Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis

Highest Rated: 100% Winchester '73 (1950)

Lowest Rated: 6% The Bad News Bears Go To Japan (1978)

Birthday: Jun 3, 1925

Birthplace: The Bronx, New York, USA

Originally dismissed as little more than a pretty boy, Tony Curtis overcame a series of bad reviews and undistinguished pictures to emerge as one of the most successful actors of his era, appearing in a number of the most popular and acclaimed films of the late '50s and early '60s. Born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925, in New York City, he was the son of an impoverished Hungarian-born tailor, and was a member of an infamous area street gang by the age of 11. During World War II, Curtis served in the navy, and was injured while battling in Guam. After the war, he returned to New York to pursue a career in acting, touring the Borscht circuit before starring in a Greenwich Village revival of Golden Boy. There Curtis came to the attention of Universal, who signed him to a seven-year contract. In 1948, he made his film debut, unbilled, in the classic Robert Siodmak noir Criss Cross. A series of bit roles followed, and he slowly made his way up through the studio's ranks.While 1950's Kansas Raiders was nominally headlined by Brian Donlevy, Curtis was, for many, the real draw; dark and handsome, he was hugely popular with teens and fan-magazine readers, and his haircut alone was so admired that Universal was receiving upwards of 10,000 letters a week asking for a lock of his hair. There was even a contest, "Win Tony Curtis for a week." Clearly, he was on the brink of stardom and earned top billing in his next picture, 1951's The Prince Who Was a Thief, which co-starred another up-and-comer, Piper Laurie. Despite his surging popularity, however, he still had much to learn about his craft and spent the remainder of the year training in voice, dramatics, and gymnastics. In 1952, Curtis finally returned to the screen as a boxer in Flesh and Fury. Two more pictures with Laurie, No Room for the Groom and Son of Ali Baba, followed. In 1953 Paramount borrowed Curtis to portray Houdini, which cast him opposite his wife, Janet Leigh.Despite continued -- albeit measured -- box-office success, Curtis was roundly panned by critics for his performances, a problem exacerbated by Universal's reliance on formula filmmaking. Pictures like 1954's Beachhead (a war drama), Johnny Dark (an auto-racing tale), and The Black Shield of Falworth (a medieval saga) were all by-the-numbers products. Finally, in 1956 United Artists borrowed him for the Burt Lancaster vehicle Trapeze; not only was it Curtis' first serious project, but it was also his first true commercial smash, resulting in another long-term Universal package. Still, the studio cast him in low-rent programmers like The Rawhide Years and The Midnight Story, and he was forced to fight executives to loan him out. Lancaster tapped him to co-star in 1957's The Sweet Smell of Success, and the resulting performance won Curtis the best reviews of his career. Similar kudos followed for The Vikings, co-starring Kirk Douglas, and Kings Go Forth, a war story with Frank Sinatra.In 1958, Curtis and Sidney Poitier starred in Stanley Kramer's social drama The Defiant Ones as a pair of escaped convicts -- one white, the other black, both manacled together -- who must overcome their prejudices in order to survive; their performances earned both men Academy Award nominations (the only such nod of Curtis' career), and was among the most acclaimed and profitable films of the year. He returned to Universal a major star and a much better actor; upon coming back, he first starred in a Blake Edwards comedy, The Perfect Furlough, then made the best film of his career -- 1959's Some Like It Hot, a masterful Billy Wilder comedy which cast him and Jack Lemmon as struggling musicians forced to dress in drag to flee the mob. Curtis next starred with his avowed idol, Cary Grant, in Edwards' comedy Operation Petticoat, another massive hit followed in 1960 by Who Was That Lady? with Leigh and Dean Martin.For director Stanley Kubrick, Curtis co-starred in the 1960 epic Spartacus, followed a year later by The Great Impostor. He del

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Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet Der Passagier - Welcome to Germany (Welcome to Germany) Actor — 2011
No Score Yet Mister Cory Actor — 2011
No Score Yet Unlawful Killing Actor — 2011
60% Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel Actor $22.4K 2010
No Score Yet Ladies or Gentlemen Actor — 2009
No Score Yet Il était une fois... Certains l'aiment chaud Actor — 2009
No Score Yet David & Fatima Mr. Schwartz — 2008
No Score Yet The Jill & Tony Curtis Story Actor — 2008
No Score Yet Unity Splash 2007: Singers Actor — 2007
No Score Yet Beenie Man & Bounty Killa: Peace Love & Unity Actor — 2006
No Score Yet Manchester Fiesta: Part 2 Actor — 2006
No Score Yet Bounty Killer and Beenie Man: One Love Dancehall Actor — 2005
No Score Yet Frank Sinatra Memorial Actor — 1999
11% Play It to the Bone Ringside Fan — 1999
No Score Yet Elvis Meets Nixon Himself — 1998
No Score Yet Bounty Hunters 2: Hardball Wald — 1997
No Score Yet 50,000,000 Joe Franklin Fans Can't Be Wrong Actor — 1997
97% The Celluloid Closet Interviewee — 1996
No Score Yet The Continued Adventures of Reptile Man and His Faithful Sidekick Tadpole Jack Steele — 1996
No Score Yet The Immortals Dominic — 1995
No Score Yet Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor Johnny Steele — 1994
No Score Yet Bandit: Beauty and the Bandit Lucky Bergstrom — 1994
42% Naked in New York Carl Fisher — 1994
No Score Yet The Mummy Lives Dr. Mohassid — 1993
No Score Yet Center of the Web Stephen — 1992
No Score Yet Derrick contre Superman Actor — 1992
No Score Yet Hollywood Babylon Actor — 1992
No Score Yet Christmas in Connecticut Alexander — 1991
No Score Yet Prime Target Marrietta — 1991
No Score Yet Tarzan in Manhattan Archimedes Porter — 1989
No Score Yet Lobster Man from Mars J.P. Sheildrake — 1989
No Score Yet Midnight Mr. B — 1989
No Score Yet Sparky's Magic Piano Actor — 1987
No Score Yet Brainwaves Actor — 1987
No Score Yet Agatha Christie's 'Murder in Three Acts' Charles Cartwright — 1986
No Score Yet The AFI Lifetime Achievement Awards: Billy Wilder Actor — 1986
No Score Yet Mafia Princess Salvatore "Sam" Giancana — 1986
No Score Yet The Last of Philip Banter Charles Foster — 1986
No Score Yet The Fantasy Film World of George Pal Actor — 1985
71% Insignificance Senator — 1985
No Score Yet Club Life Hector — 1985
No Score Yet Brainwaves Dr. Clavius — 1982
No Score Yet Portrait of a Showgirl Joey DeLeon — 1982
No Score Yet Balboa Ernie Stoddard — 1982
No Score Yet Othello, el comando negro (Othello, the Black Commando) Iago — 1982
63% The Mirror Crack'd Marty N. Fenn — 1980
No Score Yet Little Miss Marker Blackie — 1980
86% Coal Miner's Daughter Producer — 1980
No Score Yet Title Shot Frank Renzetti — 1979
No Score Yet The Amorous Mis-Adventures of Casanova Actor — 1979
18% Sextette Alexei Karansky — 1978
33% The Manitou Harry Erskine — 1978
6% The Bad News Bears Go To Japan Marvin Lazar — 1978
No Score Yet Vega$ Actor — 1978
No Score Yet Sex on the Run Giacomo Casanova — 1977
No Score Yet The Switch or How to Alter Your Ego Actor — 1977
45% The Last Tycoon Rodriguez — 1976
No Score Yet The Amorous Mis-Adventures of Casanova Actor — 1976
No Score Yet Lepke Louis 'Lepke' Buchalter — 1975
No Score Yet Capone Actor — 1975
No Score Yet The Count of Monte Cristo Mondego — 1975
No Score Yet Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? Shannon Gambroni — 1970
No Score Yet Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies Chester Schofield — 1969
86% The Boston Strangler Albert DeSalvo — 1968
96% Rosemary's Baby Donald Baumgart — 1968
No Score Yet La Cintura di castità (On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who...) (The Chastity Belt) Guerrando — 1968
No Score Yet Don't Make Waves Carlo Cofield — 1967
No Score Yet Not With My Wife, You Don't Tom Ferris — 1966
No Score Yet Chamber of Horrors Mr. Julian — 1966
60% Arrivederci, Baby! Nick Johnson — 1966
No Score Yet Boeing (707) Boeing (707) Bernard Lawrence — 1965
74% The Great Race The Great Leslie — 1965
60% Sex and the Single Girl Bob Weston — 1964
50% Goodbye Charlie George Wellington Tracy — 1964
50% Paris When It Sizzles 2nd Policeman — 1964
No Score Yet Wild And Wonderful Actor — 1964
No Score Yet Captain Newman, M.D. Cpl. Jackson Leibowitz — 1963
67% The List of Adrian Messenger Italian — 1963
No Score Yet 40 Pounds of Trouble Steve McCluskey — 1963
No Score Yet Taras Bulba Andrei Bulba — 1962
No Score Yet The Outsider Ira Hamilton Hayes — 1961
No Score Yet The Great Imposter Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. / Martin Donner / Dr. Gilbert / B — 1961
No Score Yet Pepe Himself — 1960
93% Spartacus Antoninus — 1960
No Score Yet The Rat Race Peter Hammond, Jr. — 1960
No Score Yet Who Was That Lady? David Wilson — 1960
95% Some Like It Hot Joe/Josephine — 1959
85% Operation Petticoat Lt. Nick Holden — 1959
No Score Yet The Perfect Furlough (Strictly for Pleasure) Cpl. Paul Hodges — 1958
83% The Defiant Ones John Jackson — 1958
No Score Yet Kings Go Forth Cpl. Britt Harris — 1958
76% The Vikings Eric — 1958
No Score Yet Appointment with a Shadow Joe Martini — 1957
98% Sweet Smell of Success Sidney Falco — 1957
No Score Yet The Rawhide Years Ben Matthews — 1956
67% Trapeze Tino Orsini — 1956
No Score Yet So This Is Paris Joe Maxwell — 1955
No Score Yet Six Bridges to Cross Jerry Florea — 1955
No Score Yet The Square Jungle Eddie Quaid / Packy Glennon — 1955
No Score Yet The Purple Mask Rene de Traviere — 1955
No Score Yet The Black Shield of Falworth Myles — 1954
No Score Yet Johnny Dark Johnny Dark — 1954
No Score Yet Beachhead Burke — 1954
85% Houdini Harry Houdini — 1953
No Score Yet The All American Nick Bonelli — 1953
No Score Yet Meet Danny Wilson Man in Nightclub — 1952
No Score Yet Flesh and Fury Paul Callan — 1952
No Score Yet No Room for the Groom Alvah Morrell — 1952
No Score Yet Son of Ali Baba Kashma Baba — 1952
No Score Yet Kansas Raiders Kit Dalton — 1950
100% Winchester '73 Doan — 1950
No Score Yet Sierra Brent Coulter — 1950
80% Francis Capt. Jones — 1950
No Score Yet Johnny Stool Pigeon Joey Hyatt — 1949
No Score Yet The Lady Gambles Bellboy — 1949
No Score Yet City Across the River Mitch — 1949
100% Criss Cross Gigolo — 1949

TV

Credit
No Score Yet The Bonnie Hunt Show
2008-2010 		Guest 2008
No Score Yet The Graham Norton Show
2007 		Guest 2008
No Score Yet CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000-2015 		Himself 2005
No Score Yet Hope & Faith
2003-2006 		Morris 2004
No Score Yet Suddenly Susan
1996-2000 		Businessman 1998
1997
86% Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
1993-1997 		1996
76% Roseanne
1988-2018 		Hal 1996
1995
No Score Yet The Flintstones
1960-1966 		Voice 1965

QUOTES FROM Tony Curtis CHARACTERS

Harry Erskine says: Here's your tobacco.

Sweet Sue says: Didn't you girls say you went to a conservatory?

Jerry/Daphne says: Yes. For a whole year.

Sweet Sue says: I thought you said three years.

Joe/Josephine says: We got time off, for good behavior.

The Great Leslie says: Are you a native of Boracho?

Lily Olay says: I ain't no native I was born here!

Lily Olay says: I ain't no native. I was born here!

Dr. Helen Brown says: I have a-a - metabolism thing and I, uh, get drunk very easily.

Bob Weston says: Well I was reading a medical journal just the other day where it says that if you take a drink, and take it down in one gulp, it bypasses the metabolism.

Bob Weston says: Remember when I was holding your hands before? I - I wanted to say something but I, uhm, lacked the confidence.

Dr. Helen Brown says: Well say it, Mr. Broderick. Speak right out - it will make you feel good.

Bob Weston says: It's dirty.

Dr. Helen Brown says: Good!! That will make you feel even better!

Frank Broderick says: I'm miserable; I might as well admit it. What do you call it when you hate the woman you love?

Bob Weston says: A wife.

Sidney Falco says: From now on the best of everything is good enough for me

Sidney Falco says: From now on the best of everything is good enough for me.

Sweet Sue says: Didn't you girls say you went to a conservatory?

Jerry/Daphne says: Yes. For a whole year.

Sweet Sue says: I thought you said three years.

Jerry/Daphne says: We got time off for good behavior.

Joe/Josephine says: We got time off for good behavior.

The Great Leslie says: Minutes have made the difference in survival, Miss DuBois.

Sidney Falco says: The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river

Sidney Falco says: The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river.

The Great Leslie says: Are you a native of Burracho?

Lily Olay says: I ain't no native, I was born here!

Joe/Josephine says: Its not how long you wait, it's who you're waiting for.

Sig Poliakoff says: You got to be under twenty five.

Jerry/Daphne says: We could pass for that.

Sig Poliakoff says: You got to be blonde.

Jerry/Daphne says: We could dye our hair.

Sig Poliakoff says: And you got to be girls.

Jerry/Daphne says: We could-

Joe/Josephine says: No we couldn't!

Joe/Josephine says: Daphne?!

Jerry/Daphne says: I never did like the name Geraldine.

Joe/Josephine says: None of that, Sugar. No guy is worth it.

Antoninus says: I'm Spartacus! I'm Spartacus!