Tony Curtis
| Tony Curtis | |
|---|---|
 Curtis in 1958 | |
| Born |
Bernard Schwartz June 3, 1925 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
September 29, 2010 (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) |
|
| 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 was mostly popular 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 were partly the result of his good looks, by the latter half of the 1950s he became a strong screen presence with the range to act 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 Oscar 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 a survey carried out by the American Film Institute 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[5] by his first wife, actress Janet Leigh.[6]
Early life
Tony Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925, at the Flower-Fifth Avenue Hospital on 105th St. in Manhattan, New York, 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 US from Válykó (now Vaľkovo, Slovakia).[10] He did not learn English until he was five or six, delaying his schooling.[11] 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.[12] 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]
War 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.[11] 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 of them was famous.
Universal as "Anthony Curtis"
When he was placed under contract at Universal Pictures, he changed his name from Bernard Schwartz to Tony Curtis. It is also the same studio where he 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 a lot of fan mail so Universal decided to give him the starring role in The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951), a Near-Eastern swashbuckler with Piper Laurie. It was a hit at the box office and Curtis was now established.
He followed it 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 "Near-Eastern" with Laurie.
Curtis' career stepped up another notch when he teamed with then-wife Janet Leigh in Houdini (1953), where 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 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. It was a box office disappointment but Curtis, for the first time in his career, received sensational reviews.
Another star-producer was interested in Curtis supporting him - Kirk Douglas for The Vikings (1958). Janet Leigh also starred and the resulting movie was a massive 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 big success. Curtis gave an Oscar-nominated performance as a bigoted white escaped convict chained to a black man, Sidney Poitier.
Curtis and Leigh 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, as 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 made a cameo 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 made his first dramatic film for a number of years with The Boston Strangler (1968) playing the title role and 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, Magritte" as influences.[11] "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, and received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France in 1995.
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".[11] 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 (December 31, 1970 – April 2, 1994)[20] 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.[21]
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.[21] "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."[22]
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."[23]
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.[21]
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.[24] 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 1300 Jewish cemeteries in Hungary. He dedicated this to the 600,000 Jewish victims of the Holocaust in Hungary and lands occupied by the Hungarian Army.[25] He also helped promote Hungary's national image in commercials.[26]
Books and appearances
In 1965, Tony Curtis was animated in an episode of The Flintstones; he also voiced his character Stoney Curtis. In 1994,[27] 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 California. The mural was relocated to Hollywood Boulevard and Bronson Avenue in September 2011. His face is featured among the celebrities in 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.[28] A street is named after him in the Sun City Anthem development in Henderson, Nevada.
In 2008, he was featured in the documentary The Jill & Tony Curtis Story about his efforts with his wife to rescue horses from slaughterhouses.[29]
In October 2008, Curtis's autobiography American Prince: A Memoir, was published.[30] 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).[31] 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.[32]
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.[33]
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.[34] 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.[35] He underwent heart bypass surgery in 1994, after suffering a heart attack.[36]
Curtis nearly died when he contracted pneumonia in December 2006 and was in a coma for more than a month. As a result, he used a wheelchair afterwards and could walk only short distances.
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.[37]
Curtis died at his Henderson home on September 29, 2010, of cardiac arrest.[38][39][40][41] He left behind five children and seven grandchildren.[42] 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.[43] In fact, during the 1960s Curtis served as the president of the American 'I Quit Smoking' Club.[44] 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.[45]
His remains were interred at Palm Memorial Park Cemetery in Henderson, Nevada, on October 4, 2010.[46][47] His memorial service was attended by his daughters, Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis; Arnold Schwarzenegger; Rich Little; and Vera Goulet, Robert Goulet's widow.[47] Investor Kirk Kerkorian, actor Kirk Douglas and singer Phyllis McGuire were among the honorary pallbearers.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Criss Cross | Gigolo | Uncredited |
| 1949 | City Across the River | Mitch | Credited as Anthony Curtis |
| 1949 | The Lady Gambles | Bellboy | Credited as Anthony Curtis |
| 1949 | Take One False Step | Hot Rod Driver | Uncredited |
| 1949 | Johnny Stool Pigeon | Joey Hyatt | Credited as Anthony Curtis |
| 1949 | How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border | Short film | |
| 1950 | Francis | Capt. Jones | Credited as Anthony Curtis |
| 1950 | Woman in Hiding | Dave Shaw | Voice; 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 Bonelli | |
| 1953 | Forbidden | Eddie Darrow | |
| 1954 | Beachhead | Burke | |
| 1954 | Johnny Dark | Johnny Dark | |
| 1954 | The Black Shield of Falworth | Myles | |
| 1955 | So This Is Paris | Joe Maxwell | |
| 1955 | Six Bridges to Cross | Jerry Florea | |
| 1955 | The Purple Mask | Rene de Traviere | |
| 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 | Joe Martini | |
| 1957 | Sweet Smell of Success | Sidney Falco | |
| 1958 | The Vikings | Eric | |
| 1958 | Kings Go Forth | Cpl. Britt Harris | |
| 1958 | The Defiant Ones | John 'Joker' Jackson | |
| 1958 | The Perfect Furlough | Cpl. Paul Hodges | |
| 1959 | Some Like It Hot | Joe / Josephine / Shell Oil Junior | |
| 1959 | Operation Petticoat | Lt. JG Nicholas Holden | |
| 1960 | Who Was That Lady? | David Wilson | |
| 1960 | The Rat Race | Pete Hammond Jr. | |
| 1960 | Spartacus | Antoninus | |
| 1960 | Pepe | Himself | Uncredited |
| 1961 | The Great Impostor | Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. / Martin Donner / Dr. Gilbert / Ben. W. Stone / Dr. Joseph Mornay / Robert Boyd Hammnd | |
| 1961 | The Outsider | Ira Hayes | |
| 1962 | Taras Bulba | Andrei Bulba | |
| 1962 | 40 Pounds of Trouble | Steve McCluskey | |
| 1963 | The List of Adrian Messenger | Organ grinder | Cameo |
| 1963 | Captain Newman, M.D. | Cpl. Jackson 'Jake' Leibowitz | |
| 1964 | Paris When It Sizzles | Maurice / Philippe - 2nd Policeman | Uncredited |
| 1964 | Wild and Wonderful | Terry Williams | |
| 1964 | Goodbye Charlie | George Tracy | |
| 1964 | Sex and the Single Girl | Bob Weston | |
| 1965 | The Great Race | The Great Leslie | |
| 1965 | The Flintstones | Stony Curtis | Voice |
| 1965 | Boeing Boeing | Bernard Lawrence | |
| 1966 | Chamber of Horrors | Mr. Julian | Cameo; Uncredited |
| 1966 | Not with My Wife, You Don't! | Tom Ferris | |
| 1966 | Arrivederci, Baby! | Nick Johnson | |
| 1967 | Don't Make Waves | Carlo Coifed | |
| 1967 | On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who... | Guerrando da Montone | |
| 1968 | Rosemary's Baby | Donald Baumgart | Voice; Uncredited |
| 1968 | The Boston Strangler | Albert DeSalvo | |
| 1969 | Monte Carlo or Bust! | Chester Schofield | |
| 1970 | You Can't Win 'Em All | Adam Dyer | |
| 1970 | Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came | Shannon Gambroni | |
| 1975 | The Count of Monte Cristo | Fernand Mondego | TV Movie |
| 1975 | Lepke | Louis 'Lepke' Buchalter | |
| 1976 | The Last Tycoon | Rodriguez | |
| 1977 | Casanova & Co. | Giacomo / Casanova | |
| 1978 | The Manitou | Harry Erskine | |
| 1978 | Sextette | Alexei Karansky | |
| 1978 | The Bad News Bears Go to Japan | Marvin Lazar | |
| 1978 | The Users | Randy Brent | TV Movie |
| 1978 | Electric Light Orchestra Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley | Himself | |
| 1979 | Title Shot | Frank Renzetti | |
| 1980 | It Rained All Night the Day I Left | Robert Talbot | |
| 1980 | Little Miss Marker | Blackie | |
| 1980 | The Scarlett O'Hara War | David O. Selznick | TV Movie |
| 1980 | The Mirror Crack'd | Martin N. Fenn | |
| 1982 | Othello, the Black Commando | Col. Iago | |
| 1982 | Brainwaves | Dr. Clavius | |
| 1982 | Bambo & Dex | English version, Voice | |
| 1983 | Balboa | Ernie Stoddard | |
| 1984 | Where Is Parsifal? | Parsifal Katzenellenbogen | |
| 1985 | The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal | Himself | Documentary |
| 1985 | Insignificance | Senator | |
| 1986 | Mafia Princess | Sam Giancana | TV Movie |
| 1986 | Club Life | Hector | |
| 1986 | Banter | Charles Foster | |
| 1986 | Murder in Three Acts | Charles Cartwright | TV Movie |
| 1988 | The Passenger – Welcome to Germany | Mr. Cornfield | |
| 1989 | Lobster Man from Mars | J.P. Shelldrake | |
| 1989 | Tarzan in Manhattan | Archimedes Porter | TV Movie |
| 1989 | Midnight | Mr. B | |
| 1989 | Walter & Carlo In America | Willy La Rouge | |
| 1990 | Thanksgiving Day | Max Schloss | TV Movie |
| 1991 | Prime Target | Marietta Copella | |
| 1992 | Christmas in Connecticut | Alexander Yardley | TV Movie |
| 1992 | Center of the Web | Stephen Moore | |
| 1992 | Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time | Himself | Documentary |
| 1993 | Naked in New York | Carl Fisher | |
| 1993 | The Mummy Lives | Aziru / Dr. Mohassid | |
| 1994 | A Century of Cinema | Himself | Documentary |
| 1995 | The Immortals | Dominic | |
| 1995 | The Celluloid Closet | Himself | Documentary |
| 1997 | Hardball | Wald | |
| 1997 | Brittle Glory | Jack Steele | |
| 1997 | Elvis Meets Nixon | Himself | Uncredited |
| 1997 | Alien X Factor | Dr. Lancaster | (archive footage) |
| 1998 | Louis & Frank | Lenny Star Springer | |
| 1998 | Stargames | King Fendel | |
| 1999 | Play It to the Bone | Ringside Fan | Cameo |
| 2002 | Reflections of Evil | Narrator | |
| 2003 | The Untitled Star Wars Mockumentary | Himself | |
| 2006 | Where's Marty? | Himself | |
| 2007 | The Blacksmith and the Carpenter | God | Voice |
| 2008 | David & Fatima | Mr. Schwartz | (final film role) |
| 2008 | The Jill & Tony Curtis Story | Himself | Documentary |
| 2012 | Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom | Himself | Documentary[48] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971–1972 | The Persuaders! | Danny Wilde / Aunt Sophie | |
| 1974 | Mission: Monte Carlo | Danny Wilde | Archive footage |
| 1975–1976 | McCoy | McCoy | |
| 1978–1981 | Vega$ | Roth | |
| 1996 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Dr. Isaac Mamba | |
| 1996 | Roseanne | Hal | |
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 US:
- 1954 – 23rd
- 1959 – 18th
- 1960 – 6th
- 1961 – 9th
- 1962 – 18th
Radio appearances
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Suspense | The McKay College Basketball Scandal[49] |
| 1952 | Stars in the Air | Model Wife[50] |
References
- ↑ Siegel, Scott and Barbara. The Encyclopedia of Hollywood’’ 2nd ed. Checkmark Books (2004) pp. 108–109
- ↑ Thomson, David. The New Biographical Dictionary of Film Alfred A. Knopf (2002) pp. 196–197
- ↑ "Hollywood Legend Tony Curtis Dead at 85" Fox News, September 30, 2010
- 1 2 Broeske, Pat H. And McCarty, John. International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers: Actors and Actresses (3rd Ed.) St. James Press (1997) pp. 275-277
- ↑ wenn.com. "Jamie Lee Honours Her Dad". Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ↑ "Tony Curtis". The Daily Telegraph. London. September 30, 2010.
- ↑ "Tony Curtis biography". biography.com. A&E Television Networks. Archived from the original on September 7, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Curtis, Tony 1925–". Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. encyclopedia.com. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Interview with cable TV host Skip E Lowe". Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ↑ Zomrel americký herec Tony Curtis, po matke slovenského pôvodu (Slovak); You Bet Your Life, S06E20, 9 February 1956. 02:08-02:20.
- 1 2 3 4 Private Screenings: Tony Curtis Turner Classic Movies, January 19, 1999.
- ↑ "You Bet Your Life 0". YouTube. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- 1 2 3 Life magazine, Nov. 17, 1961 pp. 161-176
- ↑ "TenderTale". TenderTale. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- ↑ "'Julie Adams at 85'". Great Entertainers Archives.com. 2012-04-09. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
- ↑ Rizzo, Frank (October 1, 2009). "My Interview With Tony Curtis". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- ↑ City Across the River on IMDb
- 1 2 "A Bronx boy who mastered his art". The Australian. October 1, 2010.
- ↑ Video clip compilation on YouTube 2 minutes
- ↑ Social Security Death Index
- 1 2 3 McDonald, William. The Obits 2012: The New York Times Annual, Workman Publishing (2011) p. 85
- ↑ Drye, Brittny. "Tony Curtis: 6 Women Behind the Hollywood Heartthrob", The Stir, September 30, 2010, accessed January 13, 2011.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Steves, Rick. Rick Steves' Budapest, Public Affairs publ. (2009) pp. 72-73
- ↑ "Curtis aiding Hungary Jews". Chicago Sun-Times via HighBeam Research. June 29, 1988. Retrieved September 30, 2010. (subscription required)
- ↑ "Csináljon velünk országimázs filmet!". Origo.hu. June 8, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- ↑ "Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles". Retrieved October 3, 2010.
- ↑ "View Newspapers: "TONY CURTIS: Now a local legend"". Viewnews.com. September 10, 2004. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- ↑ "Jill VanderBerg Curtis Worked With Husband On Last Film". CBS News. September 30, 2010. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013.
- ↑ Curtis, Tony; Golenbock, Peter. American Prince, Harmony Books (2008) ISBN 978-1-905264-34-6.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "Tony Curtis brings some Hollywood realism to BBC radio". bbc.co.uk. May 23, 2009.
- ↑ Video on YouTube
- ↑ Curtis, Tony American Prince: My Autobiography (2008) p. 303
- ↑ "Tony Curtis". The Daily Telegraph. London. October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Tony Curtis 'stable' after asthma attack". AZcentral.com. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
- ↑ Kehr, Dave (September 30, 2010). "Tony Curtis, Hollywood Leading Man, Dies at 85". New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
- ↑ "Film star Tony Curtis dies at 85". BBC News. September 30, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ↑ "Film star Tony Curtis dies aged 85". The First Post. September 30, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ↑ "Coroner:Actor Tony Curtis Dies At Las Vegas Home". Associated Press. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ↑ "Tony Curtis's Widow Speaks Exclusively To Inside Edition". Inside Edition. March 29, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- ↑ Culbertson, Caroline (September 30, 2010). "Tony Curtis died after long history of lung problems from smoking, says widow Jill Curtis". Daily News. New York. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
- ↑ "Tony Curtis on drugs charge at airport". Daily Express. 27 April 1970.
- ↑ "Legendary actor Tony Curtis has died". CNN.com. September 30, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
- ↑ "Memorial Service for actor Tony Curtis Set For Monday". cnn.com, Retrieved October 1, 2010
- 1 2 Garcia, Oskar (October 4, 2010). "Actor Tony Curtis buried after Vegas funeral". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on October 13, 2010.
- ↑ Simon, Lissa (June 7, 2012). "Variety".
- ↑ "Radio's Golden Age". Nostalgia Digest. 37 (1): 41. Winter 2011.
- ↑ Kirby, Walter (February 10, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 38. Retrieved June 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
Further reading
- Curtis, Tony; Barry Paris (1993). Tony Curtis: The Autobiography. New York: William Morrow & Company. ISBN 978-0-688-09759-2.
- 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; 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
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tony Curtis. |
- Tonycurtis.com
- Tony Curtis on IMDb
- Remembering Tony Curtis Bronx News, 2012
- Tony Curtis, 1925-2010 on YouTube
- Tony Curtis at the TCM Movie Database
- 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