
Tony Curtis
Biography
Tony Curtis (June 3, 1925 – September 29, 2010) was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 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 later half of the 1950's he became a notable and strong screen presence. He began proving himself to be a “fine dramatic actor,” having 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.
He won his first serious recognition as a skilled 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 another drama, The Defiant Ones (1958). Curtis then gave what many believe was his best acting, in a completely different role, the comedy Some Like It Hot (1959). Thomson calls it an "outrageous film," and it was voted the number 1 funniest film in history from a survey done by the American Film Institute. It costarred Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, and was directed by Billy Wilder. That was followed by Blake Edwards’ comedy Operation Petticoat (1959) with Cary Grant. They were both “frantic comedies,” and displayed "his impeccable comic timing." He often collaborated with Edwards on later films.
His most significant serious part came in 1968 when he starred in the true-life drama The Boston Strangler, which some consider his "last major film role." The part reinforced his reputation as a serious actor with his "chilling portrayal" of serial killer Albert DeSalvo. He gained 30 pounds and had his face "rebuilt" with a false nose to look like the real DeSalvo.
Curtis was the father of actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis by his first wife, actress Janet Leigh.
Acting (155 movies)

Some Like It Hot
1959

Spartacus
1960

Sweet Smell of Success
1957

Don't Make Waves
1967

The Count of Monte-Cristo
1975

Casanova & Co.
1977

Play It to the Bone
1999

Paris When It Sizzles
1964

Criss Cross
1949

Center of the Web
1992

The Mummy Lives
1993

Bounty Hunters 2: Hardball
1997

The Mirror Crack'd
1980

The Defiant Ones
1958

The Great Race
1965

Murder in Three Acts
1986

The List of Adrian Messenger
1963

Naked in New York
1993

The Black Shield of Falworth
1954

Allen in Movieland
1955

Captain Newman, M.D.
1963

The Boston Strangler
1968

Operation Petticoat
1959

Sex and the Single Girl
1964

Forbidden
1953

The Manitou
1978

Trapeze
1956

The Immortals
1995

Six Bridges to Cross
1955

Lepke
1975

Winchester '73
1950

The Lady Gambles
1949

Insignificance
1985

The Vikings
1958

Marilyn Monroe: I Want to Be Loved
2010

People, Hopes, Medals
1960

Taras Bulba
1962

Houdini
1953

Reflections of Evil
2002

Beachhead
1954

The Last Tycoon
1976

City Across the River
1949

Mission: Monte Carlo
1974

The Great Impostor
1960

Boeing, Boeing
1965

Lobster Man from Mars
1990

Monte Carlo or Bust!
1969

I Was a Shoplifter
1950

Little Miss Marker
1980

The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
1978

Club Life
1986

Walter and Carlo in America
1989

Johnny Stool Pigeon
1949

Goodbye Charlie
1964

Pepe
1960

Son of Ali Baba
1952

The Prince Who Was a Thief
1951

The Midnight Story
1957

Not With My Wife, You Don't!
1966

Christmas in Connecticut
1992

BrainWaves
1983

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel
2009

Kings Go Forth
1958

Flesh and Fury
1952

Kansas Raiders
1950

The Rat Race
1960

The Continued Adventures of Reptile Man
1997

Who Was That Lady?
1960

The Rawhide Years
1956

The Purple Mask
1955

Johnny Dark
1954

Sierra
1950

The Masqueraders
1980

Death Becomes Me
1979

The Last Appointment!
1977

The Persuaders!
1973

Sextette
1978

You Can't Win 'Em All
1970

No Room for the Groom
1952

Midnight
1989

Mister Cory
1957

Where Is Parsifal?
1984

The Million Dollar Face
1981

The Outsider
1961

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983

The Passenger – Welcome to Germany
1988

The Users
1978

Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration
1979

Magic with the Stars
1982

The Third Girl from the Left
1973

Balboa
1983

The Perfect Furlough
1958

Tony Curtis on 'Some Like It Hot'
2001

The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot'
2006

The Making of 'Some Like It Hot'
2006

Prime Target
1991

The All American
1953

40 Pounds of Trouble
1962

How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border
1949

Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
1970
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet Smell of Success | 1957 | Executive Producer |
| The Vikings | 1958 | Executive Producer |
| Captain Newman, M.D. | 1963 | Executive Producer |
| Sex and the Single Girl | 1964 | Executive Producer |
| Not With My Wife, You Don't! | 1966 | Executive Producer |
| Don't Make Waves | 1967 | Executive Producer |