Tony Curtis

Who Was Tony Curtis?

Tony Curtis, renowned for his striking blue eyes and captivating looks, garnered significant attention from a young age. After enlisting in the U.S. Navy and serving during World War II, he relocated to Hollywood, California, to pursue an acting career. His rise to fame was notably propelled by his high-profile marriage to actress Janet Leigh in 1951, which produced two daughters, Kelly Lee and Jamie Lee Curtis. Throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, Curtis became a prominent figure in the film industry, starring in notable films such as Houdini, Operation Petticoat, Some Like It Hot, The Defiant Ones, and Spartacus. In the years that followed, he continued to appear in a range of lesser-known films and various television shows.

Early Life

Born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925, in the Bronx, New York, Curtis was the son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants, Helen and Emanuel Schwartz. His father operated a tailor shop, and the family lived in a cramped apartment located behind the business. Curtis’s parents shared one room, while he and his two brothers, Julius and Robert, occupied the other. His mother struggled with schizophrenia, which often led to abusive behavior towards the boys.

In 1933, the economic difficulties of the Great Depression forced Curtis’s parents to relinquish care of their sons. Bernard and Julius were placed in a state institution, where they frequently encountered conflicts with anti-Semitic peers who subjected them to violence. The tragic loss of Julius, who was killed in 1938 at the age of 12 after being struck by a truck, profoundly affected Curtis. This loss instilled in him a determination to forge a better life.

Curtis subsequently attended Seward Park High School on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. After graduating, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving on the submarine U.S.S. Proteus during World War II. Following his honorable discharge, he pursued acting lessons in New York at the New School for Social Research, where he studied alongside fellow Seward Park alumnus Walter Matthau.

Career Highlights

Anthony Curtis, known for his youthful charm, secured a contract with Universal Pictures in 1948, marking the beginning of his cinematic journey. Adopting the stage name Anthony Curtis, he embarked on a series of minor film roles, including Criss Cross (1949), Francis (1950), and No Room for the Groom (1952).

His career gained significant momentum following his highly publicized marriage to Hollywood actress Janet Leigh in 1951. This relationship contributed to his rise in prominence, leading to a succession of successful roles in the late 1950s and 1960s. Notable films from this period include Houdini (1953), featuring Leigh as his co-star, the military comedy Operation Petticoat (1959), the acclaimed romantic comedy Some Like It Hot alongside Marilyn Monroe, and Stanley Kubrick’s historical epic Spartacus (1960), in which he shared the screen with Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier.

Personal Life

Curtis’s career faced a downturn in 1962 following his divorce from Leigh, which was precipitated by an affair with 17-year-old German actress Christine Kaufmann. At the time of their divorce, Curtis and Leigh had two children, Kelly Lee and Jamie Lee Curtis. He married Kaufmann in 1963, but their union ended in divorce in 1967. Shortly after, in 1968, Curtis married 23-year-old model Leslie Allen. After their divorce in 1982, he entered into three additional marriages: Andrea Savio (1984-1992), Lisa Deutsch (1993-1994), and Jill Vandenberg (1998 until his death in 2010). In addition to his six marriages, Curtis was involved in several high-profile romances with iconic figures such as Marilyn Monroe and Natalie Wood.

Throughout the 1970s, Curtis grappled with addiction to alcohol and drugs, which adversely affected his career. He transitioned to a variety of low-profile films and television appearances but sought rehabilitation in 1982. During this period, he reinvented himself as a fine art painter and authored two autobiographies: Tony Curtis: The Autobiography (1994) and American Prince: A Memoir. In 2002, he toured in a musical adaptation of Some Like It Hot. His final film appearance was in David & Fatima (2008). By this time, he faced numerous health challenges, including heart bypass surgery in 1994 and ongoing battles with obstructive pulmonary disease.

Curtis passed away on September 30, 2010, at the age of 85, in Henderson, Nevada, due to cardiac arrest. He is survived by his sixth wife, Jill Vandenberg, as well as his daughters Kelly Lee, Jamie Lee, Alexandra, and Allegra, and his son, Benjamin.