Tony Curtis

Biography

Tony Curtis is an icon of 20th century Hollywood cinema and the darkly handsome star of several classic movies, including The Sweet Smell of Success (1957, with Burt Lancaster) and Some Like it Hot (1959, with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe). Curtis started out on the studio payroll, appearing in dramas and costumers until capturing a lead role in 1951's The Prince Who Was a Thief. He turned in reliable performances throughout the '50s (including as magician Harry Houdini in 1953's Houdini), and in 1959 he earned an Oscar nomination for The Defiant Ones (1958, handcuffed to Sidney Poitier). Curtis seemed to specialize in light comedies during the 1960s, including The Great Race (1965) and Arrivederci, Baby (1968, with Nancy Kwan), but his memorable turn as the killer in The Boston Strangler (1968, with Henry Fonda) reaffirmed his dramatic skills. Since then Curtis has worked steadily in the movies and on television, including the feature films The Last Tycoon (1976) and Sextette (1978, with Mae West), and the TV cult favorite The Persuaders (1971, with Roger Moore).

Tony Curtis and actress Janet Leigh were married from 1951 to 1962, and are the parents of actress Jamie Lee Curtis... Curtis is an accomplished painter who has had art shows all over the world.