Kelly Curtis

Kelly Curtis
Curtis (left) with her mother and sister, 1979.
Born (1956-06-17) June 17, 1956[1]
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1983–present
Spouse(s)
Scott Morfee (m. 1989)
[2]
Parent(s) Tony Curtis
Janet Leigh
Relatives Jamie Lee Curtis (sister)
Allegra Curtis (paternal half-sister)

Kelly Lee Curtis (born June 17, 1956)[1] is an American actress. She is best known for her film roles in Magic Sticks (1987), and The Devil's Daughter (1991).

Early life

Kelly Curtis was born in Santa Monica, California, the eldest child of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Her sister is actress Jamie Lee Curtis (born 1958). Her paternal grandparents were Hungarian Jewish immigrants[3] and two of her maternal great-grandparents were Danish.[4] She has four half-siblings, from her father's remarriages, Alexandra Curtis (born July 19, 1964); Allegra Curtis (born July 11, 1966); Nicholas Curtis (December 21, 1970 – July 2, 1994), who died of a drug overdose;[5] and Benjamin Curtis (born May 2, 1973).

Curtis' first appearance on the silver screen was as a young girl in the United Artists action/adventure The Vikings (1958) starring her parents, as well as Kirk Douglas and Ernest Borgnine. Her parents divorced in 1962, after which her mother married Robert Brandt (1927-2009).

In 1978, she graduated from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, with a degree in Business. She worked briefly as a stockbroker.[6]

Career

Curtis studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.[7] An article in the Los Angeles Times of July 28, 1982, about the play Say Goodnight, Gracie reads, in part, "Kelly Curtis is Ginny, sadly resigned to not being smart but smartly settled for honest responses. Here, writing and performance transcend one-note designation. Seated quietly, Curtis delivers a touching monologue that would have been the heart of another and better play, rather than a disarming moment of inspired simplicity."[7]

She made her motion picture debut at the age of 27, playing the role as Muffy in the John Landis comedy Trading Places (1983) starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy.[8] She played the role as Shirley in the comedy Magic Sticks (1987) opposite George Kranz, and starred in the leading role as Miriam Kreisl in the horror film The Devil's Daughter (1991).

On September 14, 1989, she and playwright/producer Scott Morfee (born 1954) were married.[9] The couple were then working together on his play with music, Shout and Twist, which she was not only appearing in, but producing.

Curtis was a regular cast member in the role as Lieutenant Carolyn Plummer during the first season of the crime/action television series The Sentinel (1996) opposite co-stars Richard Burgi, Garett Maggart, and Bruce A. Young. Her guest appearances on TV include roles on The Renegades (1983), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), and Judging Amy (1999). She has worked as an assistant on such films as Freaky Friday (2003), Christmas with the Kranks (2004), and You Again (2010).

As of 1990, Curtis and her husband lived in New York on Long Island.[2]

Filmography

  • The Vikings (1958) as young girl (uncredited)
  • Trading Places (1983) as Muffy
  • Magic Sticks[10] (1987) as Shirley
  • Checkpoint (1987) as Joyce
  • The Devil's Daughter (1991) as Miriam Kreisl (starring role)
  • Ex-Cop (1992) as Officer
  • Mixed Blessings (1998) as Annie Weaver
  • June (1998) (short film)

Production crew

Television films

  • Kojak: Ariana (1989) as Whitley
  • Thanksgiving Day (1990) as Barbara Schloss
  • False Arrest (1991) as Mary Durand
  • Search and Rescue (1994)

Series television

References

  1. 1 2 California Birth Index, Name: Kelly L. Curtis, Birth Date: 06-17-1956, Mother's Maiden Name: Morrison, Sex: Female, County: Los Angeles.
  2. 1 2 Schindehette, Susan (1990). "Tony and Janet's Other Daughter, Kelly, Proves That Jamie Lee's Not the Only Curtis Kid with Acting Genes". people.com. Time Inc. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "Jamie Lee Curtis Interview: Starring as Herself: Embracing Reality". Reader's Digest. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  4. ↑ There/Hollywood, page 6, 1985, by Janet Leigh
  5. ↑ "Family for Tony Curtis" Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  6. ↑ http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20113734,00.html
  7. 1 2 Mahoney, John C. "'Say Goodnight, Gracie' Off Target." Los Angeles Times. July 28, 1982. p. G2. Retrieved 2016-12-31. "Kelly Curtis is Ginny. [...] All participants have been associated with the Lee Strasberg Theater [sic] Institute."
  8. ↑ Kelly Curtis at SuperiorPics.com
  9. ↑ Smith, Liz. "The younger [sic] daughter of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis was quietly wed Sept. 14." Los Angeles Times, Nov. 14, 1989. p. P9. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  10. ↑ Magic Sticks at The New York Times
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