Tony Curtis
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.
Filmography (214 Appearances)
From Roger Moore with Love
Pictures of Ghosts
Marilyn Monroe, la célébrité à tout prix
Rat Pack
Morceaux de Cannes
The UnXplained
Amicalement vôtre : Hollywood au service de sa Majesté
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
Talking Pictures
Marilyn Monroe: In The Movies
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom
Marilyn at the Movies
That's Insignificance
Tony Curtis erzählt...
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Marilyn Monroe: I Want to Be Loved
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel
Hollywood sul Tevere
David & Fatima
The Jill & Tony Curtis Story
Shrink Rap
The Graham Norton Show
The Making of 'Some Like It Hot'
The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot'
Jerry Lewis - König der Komödianten
Hollywood Legenden
Hugh Hefner: American Playboy
Hope & Faith
Playboy's 50th Anniversary Celebration
Un film et son époque
Reflections of Evil
Nobody's Perfect: The Making of Some Like It Hot
Rescued from the Closet
Tony Curtis on 'Some Like It Hot'
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Play It to the Bone
Roxanne's Best Christmas Ever
Louis & Frank
Stargames
The Johannes B. Kerner Show
Elvis Meets Nixon
The View
The Continued Adventures of Reptile Man
Bounty Hunters 2: Hardball
Suddenly Susan
The Celluloid Closet
Roger Moore: A Matter of Class
The Immortals
The Mrs Merton Show
Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor
Bandit: Beauty and the Bandit
A Century of Cinema
Naked in New York
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
The Mummy Lives
Christmas in Connecticut
Center of the Web
Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time
Joseph Cornell: Worlds in a Box
Prime Target
Thanksgiving Day
Lobster Man from Mars
Walter and Carlo in America
Midnight
Tarzan in Manhattan
Roseanne
This Morning
The Passenger – Welcome to Germany
The Dame Edna Experience
Sacrée Soirée
Matin Bonheur
Sparky's Magic Piano
Murder in Three Acts
Banter
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal
Club Life
Mafia Princess
Insignificance
Half Nelson
Goldene Kamera
Where Is Parsifal?
BrainWaves
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Balboa
Black Commando
Portrait of a Showgirl
Magic with the Stars
The Million Dollar Face
Wetten, dass..?
Inmates: A Love Story
It Rained All Night the Day I Left
The Scarlett O'Hara War
Little Miss Marker
The Mirror Crack'd
The Masqueraders
Title Shot
Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration
Death Becomes Me
The Users
Vega$
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
The Manitou
Sextette
The Hollywood Greats
The Last Appointment!
Please Turn the Page
Casanova & Co.
The Last Tycoon
The Switch
The Count of Monte-Cristo
Lepke
McCoy
People's Choice Awards
Sporting Chance
Dinah!
London Conspiracy
Mission: Monte Carlo
The Third Girl from the Left
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
The Persuaders!
The Persuaders!
V.I.P. Schaukel
Norman Jewison, Film Maker
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
You Can't Win 'Em All
Bracken's World
Monte Carlo or Bust!
The Boston Strangler
Rosemary's Baby
The Dick Cavett Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who...
Don't Make Waves
Arrivederci, Baby!
The Legend of Marilyn Monroe
Not With My Wife, You Don't!
Chamber of Horrors
Boeing, Boeing
The Great Race
Sex and the Single Girl
Goodbye Charlie
Wild and Wonderful
Paris When It Sizzles
Captain Newman, M.D.
The List of Adrian Messenger
40 Pounds of Trouble
Taras Bulba
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Late Late Show
The Outsider
The Great Impostor
Pepe
Spartacus
The Flintstones
The Rat Race
Who Was That Lady?
People, Hopes, Medals
Operation Petticoat
Some Like It Hot
The Perfect Furlough
The Defiant Ones
Kings Go Forth
The Vikings
Sweet Smell of Success
The Midnight Story
Mister Cory
The Rawhide Years
The Steve Allen Show
Trapeze
The Rosemary Clooney Show
Nightmare
The Square Jungle
Allen in Movieland
The Purple Mask
Six Bridges to Cross
So This Is Paris
A Star Is Born World Premiere
The Black Shield of Falworth
Johnny Dark
Miss Glucksman Visits Hollywood
Beachhead
Forbidden
The All American
Houdini
The Oscars
General Electric Theater
The World's Most Beautiful Girls
This Is Your Life
Son of Ali Baba
Flesh and Fury
No Room for the Groom
Meet Danny Wilson
An Eye for an Eye
Come Back Little Shiksa
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
The Re-Inforcer
The Prince Who Was a Thief
Fairfax Avenue
Kansas Raiders
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Winchester '73
Sierra
I Was a Shoplifter
Francis
What's My Line?
Woman in Hiding
The Lady Gambles
Johnny Stool Pigeon
City Across the River
Criss Cross
How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border
The Ed Sullivan Show
Bambi