Tony Curtis, one of Hollywood’s most recognized actors of the 20th century, built a career defined by breakthrough performances in films like *Some Like It Hot* and *Spartacus*. But behind the screen success was a difficult childhood that shaped the man and the performer he would become. Born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925, in Manhattan, New York City, Curtis was the eldest of three children born to Emmanuel Schwartz, a tailor of Hungarian descent, and his wife Helen. He later spoke openly about the harsh punishment he received from his mother during his early years.
At one point, financial strain forced his parents to place Curtis and his siblings in an orphanage for a month, unable to feed them. A neighbor eventually stepped in, helping to get the young boy admitted to Seward Park High School. It was there that Curtis first discovered acting through a school play. His path to Hollywood took a detour through the military.
Inspired by the movies *Crash Dive* and *Destination Tokyo*, he joined the Pacific submarine force, a division of the U. S. Navy. After his service, he continued his education at the City College of New York and later trained at The New School under playwright Irwin Piscator.
While still a student, Curtis caught the attention of casting director Joyce Selznick, who saw potential in him for significant film roles. At 23, he signed with Universal Pictures, where he received training in sports like riding and fencing during his early days with the studio. He made his film debut in the 1949 crime drama *Criss Cross* in a small role as a rumba dancer. That same year, he appeared in *City Across the River*, with the credits listing him as Anthony Curtis.
His career gained real momentum with his role as Sidney Falco in the 1957 film *Sweet Smell of Success*, which established him as a serious dramatic actor. The following year, his performance in *The Defiant Ones* earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1959, Curtis appeared alongside Marilyn Monroe in the comedy classic *Some Like It Hot*, cementing his place among Hollywood’s leading stars. He remained a favorite among movie fans for his work in Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 epic *Spartacus*.
Throughout the 1960s, Curtis starred in a string of well-received films, including *The Outsider*, *Taras Bulba*, *Sex and the Single Girl*, *The Great Race*, and *The Boston Strangler*. Audiences praised his portrayal of Bob Weston in *Sex and the Single Girl* and equally applauded his performance as The Great Leslie in *The Great Race*. In 1971, Curtis expanded his career into television with the action-adventure series *The Persuaders*, co-starring fellow Hollywood icon Roger Moore. During the rest of the 1970s, he continued acting in films such as *The Last Tycoon*, *London Conspiracy*, and *The Count of Monte Cristo*.
Although his popularity declined by the 1980s, Curtis still found roles in a number of films during that decade. He also worked outside of fiction, appearing in the 1985 documentary *The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal*. His other notable projects from that period included *Where Is Parsifal? * and the German film *The Passenger — Welcome to Germany*.
His final acting credit was in the 2008 documentary *The Jill & Tony Curtis Story*. Curtis was first married to actress Janet Lee, with whom he had two daughters, Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly, both of whom later became accomplished actresses. After his marriage to Lee ended, he married Christine Kaufman, Leslie Allen, Andrea Savio, Lisa Deutsch, and Jill Vandenberg Curtis. In the early 1990s, Curtis worked alongside his daughter Jamie Lee Curtis on efforts to restore the historic Great Synagogue.
In 2004, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in recognition of his contributions to cinema. In 2008, Curtis released his autobiography, *American Prince: A Memoir*, in which he spoke at length about his scarred childhood, his early days in Hollywood, and the relationships he shared with other major actors of his era. The book’s insights into the film world made it a favorite among readers. In July 2010, Curtis was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.
He died of cardiac arrest on September 29 of that year at the age of 85.