Tony Curtis
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.
Known For
Credits
- 2022 · Rat Pack as Self (archive footage)
- 2019 · The UnXplained as Self (archive footage)
- 2014 · Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire as Self - Actor (archive footage)
- 2014 · And the Oscar Goes To... as Self (archive footage)
- 2013 · Talking Pictures as Self (archive footage)
- 2012 · Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom as Self
- 2011 · That's Insignificance as Self
- 2010 · Tony Curtis erzählt... as Self
- 2010 · Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff as Eric (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2010 · Marilyn Monroe: Death of an Icon as Self
- 2010 · Marilyn Monroe: I Want to Be Loved as Self
- 2009 · Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel as Self
- 2008 · David & Fatima as Mr. Schwartz
- 2007 · Shrink Rap as Himself
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2006 · The One Show as Self - Guest
- 2006 · The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot' as Self
- 2006 · The Making of 'Some Like It Hot' as Self
- 2006 · Jerry Lewis - König der Komödianten as Self (archive footage)
- 2004 · Hollywood Legenden as Self
- 2003 · Hugh Hefner: American Playboy as Self
- 2003 · Hope & Faith as Morris
- 2003 · Un film et son époque as Self
- 2002 · Reflections of Evil as Host
- 2001 · Nobody's Perfect - The Making of Some Like It Hot as Self
- 2001 · Rescued from the Closet as Self
- 2001 · Tony Curtis on 'Some Like It Hot' as Self
- 2000 · CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Tony Curtis
- 1999 · Play It to the Bone as Tony Curtis (Ringside Fan)
- 1999 · The Rat Pack as Self
- 1998 · Roxanne's Best Christmas Ever as Bernard (voice)
- 1998 · Louis & Frank as
- 1998 · Stargames as King Fendel
- 1998 · Die Johannes B. Kerner Show as Self
- 1998 · Parkinson as Self (archive footage)
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 1997 · The Continued Adventures of Reptile Man as Jack Steele
- 1997 · Bounty Hunters 2: Hardball as Wald
- 1996 · Suddenly Susan as Peter DiCaprio
- 1996 · The Celluloid Closet as Self
- 1995 · Roger Moore: A Matter Of Class as Self
- 1995 · The Immortals as Dominic
- 1995 · The Mrs Merton Show as Self
- 1994 · Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor as Johnny Steele
- 1994 · Beauty and the Bandit as Lucky Bergstrom
- 1994 · A Century of Cinema as Self
- 1993 · Naked in New York as Carl Fisher
- 1993 · Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman as
- 1993 · The Mummy Lives as Aziru / Dr. Mohassid
- 1992 · Christmas in Connecticut as Alexander Yardley
- 1992 · Center of the Web as Stephen Moore
- 1991 · Joseph Cornell: Worlds in a Box as Narrator (voice) / Self
- 1991 · Prime Target as Copella
- 1990 · Thanksgiving Day as Max Schloss
- 1990 · Lobster Man from Mars as J.P. Shelldrake
- 1989 · Walter and Carlo in America as WIlly La Rouge
- 1989 · Midnight as Mr. B
- 1989 · Tarzan in Manhattan as Archimedes Porter
- 1988 · Roseanne as
- 1988 · This Morning as Self
- 1988 · The Passenger – Welcome to Germany as Mr. Cornfield
- 1987 · The Dame Edna Experience as Self
- 1987 · Matin Bonheur as Self
- 1987 · Sparky's Magic Piano as
- 1986 · Murder in Three Acts as Charles Cartwright
- 1986 · Banter as Charles Foster
- 1986 · The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal as Self
- 1986 · Club Life as Hector
- 1986 · Mafia Princess as Sam Giancana
- 1985 · Insignificance as The Senator
- 1985 · Half Nelson as
- 1984 · Where Is Parsifal? as Parsifal Katzanella-Boden
- 1983 · BrainWaves as Dr. Clavius
- 1983 · Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1983 · Balboa as Ernie Stoddard
- 1982 · Black Commando as Col. Iago
- 1982 · Portrait of a Showgirl as Joey DeLeon
- 1982 · Magic with the Stars as Harry Houdini (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1981 · The Million Dollar Face as Chester Masterson
- 1981 · Wetten, dass..? as Self
- 1981 · Inmates: A Love Story as Flanagan
- 1980 · The Mirror Crack'd as Martin N. Fenn
- 1980 · It Rained All Night the Day I Left as Robert Talbot
- 1980 · The Scarlett O'Hara War as David O. Selznick
- 1980 · Little Miss Marker as Blackie
- 1980 · The Masqueraders as Danny Wilde
- 1979 · Title Shot as Frank Renzetti
- 1979 · Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration as Self
- 1979 · Death Becomes Me as Danny Wilde
- 1978 · The Users as Randy Brent
- 1978 · Vega$ as Roth
- 1978 · The Bad News Bears Go to Japan as Marvin Lazar
- 1978 · The Manitou as Harry Erskine
- 1978 · Sextette as Alexei Karansky
- 1977 · The Hollywood Greats as
- 1977 · The Last Appointment! as Danny Wilde
- 1977 · Bitte umblättern as Self
- 1977 · Casanova & Co. as Giacomo Casanova / Giacomino
- 1976 · The Last Tycoon as Rodriguez
- 1976 · The Switch as Danny Wilde
- 1975 · The Count of Monte-Cristo as Fernand Morcerf Mondego
- 1975 · Lepke as Louis 'Lepke' Buchalter
- 1975 · McCoy as McCoy
- 1975 · Sporting Chance as Danny Wilde
- 1974 · London Conspiracy as Danny Wilde
- 1974 · Mission: Monte Carlo as Danny Wilde
- 1973 · The Third Girl from the Left as Joey Jordan
- 1973 · The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self
- 1973 · The Persuaders! as Danny Wilde
- 1971 · The Persuaders! as Danny Wilde
- 1971 · V.I.P. Schaukel as Self
- 1971 · Norman Jewison, Film Maker as Self (uncredited)
- 1970 · Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? as Shannon Gambroni
- 1970 · You Can't Win 'Em All as Adam Dyer
- 1969 · Bracken's World as
- 1969 · Monte Carlo or Bust! as Chester Schofield
- 1968 · The Boston Strangler as Albert DeSalvo
- 1968 · Rosemary's Baby as Donald Baumgart (voice) (uncredited)
- 1968 · The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest
- 1967 · On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who... as Guerrando da Montone
- 1967 · Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In as Self
- 1967 · Don't Make Waves as Carlo Cofield
- 1966 · Arrivederci, Baby! as Nick Johnson
- 1966 · Not With My Wife, You Don't as Tom Ferris
- 1966 · Chamber of Horrors as Mr. Julian
- 1966 · Goldene Kamera Verleihung as Self
- 1965 · Boeing, Boeing as Bernard Lawrence
- 1965 · The Great Race as The Great Leslie
- 1964 · Sex and the Single Girl as Bob Weston
- 1964 · Goodbye Charlie as George Wellington Tracy
- 1964 · Wild and Wonderful as Terry Williams
- 1964 · Paris When It Sizzles as Maurice / Philippe (uncredited)
- 1963 · Captain Newman, M.D. as Cpl. Jackson "Jake" Leibowitz
- 1963 · The List of Adrian Messenger as Organ Grinder
- 1962 · 40 Pounds of Trouble as Steve McCluskey
- 1962 · Taras Bulba as Andrei Bulba
- 1962 · The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- 1961 · The Outsider as Ira Hamilton Hayes
- 1960 · The Great Impostor as Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. / Martin Donner / Dr. Gilbert / Ben. W. Stone / Dr. Joseph Mornay / Robert Boyd Hammnd
- 1960 · Pepe as Tony Curtis
- 1960 · Spartacus as Antoninus
- 1960 · The Flintstones as Stony Curtis (voice)
- 1960 · The Rat Race as Pete Hammond Jr.
- 1960 · Who Was That Lady? as David Wilson
- 1960 · People, Hopes, Medals as Self
- 1959 · Operation Petticoat as Lieutenant Nicholas Holden
- 1959 · Some Like It Hot as Joe (Josephine)
- 1958 · The Perfect Furlough as Cpl. Paul Hodges
- 1958 · The Defiant Ones as John 'Joker' Jackson
- 1958 · Kings Go Forth as Caporal Britt Harris
- 1958 · The Vikings as Eric
- 1957 · Sweet Smell of Success as Sidney Falco
- 1957 · The Midnight Story as Joe Martini
- 1957 · Mister Cory as Cory
- 1956 · The Rawhide Years as Ben Matthews
- 1956 · The Steve Allen Show as Self - Recipient
- 1956 · The Steve Allen Show as Self - Guest
- 1956 · Trapeze as Tino Orsini
- 1956 · The Rosemary Clooney Show as Self
- 1956 · Nightmare as Tony
- 1955 · The Square Jungle as Eddie Quaid / Packy Glennon
- 1955 · Allen in Movieland as Self
- 1955 · The Purple Mask as Rene de Traviere / The Purple Mask
- 1955 · 6 Bridges to Cross as Jerry Florea
- 1954 · So This Is Paris as Joe Maxwell
- 1954 · A Star Is Born World Premiere as Self
- 1954 · The Black Shield of Falworth as Myles Falworth
- 1954 · Johnny Dark as Johnny Dark
- 1954 · Beachhead as Burke
- 1953 · Forbidden as Eddie Darrow
- 1953 · The All American as Nick Bonelli
- 1953 · Houdini as Harry Houdini
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self
- 1953 · General Electric Theater as Mario Galindo
- 1953 · General Electric Theater as David
- 1953 · The World's Most Beautiful Girls as Self
- 1952 · This Is Your Life as Self
- 1952 · Son of Ali Baba as Kashma Baba
- 1952 · Flesh and Fury as Paul Callan
- 1952 · No Room for the Groom as Alvah Morrell
- 1952 · Meet Danny Wilson as Nightclub Patron
- 1952 · An Eye for an Eye as
- 1952 · Come Back Little Shiksa as
- 1951 · Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as Charlie
- 1951 · The Re-Inforcer as Baffo
- 1951 · The Prince Who Was a Thief as Julna
- 1951 · Fairfax Avenue as
- 1950 · Kansas Raiders as Kit Dalton
- 1950 · The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
- 1950 · Winchester '73 as Doan
- 1950 · Sierra as Brent Coulter (as Anthony Cutis)
- 1950 · I Was a Shoplifter as Pepe
- 1950 · Francis as Captain Jones
- 1950 · What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest
- 1950 · Woman in Hiding as Dave Shaw (voice) (uncredited)
- 1949 · The Lady Gambles as Bellboy (as Anthony Curtis)
- 1949 · Johnny Stool Pigeon as Joey Hyatt (as Anthony Curtis)
- 1949 · City Across the River as Mitch (as Anthony Curtis)
- 1949 · Criss Cross as Gigolo (uncredited)
- 1949 · How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border as
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self (archive footage)
- 1948 · Bambi Awards as Self