Tony Curtis

Biography for Tony Curtis

Bernard Schwartz, better known as Tony Curtis, was born in the Bronx and started his career at the movies in 1949 coming from the theatre using at first James Curtis and later Anthony Curtis as names. He always tried to work in various genres in order to avoid being typecast. In the genre of comedy one has to mention e.g. Goodbye Charlie (1964) and at the adventures e.g. The Vikings (1958). That he is also able to play more complex and psychological roles he showed in The Boston Strangler (1968). Curtis also produced some movies and appeared after 1973 several times in different TV productions. His daughter Jamie Lee Curtis with his first wife Janet Leigh has followed her father successfully into the movie business.

The son of Hungarian immigrants, Tony Curtis embarks on the cinema after a visit to the Marines. Noticed in independent productions, he quickly was offered a contract by Universal Pictures. His beginnings in Gigolo in "For you, I killed" (1948) immediately attracted the attention of the public, especially female.

In 1951 he obtained his first big role in "The Thief of Tangier". That same year, he married actress Janet Leigh with whom he will have two daughters including Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly. The Hollywood image of the couple will contribute to the notoriety of the actor.

In the early 1950s, Tony Curtis alternated historical films ("Le Chevalier du Roi", "Le Cavalier au mask") and sports comedies. It was not until 1956 with his participation in "Trapeze", a big budget film with Burt Lancaster and Gina Lollobrigida, that he obtained the recognition of his peers. His performance attracts the attention of great directors.

There is a decade of a decade where the actor is everywhere, in comedies as in dramas.

Besides these films, he runs in many light comedies, in which he likes to embody seducers.

In 1968, Tony Curtis put pressure on the Fox to interpret a schizophrenic serial-killers in "L'Etrangleur de Boston". Director Richard Fleischer trusts him and Tony Curtis performs his most noticed performance. However, he began to move away from the cinema from the 1970s for the benefit of television, where he will make an impression with the character of Danny Wilde.

In 1976, he participated in the film "The Last Nabab" by Elia Kazan, adapted from the latest novel by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. His role as an old fallen actor is his last big appearance on the screen. Since the 1980s, Tony Curtis alternates roles on television and in small films.

Tony Curtis was an American actor known for his roles in films such as The DESIDE ONES, Some Like It Hot, and Spartacus. He was born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925 in New York. His family was of Hungarian origin and he grew up in the New York Lower East Side.

Curtis began his acting career in the 1950s and quickly gained popularity thanks to his charming and expressive performances. He played in many successful films during his career, especially in The Sweet Smell of Success of 1957, where he played the role of Sidney Falco, an ambitious manipulator. He also played in some Like It Hot of 1959, alongside Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon, in which he embodies a musician who disguises himself as a woman to escape gangsters.

In 1958, Curtis won the Golden Globe Award for best actor in a musical film or comedy for his role in The Prince Who Was A Thief. He was also nominated for an Oscar for this role.

During his career, Curtis worked with great directors such as Stanley Kubrick, Billy Wilder and Robert Aldrich. He also played in historical films such as Spartacus from 1960 and The Boston Strangler of 1968.

In addition to his film career, Curtis also published several books, including the Autobiography The Making of A Movie Star in 1991. He died on September 29, 2010 at the age of 85.

Photos

Filmography

Trivia

• He had heart bypass surgery in April 1994. One of his sons, Nicholas, died of seizures on July 2, 1994 due to an overdose of heroin.
• Son of a tailor from Hungary, Curtis still speaks Hungarian.
• Enjoys painting and creating "shadow boxes" of art objects.
• Lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Appears on sleeve of The Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club
• Suffers from fear of flying
• He made a literary cameo in Matt Whyman's debut romantic comedy novel, 'Man or Mouse', in which the main character, Ren, e-mails Curtis with his love-life problems, and finally meets him briefly.
• Was the inspiration for, and voice of, the character "Stoney Curtis" in "The Flintstones."
• Since re-dubbing the bath scene in Spartacus (1960) with Anthony Hopkins, Curtis has said that whenever he encounters Hopkins, he hollers "Oh Tony... it's Antininus".
• Has appeared in a musical based on Billy Wilder's "Some Like it Hot" (1959) in which he appears as millionaire Osgood Fielding III, originally assayed by Joe E. Brown on screen.
• Is portrayed by Bruce Neckles in Marilyn: The Untold Story (1980) (TV)

Quotes

"They gave me away as a prize once - a Win Tony Curtis For A Weekend competition. The woman who won was disappointed. She'd hoped for second prize - a new stove."

"I ran around with a lump in my pants, chased all the girls. This is what I reflected on the screen. There wasn't anything deeper or less deep than that."

"What's the secret to a long and happy life? Young women's saliva!"

When asked who the most attractive person he worked with was, he replied calmly, "I am".

"I wouldn't be seen dead with a woman old enough to be my wife."

"I had to be careful where I went because I was a Jew, because I was young and because I was handsome. It made me wiry and erratic and paranoid, which is what I still am. Always on guard."

"Hollywood... the most sensational merry-go-around ever built."

"Comedy is the most honest way for an actor to earn his living. People would rather laugh than cry. The quickest way to change drama into comedy is simply to speed up the film."

"Fame is another profession. I feel that I have two professions, I have the profession of being an actor and I have the profession of being famous."

Family

• Spouse : Jill Vandenberg (6 November 1998 - present), Lisa Deutsch (28 February 1993 - 1994) (divorced), Leslie Allen (20 April 1968 - 1982) (divorced) 2 children, Christine Kaufmann (8 February 1963 - 1967) (divorced) 2 children, Janet Leigh (4 June 1951 - June 1962) (divorced) 2 children.
• Father of Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis.
• Father of 'Allegra Kaufmann-Curtis' (with Christine Kaufmann).
• His current wife, Jill Vandenberg, is 45 years younger than him.
• He has two adopted sons.

Author of the card

• Creation date: 01/07/2003 by misou
• Last update: 01/05/2007 by Hanson