BornBernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925, in the
Bronx, N.Y., Tony Curtis
survived a rough childhood and being wounded in action during World War
II. He studied acting at New York City's Dramatic Workshop and later
signed with Universal Studios, making his first notable film appearance
in 1949's Criss Cross.
A popular leading man in such movies as Houdini
(1953) and The Black Shield of Falworth (1954), Curtis rose above his
pretty boy looks and impressed critics with dramatic turns in Sweet
Smell of Success (1957) and The Defiant Ones (1958), for which he earned
a Best Actor Oscar nod. More memorable parts followed in 1959's Some
Like It Hot (doing a dead-on Cary Grant riff), Spartacus (1960) and The
Boston Strangler (1968).
Curtis moved into character roles in the
1970s, playing a variety of heavies and gangsters. In later years, he
made numerous guest appearances on television. He died of heart failure
Sept. 29, 2010.
The Jill & Tony Curtis Story
2008NR73 minutes
Actor
Tony Curtis and his wife, Jill, discuss the important need to protect
horses from consumption overseas in this documentary, which examines the
couple's passionate struggle for equestrian rights and personal efforts
to rescue horses. Featuring startling footage captured directly inside a
slaughterhouse, this meaningful movie aims to celebrate horses and keep
them shielded from cruel and senseless deaths.
Shiloh Horse Rescue
— David DeWitt
