Tony Curtis
Known for Acting · 216 credits
- Born
- 1925-06-03
- Died
- 2010-09-29
- Place of birth
- Bronx, New York, USA
- Also known as
- Bernard Herschel Schwartz · Anthony Curtis · Тони Кертис · تونی کورتیس
Biography
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
TV Shows (46)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self / Self (archive footage)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000
as Tony Curtis
The Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
1993
as Dr. Mamba
The View
1997
as Self
The Flintstones
1960
as Stony Curtis (voice)
What's My Line?
1950
as Self - Mystery Guest
The Johannes B. Kerner Show
1998
as Self
The Dick Cavett Show
1968
as Self - Guest
Wetten, dass..?
1981
as Self
Bambi
1948
as Self
Sacrée soirée
1987
as Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
The Oscars
1953
as Self
The Colgate Comedy Hour
1950
as Self
Vega$
1978
as Roth
People's Choice Awards
1975
as Self
Dinah!
1974
as Self
The Steve Allen Show
1956
as Self - Recipient / Self - Guest
Goldene Kamera
1984
as Self
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1968
as Self (uncredited)
The Persuaders!
1971
as Danny Wilde
Hope & Faith
2003
as Morris
The UnXplained
2019
as Self (archive footage)
Suddenly Susan
1996
as Peter DiCaprio
This Is Your Life
1952
as Self
Startime
1959
as The Juggler
V.I.P. Schaukel
1971
as Self
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
as Self
The Late Late Show
1962
as Self
Bracken's World
1969
Roseanne
1988
Please Turn the Page
1977
as Self
Talking Pictures
2013
as Self (archive footage)
The Hollywood Greats
1977
General Electric Theater
1953
as Mario Galindo / David
The Dame Edna Experience
1987
as Self
Un film et son époque
2003
as Self
Matin Bonheur
1987
as Self
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Charlie
This Morning
1988
as Self
Shrink Rap
2007
as Self
The Mrs Merton Show
1995
as Self
The Rosemary Clooney Show
1956
as Self
McCoy
1975
as McCoy
Marilyn Monroe, la célébrité à tout prix
2022
as Tony Curtis
Movies (170)
Spartacus
1960
as Antoninus
Rosemary's Baby
1968
as Donald Baumgart (voice) (uncredited)
Some Like It Hot
1959
as Joe (Josephine)
Sex and the Single Girl
1964
as Bob Weston
Operation Petticoat
1959
as Lieutenant Nicholas Holden
The Vikings
1958
as Eric
The Great Race
1965
as The Great Leslie
The Count of Monte-Cristo
1975
as Fernand Morcerf Mondego
The Boston Strangler
1968
as Albert DeSalvo
Criss Cross
1949
as Gigolo (uncredited)
The Mirror Crack'd
1980
as Martin N. Fenn
Winchester '73
1950
as Doan
Sierra
1950
as Brent Coulter
The Celluloid Closet
1996
as Self
Trapeze
1956
as Tino Orsini
Sweet Smell of Success
1957
as Sidney Falco
The Manitou
1978
as Harry Erskine
The Last Tycoon
1976
as Rodriguez
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
1978
as Marvin Lazar
You Can't Win 'Em All
1970
as Adam Dyer
Naked in New York
1993
as Carl Fisher
Taras Bulba
1962
as Andrei Bulba
Paris When It Sizzles
1964
as Actor Portraying Maurice or Philippe (uncredited)
The Defiant Ones
1958
as John 'Joker' Jackson
Play It to the Bone
1999
as Tony Curtis (Ringside Fan)
The List of Adrian Messenger
1963
as Organ Grinder
The Users
1978
as Randy Brent
The Outsider
1961
as Ira Hamilton Hayes
Murder in Three Acts
1986
as Charles Cartwright
Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor
1994
as Johnny Steele
Houdini
1953
as Harry Houdini
Boeing, Boeing
1965
as Bernard Lawrence
The Black Shield of Falworth
1954
as Myles Falworth
Who Was That Lady?
1960
as David Wilson
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
1970
as Shannon Gambroni
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
2014
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Captain Newman, M.D.
1963
as Cpl. Jackson "Jake" Leibowitz
Pepe
1960
as Tony Curtis
From Roger Moore with Love
2024
as Self (archive footage)
Mafia Princess
1986
as Sam Giancana
Francis
1950
as Captain Jones
Roger Moore: A Matter of Class
1995
as Self
Casanova & Co.
1977
as Giacomo Casanova / Giacomino
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Sextette
1978
as Alexei Karansky
Rat Pack
2022
as Self (archive footage)
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
2010
as Eric (archive footage) (uncredited)
Insignificance
1985
as The Senator
The Immortals
1995
as Dominic
Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom
2012
as Self
The Great Impostor
1960
as Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. / Martin Donner / Dr. Gilbert / Ben. W. Stone / Dr. Joseph Mornay / Robert Boyd Hammnd
The Prince Who Was a Thief
1951
as Julna
On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who...
1967
as Guerrando da Montone
Lepke
1975
as Louis 'Lepke' Buchalter
The Midnight Story
1957
as Joe Martini
The Lady Gambles
1949
as Bellboy (as Anthony Curtis)
The Scarlett O'Hara War
1980
as David O. Selznick
Johnny Stool Pigeon
1949
as Joey Hyatt
Son of Ali Baba
1952
as Kashma Baba
Little Miss Marker
1980
as Blackie
The Passenger – Welcome to Germany
1988
as Mr. Cornfield
A Star Is Born World Premiere
1954
as Self
Where Is Parsifal?
1984
as Parsifal Katzanella-Boden
Midnight
1989
as Mr. B
BrainWaves
1983
as Dr. Clavius
Arrivederci, Baby!
1966
as Nick Johnson
Half Nelson
1985
The Rat Race
1960
as Pete Hammond Jr.
Monte Carlo or Bust!
1969
as Chester Schofield
The Fabulous Allan Carr
2017
as Self (archive)
Magic with the Stars
1982
as Harry Houdini (archive footage) (uncredited)
Nobody's Perfect: The Making of Some Like It Hot
2001
as Self
Rescued from the Closet
2001
as Self
A Century of Cinema
1994
as Self
Not With My Wife, You Don't!
1966
as Tom Ferris
Sparky's Magic Piano
1987
No Room for the Groom
1952
as Alvah Morrell
Don't Make Waves
1967
as Carlo Cofield
Kings Go Forth
1958
as Caporal Britt Harris
40 Pounds of Trouble
1962
as Steve McCluskey
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel
2009
as Self
The Purple Mask
1955
as Rene de Traviere / The Purple Mask
Tarzan in Manhattan
1989
as Archimedes Porter
Flesh and Fury
1952
as Paul Callan
Goodbye Charlie
1964
as George Wellington Tracy
The Mummy Lives
1993
as Aziru / Dr. Mohassid
The Continued Adventures of Reptile Man
1997
as Jack Steele
The Perfect Furlough
1958
as Cpl. Paul Hodges
Lobster Man from Mars
1990
as J.P. Shelldrake
Morceaux de Cannes
2021
City Across the River
1949
as Mitch (as Anthony Curtis)
Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration
1979
as Self
The Square Jungle
1955
as Eddie Quaid / Packy Glennon
Chamber of Horrors
1966
as Mr. Julian (uncredited)
Bounty Hunters 2: Hardball
1997
as Wald
Christmas in Connecticut
1992
as Alexander Yardley
The World's Most Beautiful Girls
1953
as Self
Reflections of Evil
2002
as Host
It Rained All Night the Day I Left
1980
as Robert Talbot
The Third Girl from the Left
1973
as Joey Jordan
Mister Cory
1957
as Cory
Black Commando
1982
as Col. Iago
Woman in Hiding
1950
as Dave Shaw (voice) (uncredited)
Pictures of Ghosts
2023
as Self (archive footage)
Elvis Meets Nixon
1997
as Tony Curtis
The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot'
2006
as Self
Portrait of a Showgirl
1982
as Joey DeLeon
Marilyn Monroe: I Want to Be Loved
2010
as Self
Banter
1986
as Charles Foster
Meet Danny Wilson
1952
as Nightclub Patron
Hollywood Legenden
2004
as Self
Kansas Raiders
1950
as Kit Dalton
Jerry Lewis - König der Komödianten
2006
as Self (archive footage)
Beachhead
1954
as Burke
The Rawhide Years
1956
as Ben Matthews
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal
1986
as Self
The Persuaders!
1973
as Danny Wilde
The Switch
1976
as Danny Wilde
Come Back Little Shiksa
1952
Louis & Frank
1998
as Lenny Star Springer
About 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 acto… With 216 credits spanning from 1948 to 2024, Tony Curtis has appeared in 170 films and 46 TV shows.
Fans searching for Tony Curtis movies, Tony Curtis filmography, or the latest projects starring Tony Curtis can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Tony Curtis Movies
- Spartacus (1960) — as Antoninus
- Rosemary's Baby (1968) — as Donald Baumgart (voice) (uncredited)
- Some Like It Hot (1959) — as Joe (Josephine)
- Sex and the Single Girl (1964) — as Bob Weston
- Operation Petticoat (1959) — as Lieutenant Nicholas Holden
Where to Watch Tony Curtis Films
Most Tony Curtis movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Tony Curtis, check our movies catalogue and browse page.