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{{otherpeople|Tony Curtis}}
{{Infobox actor
| bgcolour =
| name = Tony Curtis
| image = Tony Curtis portrait.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = Tony Curtis
| birthname = Bernard Schwartz
| birthdate = {{birth date and age|1925|6|3}}
| ___location = [[New York]], [[New York]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| deathdate =
| deathplace =
| othername = Boinie
| height = 175 cm (5 foot 9 inches)
| spouses = [[Janet Leigh]]
| yearsactive = [[1949 in film|1949]]-[[Present (time)|Present]]
| homepage =
| notable role =
| academyawards =
| emmyawards =
| tonyawards =
}}
'''Tony Curtis''' (born '''Bernard Schwartz''', [[June 3]], [[1925]]) is an [[United States|American]] film actor. Famous for his thick black wavy hair, good looks, flashing long eyelashes and trademark New York accent, he was most popular during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his light comic roles, especially his musician on the run from gangsters in ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' (1959). He has also essayed a number of more serious dramatic roles over the years, such as his escaped convict in ''[[The Defiant Ones]]'' (1958), for which he received an [[Academy Award]] nomination. He has appeared in over 100 films since [[1949]], and has also made frequent television appearances.
== Biography ==
Tony Curtis was born '''Bernard Schwartz''', the son of [[Jew]]ish [[Hungary|Hungarian]] (from the city of [[Mátészalka]], [[Szatmár]]) immigrants Emanuel and Helen Schwartz, in [[the Bronx]], [[New York]]. His father was a tailor who had left his home country to find a new life in the [[United States]]. In the early days the family lived in the back of his tailor's shop, parents in one corner and Tony and his brothers Julius and Robert in another. Curtis has said of his mother in interview ' When I was a child she beat me up and was very aggressive, antagonistic.' His mother was later diagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental illness which also affected his brother Robert and led to his institutionalization. When Curtis was 8, he and his younger brother Julius were placed in an orphanage for one month because their parents could not afford to feed them. There were more hard times to come. When Curtis was 13, Julius was hit by a truck and died. It fell to Tony to identify the body. He has said that he still keeps his brother's cap and school books because that's all that's left of him. With the realities of real life all too harsh, a young Curtis sought refuge in the cinema.
'When I was a child, I used to go to the movies and became enthralled by all the fencing, horseback riding, kissing the girls. I said to myself "Why can't I do that?"
Between [[1942]] and [[1945]] Curtis served in the [[U.S. Navy]] aboard the submarine tender, the USS PROTEUS. He witnessed the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in September 1945, from a vantage point of 300 yards away.<ref>http://tendertale.com/ttiii/ttiii1.html</ref> After his service in the Navy, the young Curtis studied acting alongside [[Elaine Stritch]], [[Walter Matthau]] and [[Rod Steiger]]. To use his own words, he got into the movies because he was 'the handsomest of the boys.' Arriving in Hollywood in [[1948]] aged 23 he was put under contract to [[Universal Pictures]] and had his name changed to Tony Curtis. The studio sent him to fencing and riding lessons, but Curtis admits he was only interested in girls and money.
Originally seen as just another pretty boy, he nonetheless proved he had great acting talent with many great performances in outstanding films such as the role of the scheming press agent Sidney Falco in ''[[Sweet Smell of Success]]'', along with [[Burt Lancaster]], and an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]]-nominated performance as a bigoted escaped convict chained to [[Sidney Poitier]] in ''[[The Defiant Ones]]''.
Tony Curtis was so popular as a screen hunk during the 1950s that [[Elvis Presley]]<ref>[http://www.elvispresleynews.com/Elvis-Hairstyle.html Elvis Presley Elvis Presley News]</ref> copied his ducktail (DA) hairstyle after seeing it on screen.
Curtis has also appeared frequently on television; he co-starred with [[Roger Moore]] in the [[television program|TV series]] ''[[The Persuaders!]]''. He later starred in ''[[McCoy (TV series)|McCoy]]'' and ''[[Vega$]]''. He made his screen debut, uncredited, in ''[[Criss Cross (1949 film)|Criss Cross]]'' playing a [[rhumba]] dancer. He also provided the voice of "Stony Curtis" as a guest star on ''[[The Flintstones]]''.
All his life, Curtis has enjoyed painting, and since the early 1980s, has had a second career as a [[painter]]. His work can command more than £25000 a canvas now and it is his career in paint that he now focuses rather than movies. 'I still make movies but I'm not that interested any more. I paint all the time.' In [[2007]] his painting ''The Red Table'' will be on display in the [[Metropolitan Museum]] in [[Manhattan]].
Curtis has spoken of his disappointment in never being awarded an [[Academy Award|Oscar]] 'I've never felt that my profession has recognized me for my work.' In March [[2006]], Curtis received the Sony Ericsson Empire Lifetime Achievement Award. He has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] and received [[France]]'s honor, the [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres|Order of Arts and Letters]], in [[1995]].
== Relationships ==
Tony Curtis has been married six times. His first (and most famous) wife was the actress [[Janet Leigh]] (1927–2004), to whom he was married for 11 years, and with whom he fathered actresses [[Jamie Lee Curtis]] and [[Kelly Curtis]]. He said of their relationship, "For a while, we were Hollywood's golden couple. I was very dedicated and devoted to Janet. I was on top of my trade, but in her eyes that goldenness had started to wear off. I realised that whatever I was, I wasn't enough for Janet. That hurt me a lot and broke my heart."
He has also been married to:
* Jill Vandenberg Curtis ([[November 6]], [[1998]]—)
* Lisa Deutsch ([[February 28]], [[1993]]–[[1994]]); divorced
* Andrea Savio ([[1984]]–[[1992]]); divorced
* Leslie Allen ([[April 20]], [[1968]]–[[1982]]); divorced, two children
* [[Christine Kaufmann]] ([[February 8]], [[1963]]–[[1967]]); divorced, two children
His son, Nicholas (with Leslie Allen), died of a [[heroin]] overdose on July 2, 1994 at the age of 23. Of this, Curtis has said, "As a father you don't recover from that. There isn't a moment at night that I don't remember him." About his sexuality Curtis stated : "I was 22 when I arrived in Hollywood in 1948. I had more action than Mount Vesuvius! I loved it too. I participated where I wanted to and didn't where I didn't. I've always been open about it." [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291/news] His current wife is 42 years his junior. They met in a restaurant in 1993 and married in 1998. "The age gap doesn't bother us. We laugh a lot. My body is functioning and everything is good. She's the sexiest woman I've ever known. We don't think about time. I don't use [[Viagra]] either. There are 50 ways to please your lover."
== Trivia ==
{{Trivia|date=June 2007}}
[[Image:The Persuaders.jpg|framed|Curtis and [[Roger Moore]] in ''The Persuaders!'' (1971/72).]]
* Tony Curtis currently resides in [[Henderson, Nevada]].
* [[Audie Murphy]] suggested Curtis portray him in his biopic ''[[To Hell and Back]]''.
* Despite [[Lew Grade]] suggesting otherwise in his biography ''Still Dancing'', Curtis is good friends with [[Roger Moore]].
* Curtis and actress-activist [[Bo Derek]] met in Washington, D.C. in support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act in May 2004.
* Has appeared in tourism advertisements for his ancestral homeland [[Hungary]].
* Has stated that his favorite movie star and co-star was [[Cary Grant]].
* Made "Top 10 stars of the year", [[1961]] and [[1962]].
* In late [[2005]], Curtis voiced criticism of the film ''[[Brokeback Mountain]]'', stating that he had no intention of seeing it.
* Being measured for their costumes for ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'', the designer apparently said after measuring Marilyn "you know Tony has a better-looking ass than you do." To which Monroe opened her blouse and said "Yeah, but he doesn't have tits like these!"
* Curtis has reportedly enjoyed watching [[science fiction]] for decades, and is a fan of the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[science fiction]] [[comedy]] [[television series]] ''[[Red Dwarf]]'' (1988). In [[1994]], this show achieved its highest accolade so far, winning an [[Emmy Award|International Emmy Award]] for the Outstanding Popular Arts category. Curtis was 69 at the time and presented the award to [[Robert Llewellyn]] (who played [[Kryten]] in the show). In Red Dwarf Series V episode, The Inquisitor, the character Rimmer remarks on Kryten and Lister being manacled together "Look, they come here with some cock-and-bull story, they're chained together like Sidney Poiter and Tony Curtis -- I say open the door to oblivion and kick 'em through."
* Tony Curtis is used as a continuing [[in-joke]] in the [[2005]] BBC series ''[[Look Around You]]''.
* On the [[March 17]] edition of [[Soccer AM]] Big Stan Hibbert finally told his rendition of the ' Tony Curtis Gag' which led to fireworks exploding and applause heard around the world. He was then showered in flowers from the watching audience and show crew and almost forgot to do his trademark ‘centrifugal force’ celebration.
== Filmography ==
* ''[[Criss Cross (1949 film)|Criss Cross]]'' (1949)
* ''[[Bedrock Across the River]]'' (1949)
* ''[[The Lady Gambles]]'' (1949)
* ''[[Take One False Step]]'' (1949) (scenes deleted)
* ''[[Johnny Stool Pigeon]]'' (1949)
* ''[[How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border]]'' (1949) (short subject)
* ''[[Woman in Hiding]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Francis (film)|Francis]]'' (1950)
* ''[[I Was a Shoplifter]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Sierra (film)|Sierra]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Winchester '73 (1950 film)|Winchester '73]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Kansas Raiders]]'' (1950)
* ''[[The Prince Who Was a Thief]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Meet Danny Wilson]]'' (1952) (cameo)
* ''[[Flesh and Fury]]'' (1952)
* ''[[No Room for the Groom]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Son of Ali Baba]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Houdini (film)|Houdini]]'' (1953)
* ''[[The All-American]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Forbidden (1953 film)|Forbidden]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Beachhead]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Johnny Dark]]'' (1954)
* ''[[The Black Shield of Falworth]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Six Bridges to Cross]]'' (1955)
* ''[[So This Is Paris]]'' (1955)
* ''[[The Purple Mask]]'' (1955)
* ''[[The Rawhide Years]]'' (1955)
* ''[[The Square Jungle]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Trapeze]]'' (1956)
* ''[[Mister Cory]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Sweet Smell of Success]]'' (1957)
* ''[[The Midnight Story]]'' (1957)
* ''[[The Vikings (film)|The Vikings]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Kings Go Forth]]'' (1958)
* ''[[The Defiant Ones]]'' (1958)
* ''[[The Perfect Furlough]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' (1959)
* ''[[Operation Petticoat]]'' (1959)
* ''[[Who Was That Lady?]]'' (1960)
* ''[[The Rat Race]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Spartacus (film)|Spartacus]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Pepe (film)|Pepe]]'' (1960) (cameo)
* ''[[The Great Impostor]]'' (1961)
* ''[[The Outsider (1961 film)|The Outsider]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Taras Bulba (film)|Taras Bulba]]'' (1962)
* ''[[40 Pounds of Trouble]]'' (1962)
* ''[[The List of Adrian Messenger]]'' (1963) (cameo)
* ''[[Captain Newman, M.D.]]'' (1963)
* ''[[Paris, When It Sizzles]]'' (1964) (cameo)
* ''[[Wild and Wonderful]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Goodbye Charlie]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Sex and the Single Girl]]'' (1964)
* ''[[The Great Race]]'' (1965)
* ''[[Boeing Boeing]]'' (1965)
* ''[[Chamber of Horrors (film)|Chamber of Horrors]]'' (1966) (cameo)
* ''[[Not with My Wife, You Don't!]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Arrivederci, Baby!]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Don't Make Waves]]'' (1967)
* ''[[On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who...]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Rosemary's Baby (film)|Rosemary's Baby]]'' (1968) (voice)
* ''[[The Boston Strangler]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies]]'' (1969)
* ''[[You Can't Win 'Em All]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Mission: Monte Carlo]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Lepke]]'' (1975)
* ''[[London Conspiracy]]'' (1976)
* ''[[The Last Tycoon]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Casanova & Co.]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Sextette]]'' (1978)
* ''[[The Manitou]]'' (1978)
* ''[[The Bad News Bears Go to Japan]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Double Take]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Title Shot]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Little Miss Marker]]'' (1980)
* ''[[It Rained All Night the Day I Left]]'' (1980)
* ''[[The Mirror Crack'd]]'' (1980)
* ''[[The Scarlett O'Hara War]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Othello, the Black Commando]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Where Is Parsifal?]]'' (1983)
* ''[[BrainWaves]]'' (1983)
* ''[[The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal]]'' (1985) (documentary)
* ''[[Club Life]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Insignificance]]'' (1985)
* ''[[The Last of Philip Banter]]'' (1986)
* ''[[Balboa (film)|Balboa]]'' (1986)
* ''[[The Passenger - Welcome to Germany]]'' (1988)
* ''[[Lobster Man from Mars]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Midnight (1989 film)|Midnight]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Walter & Carlo In America]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Prime Target]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Center of the Web]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time]]'' (1992) (documentary)
* ''[[Naked in New York]]'' (1993)
* ''[[The Mummy Lives]]'' (1993)
* ''[[A Century of Cinema]]'' (1994) (documentary)
* ''[[The Immortals (film)|The Immortals]]'' (1995)
* ''[[The Celluloid Closet]]'' (1995) (documentary)
* ''[[Hardball (1997 film)|Hardball]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Brittle Glory]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Alien X Factor]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Stargames]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Louis & Frank]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Play It to the Bone]]'' (1999) (cameo)
* ''[[Reflections of Evil]]'' (2002) (narrator)
* ''[[Where's Marty?]]'' (2006)
* ''[[Funny Money]]'' (2007)
* ''[[The Blacksmith and the Carpenter]]'' (2007) (voice)
* ''[[David & Fatima]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Oceans 14]]'' (2009)
==
<references/>
== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last= Curtis |first= Tony |authorlink= |coauthors= [[Barry Paris]] |title= Tony Curtis: The Autobiography |year= 1993 |publisher= William Morrow & Co |___location= New York |isbn= 978-0-688-09759-2 }}
* {{cite book |last= Ayres |first= Ian |title= Van Gogh's Ear: The Celebrity Edition |year= 2006 |publisher= French Connection |___location= Paris |isbn= 978-2-914-85307-1 }}
==
{{Commons}}
* {{imdb name|0000348|Tony Curtis}}
* {{tcmdb name|848347|Tony Curtis}}
* [http://www.oralhistoryproject.com/TonyCurtis1.html Biography] and [http://www.oralhistoryproject.com/tcurtis_navy.html naval service] from the California Center for Military History website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Tony}}
[[Category:American film actors]]
[[Category:Hollywood Walk of Fame]]
[[Category:Jewish American actors]]
[[Category:Hungarian-Americans]]
[[Category:People from the Bronx]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Navy sailors]]
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
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