Tony Curtis Biography: Awards, Wife, Children, Films, Age, Net Worth, Siblings, Height, Parent

Tony Curtis, born Bernard Schwartz, was an actor who emerged from a challenging upbringing in New York City to become one of Hollywood’s most prominent actors during the 1950s and 1960s.

His performances in films like The Defiant Ones and Some Like It Hot showcased his versatility and charisma, earning him critical acclaim and a devoted fan base.

Profile

• Full Name: Bernard Schwartz
• Nickname: Tony Curtis
• Date of Birth: June 3, 1925
• Age at Death: 85 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of Birth: The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States
• State of Origin: New York
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Actor
• Height: 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters)
• Parents: Emanuel Schwartz and Helen Klein
• Siblings: Julius Schwartz and Robert Schwartz
• Spouses: Janet Leigh (1951–1962), Christine Kaufmann (1963–1968), Leslie Allen (1968–1982), Andrea Savio (1984–1992), Lisa Deutsch (1993–1994), Jill Vandenberg (1998–2010)
• Children: Kelly Curtis, Jamie Lee Curtis, Alexandra Curtis, Allegra Curtis, Nicholas Curtis, Benjamin Curtis
• Relationship Status: Married until he died in 2010
• Religion: Jewish
• Ethnicity: Hungarian Jewish
• Net Worth: $60 million (at the time of his death)

Early Life and Education

Tony Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925, in the Bronx, New York City. His parents, Emanuel Schwartz and Helen Klein, were Hungarian Jewish immigrants who struggled financially during the Great Depression.

Curtis grew up with his two brothers, Julius and Robert, in a challenging environment that included periods in orphanages due to his parents’ inability to care for them.

He attended Seward Park High School but left before graduating to join the U.S. Navy during World War II. After his military service, Curtis utilized the G.I. Bill to study acting at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York City, where he trained under renowned German stage director Erwin Piscator.  

Personal Life

Tony Curtis has been married several times. His first marriage was to actress Janet Leigh in 1951, with whom he had two daughters, Kelly and Jamie Lee Curtis. The couple’s relationship was highly publicized, but they divorced in 1962 following Curtis’s affair with 17-year-old German actress Christine Kaufmann, whom he married in 1963.

Curtis and Kaufmann had two daughters, Alexandra and Allegra, before divorcing in 1968. He then married Leslie Allen, with whom he had two sons, Nicholas and Benjamin. Nicholas tragically died of a heroin overdose at the age of 23.

Curtis’s subsequent marriages included unions with Andrea Savio, Lisa Deutsch, and Jill Vandenberg, who was 45 years his junior. His relationships with his children were often strained, and shortly before his death, he amended his will to disinherit them, leaving his estate to his last wife, Jill.

Career

Tony Curtis’s acting career began in the late 1940s after he signed a contract with Universal Pictures. He quickly gained attention for his good looks and on-screen presence, leading to roles in a variety of genres. Curtis’s breakout role came in 1957 with Sweet Smell of Success, where he played a press agent opposite Burt Lancaster.

He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance in The Defiant Ones (1958), co-starring Sidney Poitier. Curtis showcased his comedic talents in Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot (1959) alongside Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon, a film that remains a classic.

Throughout his career, he appeared in over 100 films, including Spartacus (1960), The Boston Strangler (1968), and The Great Race (1965). In his later years, Curtis also made numerous television appearances and pursued painting as a second career.  

Awards

Golden Globe Awards:

• 1958: Winner, World Film Favorite – Male
• 1959: Nominee, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for The Defiant Ones
• 1961: Winner, World Film Favorite – Male
• 1969: Nominee, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for The Boston Strangler

Academy Awards:

• 1959: Nominee, Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Defiant Ones

Emmy Awards:

• 1980: Nominee, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for The Scarlett O’Hara War

Other Honors:

• 1960: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• 2001: David di Donatello Special Award for Lifetime Achievement
• 2004: Goldene Kamera for Lifetime Achievement
• 2006: Empire Award for Lifetime Achievement
• 2007: Jules Verne Lifetime Achievement Award

Net Worth

At the time of his death in 2010, Tony Curtis had an estimated net worth of $60 million. His wealth was accumulated through a prolific acting career spanning over six decades, during which he starred in numerous successful films and television shows. Curtis also earned income from his work as a painter in his later years.  

Death

Tony Curtis passed away on September 29, 2010, at his home in Henderson, Nevada, from cardiac arrest. He was 85 years old. Curtis’s death marked the end of a significant era in Hollywood history, as he was one of the last surviving actors from the golden age of cinema.  

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Filmography

• Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
• The Defiant Ones (1958)
• Some Like It Hot (1959)
• Operation Petticoat (1959)
• Spartacus (1960)
• The Great Impostor (1961)
• The Great Race (1965)
• The Boston Strangler (1968)
• You Can’t Win ‘Em All (1970)
• The Last Tycoon (1976)
• Insignificance (1985)
• The Mummy Lives (1993)
• Louis & Frank (1998)