Tony Curtis
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.
Acted Movies
Director: Guy Hamilton
Writers: Jonathan Hales,
Cast: Angela Lansbury, Charles Gray, Edward Fox, Elizabeth Taylor, Geraldine Chaplin, Kim Novak, Margaret Courtenay, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Wendy Morgan,
Director: Richard Fleischer
Writers: Edward Anhalt,
Cast: George Kennedy, George Voskovec, Henry Fonda, Hurd Hatfield, Jeff Corey, Mike Kellin, Murray Hamilton, Sally Kellerman, Tony Curtis, William Marshall,
Director: Blake Edwards
Writers: Arthur A. Ross,
Cast: Arthur O'Connell, Dorothy Provine, Jack Lemmon, Keenan Wynn, Larry Storch, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Ross Martin, Tony Curtis, Vivian Vance,
Director: Richard Quine
Writers: Leslie H. Martinson,
Cast: Edward Everett Horton, Fran Jeffries, Henry Fonda, Larry Storch, Lauren Bacall, Leslie Parrish, Mel Ferrer, Natalie Wood, Stubby Kaye, Tony Curtis,
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Writers: Waldo Salt,
Cast: Brad Dexter, Christine Kaufmann, George Macready, Guy Rolfe, Ilka Windish, Perry Lopez, Sam Wanamaker, Tony Curtis, Vladimir Sokoloff, Yul Brynner,
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writers: Peter Ustinov,
Cast: Charles Laughton, Herbert Lom, Jean Simmons, John Gavin, John Ireland, Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Nina Foch, Peter Ustinov, Tony Curtis,
Director: Blake Edwards
Writers: Stanley Shapiro,
Cast: Cary Grant, Dick Sargent, Dina Merrill, Gavin MacLeod, Gene Evans, Joan O'Brien, Robert F. Simon, Robert Gist, Tony Curtis, Virginia Gregg,
Director: Billy Wilder
Writers: I. A. L. Diamond,
Cast: Billy Gray, George E. Stone, George Raft, Jack Lemmon, Joan Shawlee, Joe E. Brown, Marilyn Monroe, Nehemiah Persoff, Pat O’Brien, Tony Curtis,
Director: Stanley Kramer
Writers: Nedrick Young,
Cast: Carl Switzer, Charles McGraw, Claude Akins, King Donovan, Lawrence Dobkin, Lon Chaney Jr., Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Tony Curtis, Whit Bissell,
Director: Richard Fleischer
Writers: Calder Willingham,
Cast: Alexander Knox, Edric Connor, Eileen Way, Ernest Borgnine, Frank Thring, James Donald, Janet Leigh, Kirk Douglas, Maxine Audley, Tony Curtis,
Director: Alexander Mackendrick
Writers: Ernest Lehman,
Cast: Barbara Nichols, Burt Lancaster, Edith Atwater, Emile Meyer, Jeff Donnell, Joe Frisco, Martin Milner, Sam Levene, Susan Harrison, Tony Curtis,
Director: George Marshall
Writers: Philip Yordan,
Cast: Angela Clarke, Connie Gilchrist, Ian Wolfe, Janet Leigh, Malcolm Lee Beggs, Michael Pate, Sig Ruman, Stefan Schnabel, Tony Curtis, Torin Thatcher,