Acting
Tony Curtis
EN, PT, FR, DE cinema · 176 credits
Born
3 June 1925
Died
29 September 2010 (aged 85)
Birthplace
Bronx, New York, USA
Also known as Bernard Herschel Schwartz · Anthony Curtis · Тони Кертис · تونی کورتیس
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
Filmography
My Life As Roger Moore
as Self (archive footage)
From Roger Moore with Love
as Self (archive footage)
Pictures of Ghosts
as Self (archive footage)
Rat Pack
as Self (archive footage)
Jamie Lee Curtis: Hollywood Call of Freedom
as Self (archive footage)
Morceaux de Cannes
as Self (archive footage)
The Fabulous Allan Carr
as Self (archive footage)
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
as Self (archive footage)
Marilyn at the Movies
as Self (archive footage)
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
as Eric (archive footage) (uncredited)
David & Fatima
as Mr. Schwartz
Jerry Lewis - König der Komödianten
2006
Jerry Lewis - König der Komödianten
as Self (archive footage)
The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot'
as Self, Thanks
The Making of 'Some Like It Hot'
as Self, Thanks
Tony Curtis on 'Some Like It Hot'
as Self, Thanks
Play It to the Bone
as Tony Curtis (Ringside Fan)
Stargames
as King Fendel
Roxanne's Best Christmas Ever
as Bernard (voice)
Louis & Frank
as Lenny Star Springer
The Continued Adventures of Reptile Man
as Jack Steele
Elvis Meets Nixon
as Tony Curtis
The Immortals
as Dominic
Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor
as Johnny Steele
Bandit: Beauty and the Bandit
as Lucky Bergstrom
The Mummy Lives
as Aziru / Dr. Mohassid
Naked in New York
as Carl Fisher
Center of the Web
as Stephen Moore
Christmas in Connecticut
as Alexander Yardley
Hollywood Babylon II
as Narrator
Prime Target
as Copella
Joseph Cornell: Worlds in a Box
as Narrator (voice) / Self
Lobster Man from Mars
as J.P. Shelldrake
Thanksgiving Day
as Max Schloss
Midnight
as Mr. B
Tarzan in Manhattan
as Archimedes Porter
Walter and Carlo in America
as WIlly La Rouge
The Passenger – Welcome to Germany
as Mr. Cornfield
Murder in Three Acts
as Charles Cartwright
Club Life
as Hector
Mafia Princess
as Sam Giancana
Banter
as Charles Foster
Insignificance
as The Senator
Where Is Parsifal?
as Parsifal Katzanella-Boden
BrainWaves
as Dr. Clavius
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Balboa
as Ernie Stoddard
Magic with the Stars
as Harry Houdini (archive footage) (uncredited)
Portrait of a Showgirl
as Joey DeLeon
Black Commando
as Col. Iago
The Million Dollar Face
as Chester Masterson
Inmates: A Love Story
as Flanagan
The Mirror Crack'd
as Martin N. Fenn
Little Miss Marker
as Blackie
The Masqueraders
as Danny Wilde
It Rained All Night the Day I Left
as Robert Talbot
The Scarlett O'Hara War
as David O. Selznick
Death Becomes Me
1979
Death Becomes Me
as Danny Wilde (archive footage)
Title Shot
as Frank Renzetti
The Manitou
as Harry Erskine
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
as Marvin Lazar
Sextette
as Alexei Karansky
The Users
as Randy Brent
Casanova & Co.
as Giacomo Casanova / Giacomino
The Last Appointment!
as Danny Wilde
The Last Tycoon
as Rodriguez
The Switch
as Danny Wilde
The Count of Monte-Cristo
as Fernand Morcerf Mondego
Lepke
as Louis 'Lepke' Buchalter
Sporting Chance
as Danny Wilde (archive footage)
Mission: Monte Carlo
as Danny Wilde (archive footage)
London Conspiracy
as Danny Wilde (archive footage)
The Persuaders!
as Danny Wilde
The Third Girl from the Left
as Joey Jordan
Norman Jewison, Film Maker
as Self (uncredited), Thanks
You Can't Win 'Em All
as Adam Dyer
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
as Shannon Gambroni
Monte Carlo or Bust!
as Chester Schofield
The Boston Strangler
as Albert DeSalvo
Rosemary's Baby
as Donald Baumgart (voice) (uncredited)
Don't Make Waves
as Carlo Cofield, Executive Producer
On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who...
as Guerrando da Montone
Not With My Wife, You Don't!
as Tom Ferris, Executive Producer
Arrivederci, Baby!
as Nick Johnson
Chamber of Horrors
as Mr. Julian (uncredited)
The Great Race
as The Great Leslie
Boeing, Boeing
as Bernard Lawrence
Paris When It Sizzles
as Actor Portraying Maurice or Philippe (uncredited)
Sex and the Single Girl
as Bob Weston, Executive Producer
Goodbye Charlie
as George Wellington Tracy
Wild and Wonderful
as Terry Williams
The List of Adrian Messenger
as Organ Grinder
Captain Newman, M.D.
as Cpl. Jackson "Jake" Leibowitz, Executive Producer
Taras Bulba
as Andrei Bulba
40 Pounds of Trouble
as Steve McCluskey
The Outsider
as Ira Hamilton Hayes
Spartacus
as Antoninus
The Great Impostor
as Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. / Martin Donner / Dr. Gilbert / Ben. W. Stone / Dr. Joseph Mornay / Robert Boyd Hammnd
Pepe
as Tony Curtis
The Rat Race
as Pete Hammond Jr.
Who Was That Lady?
as David Wilson
Some Like It Hot
as Joe (Josephine)
Operation Petticoat
as Lieutenant Nicholas Holden
The Defiant Ones
as John 'Joker' Jackson
The Vikings
as Eric, Executive Producer
Kings Go Forth
as Caporal Britt Harris
The Perfect Furlough
as Paul Hodges
Sweet Smell of Success
as Sidney Falco, Executive Producer
The Midnight Story
as Joe Martini
Mister Cory
as Cory
Trapeze
as Tino Orsini
The Rawhide Years
as Ben Matthews
Six Bridges to Cross
as Jerry Florea
The Purple Mask
as Rene de Traviere / The Purple Mask
The Square Jungle
as Eddie Quaid / Packy Glennon
The Black Shield of Falworth
as Myles Falworth
Beachhead
as Burke
Johnny Dark
as Johnny Dark
So This Is Paris
as Joe Maxwell
Forbidden
as Eddie Darrow
Houdini
as Harry Houdini
The All American
as Nick Bonelli
Son of Ali Baba
as Kashma Baba
Flesh and Fury
as Paul Callan
No Room for the Groom
as Alvah Morrell
Meet Danny Wilson
as Nightclub Patron
The Re-Inforcer
as Tony Boffo
Winchester '73
as Doan
Kansas Raiders
as Kit Dalton
Sierra
as Brent Coulter
Francis
as Captain Jones
Woman in Hiding
as Dave Shaw (voice) (uncredited)
Criss Cross
as Gigolo (uncredited)
The Lady Gambles
as Bellboy (as Anthony Curtis)
City Across the River
as Mitch (as Anthony Curtis)
Johnny Stool Pigeon
as Joey Hyatt
