Tony Curtis, actor and artist, has died at the age of 85.
Tony Curtis died yesterday, 29th September, at the age of 85. Details are yet to emerge, but he had suffered ill health for several years, nearly dying of pneumonia in late 2006 and being admitted to hospital in July after an asthma attack. Sir Roger Moore, who worked with Curtis on British TV show The Persuaders!, has said, "He was really fun to work with. He had a great sense of humour and wonderful ad-libs. He was a hell of a good actor. I shall miss him."
Curtis was born Bernard Schwarz in the Bronx to Hungarian immigrants Emanuel Schwarz and Helen Klein. After a stint in the Navy in World War II, Curtis studied acting at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York and was discovered by talent agent and casting director Joyce Selznick. He came to Hollywood and changed his name to Anthony Curtis. His screen début came with Criss Cross in 1949 when he played a rumba dancer (uncredited). His role in Sierra (1950) led to his first big budget movie, Winchester '73 in 1950. After that, he went by Tony and spent years making hit movies, including The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) The Defiant Ones (1958) and Some Like It Hot (1959). He also appeared in many TV series, including 26 episodes of Vega$ and a guest spot on The Flintstones as 'Stony Curtis'
Tony Curtis was married six times and has six children, including actress Jamie Lee Curtis with his first wife, Janet Leigh. He married his sixth wife, Jill Vandenberg Curtis, in 1998 and they remained together until his death. Reportedly, they laughed together about their 42 year age difference and he once said, “I wouldn't be caught dead marrying a woman old enough to be my wife.”
Towards the end of his life, he filmed less in favour of his second career as a painter: some of his works are part of a permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He also enjoyed playing the flute and was a very accomplished player.
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