Tony Curtis
American actor (1925–2010) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Tony Curtis?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925 – September 29, 2010) was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles covering a wide range of genres. In his later years, Curtis made numerous television appearances.
Tony Curtis | |
|---|---|
 Curtis in 1958 | |
| Born | Bernard Schwartz (1925-06-03)June 3, 1925 East Harlem, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 29, 2010(2010-09-29) (aged 85) Henderson, Nevada, U.S. |
| Resting place | Palm Memorial Park (Green Valley), Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Alma mater | The New School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1948–2008 |
| Spouses | Leslie Allen
(m. 1968; div. 1982)Andrea Savio
(m. 1984; div. 1992)Lisa Deutsch
(m. 1993; div. 1994)Jill Vandenberg (m. 1998) |
| Children | 6, including Kelly, Jamie Lee, and Allegra Curtis |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Rank | Signalman 3rd Class |
| Unit | USS Proteus (AS-19) |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | |
He achieved his first major recognition as a dramatic actor in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with co-star Burt Lancaster. The following year he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Defiant Ones (1958) alongside Sidney Poitier (who was also nominated in the same category). This was followed by the comedies Some Like It Hot and Operation Petticoat in 1959. In 1960, Curtis played a supporting role in the epic historical drama Spartacus.
His stardom and film career declined considerably after 1960. His most significant dramatic part came in 1968 when he starred in the true-life drama The Boston Strangler. Curtis also took on the role of the Ukrainian Cossack Andrei in the historical action romance epic Taras Bulba in 1962 and starred in the ITC TV series The Persuaders!, with Curtis playing American millionaire Danny Wilde. The series ran for twenty-four episodes.
Curtis married six times and fathered six children. He was the father of actresses Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis with his first wife, actress Janet Leigh, and actresses Allegra Curtis and Alexandra Curtis with his second wife Christine Kaufmann. He had two sons with his third wife Leslie Allen, one of whom predeceased him. From 1998 until his death, he was married to horse trainer Jill Vandenberg.