

Who Was That Lady?
Nominated
1961

Top Male Star

Nominated
1962

Top Male Star

Nominated
1962

Top Male Dramatic Performance

The Outsider
Nominated
1963

Top Male Star

Nominated
1963

Top Male Dramatic Performance

40 Pounds of Trouble
Nominated
1964

Top Male Star

Nominated
1964

Top Male Comedy Performance

Captain Newman, M.D.
Nominated
1965

Male Star

Nominated

Montreal World Film Festival
2008

Grand Prix Special des Ameriques

Won

Palm Springs International Film Festival
1995

Desert Palm Achievement Award

Won
Photoplay Award
1959
Most Popular Male Star

Won

Primetime Emmy Awards
1980

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special

The Scarlett O'Hara War
Nominated

Sitges Catalonian International Film Festival
2000

"The General" Honorary Award

Won

St. Louis International Film Festival
1997

Distinguished Hollywood Film Artist Award

Won

TP de Oro
1973

Best Foreign Actor

The Persuaders!
Nominated

Walk of Fame
1960

Star on the Walk of Fame–Motion Picture 6817 Hollywood Blvd.

Won


References





  1. ^ Siegel, Scott and Barbara (2004). The Encyclopedia of Hollywood (2nd ed.). Facts on File. pp. 108–109. ISBN 978-0816046232..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ Thomson, David (May 6, 2014). The New Biographical Dictionary of Film (sixth ed.). Knopf Doubleday. ISBN 978-1101874707.


  3. ^ "Hollywood Legend Tony Curtis Dead at 85". Fox News. Associated Press. September 30, 2010.


  4. ^ ab Broeske, Pat H.; McCarty, John (1997). International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers: Actors and Actresses (3rd ed.). St. James Press. pp. 275–277, 333. ISBN 978-1558623019.


  5. ^ "Jamie Lee Honours Her Dad". Toronto Sun. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
    [dead link]



  6. ^ "Tony Curtis". The Daily Telegraph. London. September 30, 2010.


  7. ^ "Tony Curtis biography". Biography.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.


  8. ^ "Curtis, Tony 1925–". Encyclopaedia Judaica. Retrieved February 25, 2019.


  9. ^ "Interview with cable TV host Skip E Lowe". Retrieved August 31, 2017.


  10. ^ "USA: Zomrel americký herec Tony Curtis, po matke slovenského pôvodu" [USA: American actor Tony Curtis died, after a mother of Slovak origin]. Slovak Centre London (in Slovak). News Agency of the Slovak Republic. September 30, 2010.


  11. ^ ab "You Bet Your Life". You Bet Your Life. YouTube. February 9, 1956. 2:08-2:20 minutes in. Retrieved July 1, 2011.


  12. ^ abcd Private Screenings: Tony Curtis Turner Classic Movies, January 19, 1999.


  13. ^ abc Alexander, Shana (November 17, 1961). "Tony Curtis in a For–Real Bronx Dream: the Bee–Yoody–Ful Life of a Movie Caliph". Life. 51 (20): 161–176. Retrieved February 25, 2019.


  14. ^ "World War Two - and a young man serves his country". TenderTale. Retrieved June 18, 2010.


  15. ^ Lobosco, David (April 9, 2012). "'Julie Adams at 85'". Great Entertainers Archives.com. Retrieved October 26, 2015.


  16. ^ Rizzo, Frank (October 1, 2009). "My Interview With Tony Curtis". Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 1, 2009.


  17. ^ City Across the River on IMDb


  18. ^ ab "A Bronx boy who mastered his art". The Australian. October 1, 2010.


  19. ^ Video clip compilation on YouTube 2 minutes


  20. ^ "Actor Tony Curtis' son dies on Cape Cod". UPI. July 5, 1994. Retrieved October 24, 2018.


  21. ^ "Nicholas B. Curtis". Social Security Death Index. Retrieved October 24, 2018 – via FamilySearch.org.


  22. ^ abc McDonald, William (November 11, 2011). The Obits 2012: The New York Times Annual. Workman Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 978-0761169420.


  23. ^ Drye, Brittny. "Tony Curtis: 6 Women Behind the Hollywood Heartthrob", The Stir, September 30, 2010, accessed January 13, 2011.


  24. ^ "Movie star Tony Curtis had Cape ties". Cape Cod Times. October 1, 2008. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.


  25. ^ Steves, Rick; Hewitt, Cameron (May 26, 2015). Rick Steves' Budapest. Avalon Publishing. pp. 72–73. ISBN 978-1631211119. Retrieved February 25, 2019.


  26. ^ "Curtis aiding Hungary Jews". Chicago Sun-Times. June 29, 1988. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2010 – via HighBeam Research. (Subscription required (help)).


  27. ^ "Csináljon velünk országimázs filmet!" [Make us a country image movie!]. Origo (in Hungarian). Origo.hu. June 8, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010.


  28. ^ "Tony Curtis". Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles. Retrieved October 3, 2010.


  29. ^ "UNLV Entertainer/Artist Hall to honor Tony Curtis". Las Vegas Sun. September 14, 2004. Retrieved February 25, 2019.


  30. ^ "Jill VanderBerg Curtis Worked With Husband On Last Film". CBS News. September 30, 2010. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013.


  31. ^ Curtis, Tony; Golenbock, Peter. American Prince, Harmony Books (2008)
    ISBN 978-1-905264-34-6.



  32. ^ Curtis, Tony; Vieira, Mark A. The Making of Some Like it Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic American Movie, John Wiley and Sons (2009)
    ISBN 978-0-470-53721-3



  33. ^ Crawley, William (May 23, 2009). "Tony Curtis brings some Hollywood realism to BBC radio". BBC.


  34. ^ Video on YouTube


  35. ^ Rigby, Jonathan (December 5, 2005). "Val Guest interviewed at the BFI". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007.


  36. ^ Curtis, Tony American Prince: My Autobiography (2008) p. 303


  37. ^ "Tony Curtis". The Daily Telegraph. London. October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2010.


  38. ^ "Tony Curtis 1925-2010: A movie star and icon in the golden age of Hollywood". Daily Record. Glasgow. October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2010.


  39. ^ "Tony Curtis 'stable' after asthma attack". The Arizona Republic. July 16, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2019.


  40. ^ Kehr, Dave (September 30, 2010). "Tony Curtis, Hollywood Leading Man, Dies at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2010.


  41. ^ "Film star Tony Curtis dies at 85". BBC News. September 30, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2010.


  42. ^ "Coroner:Actor Tony Curtis Dies At Las Vegas Home". San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. September 30, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2019.


  43. ^ "Tony Curtis's Widow Speaks Exclusively To Inside Edition". Inside Edition. March 29, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2016.


  44. ^ Culbertson, Caroline (September 30, 2010). "Tony Curtis died after long history of lung problems from smoking, says widow Jill Curtis". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 5, 2014.


  45. ^ "Tony Curtis on drugs charge at airport". Daily Express. April 27, 1970.


  46. ^ "Legendary actor Tony Curtis has died". CNN. September 30, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2010.


  47. ^ "Memorial Service for actor Tony Curtis Set For Monday". CNN. October 1, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2019.


  48. ^ Garcia, Oskar (October 4, 2010). "Actor Tony Curtis buried after Vegas funeral". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on October 13, 2010.


  49. ^ Mayoras, Danielle and Andy (September 19, 2011). "Tony Curtis' Kids Say He Was the Victim of Undue Influence". Forbes. Retrieved November 16, 2018.


  50. ^ "The Curious Case of Tony Curtis". Hackard Law. December 17, 2014.


  51. ^ "The Real Story of Tony Curtis' Last Will and Testament". Thelegacylawyer.com. March 8, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2018.


  52. ^ "Radio's Golden Age". Nostalgia Digest. 37 (1): 41. Winter 2011.


  53. ^ Kirby, Walter (February 10, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 38. Retrieved June 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
    open access





Further reading





  • Ayres, Ian (2006). Van Gogh's Ear: The Celebrity Edition. Paris: French Connection. ISBN 978-2-914853-07-1. The book includes Tony Curtis's prose, poetry, and artwork.


  • Curtis, Tony; Barry Paris (1993). Tony Curtis: The Autobiography. New York: William Morrow & Company. ISBN 978-0-688-09759-2.


  • Curtis, Tony; Peter Golenbock (2008). Tony Curtis: American Prince: My Autobiography. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 978-0-307-40849-5.


  • Curtis, Tony (2009). Some Like it Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Making of the Classic Movie. New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-470-53721-3.

  • Wise, James. Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997.
    ISBN 1557509379
    OCLC 36824724



External links











  • Tonycurtis.com


  • Tony Curtis on IMDb

  • Remembering Tony Curtis [1] Bronx News, 2012


  • Tony Curtis, 1925-2010 on YouTube


  • Tony Curtis at the TCM Movie Database Edit this at Wikidata


  • Biography and naval service from the California Center for Military History website

  • Alison Jackson, Some tormented Hollywood souls still like their gossip hot, Profile: Tony Curtis, Sunday Times, 20 April 2008

  • Documentary film, The Jill & Tony Curtis Story

  • Photographs and literature


  • Tony Curtis: Life and Times – slideshow by Life magazine


  • The Telegraph obituary

  • Interview by Michael Hainey for GQ Magazine








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