Later, he cemented his reputation with breakout performances such as in the role of the scheming press agent Sidney Falco in ' Sweet Smell of Success' with Burt Lancaster (who also starred in 'Criss Cross') and an Oscar-nominated performance as a bigoted escaped convict chained to Sidney Poitier in ' The Defiant Ones'. Although the studio taught him fencing and riding, Curtis admits he was at first only interested in girls and money.Ĭurtis's screen debut came uncredited in the 'Criss Cross' playing a rumba dancer. Curtis claims it was because he 'was the handsomest of the boys.' Arriving in Hollywood in 1948 at age 23, he was placed under contract at Universal Pictures and changed his name to Tony Curtis. He was discovered by a talent agent and casting director Joyce Selznick. ]įollowing his military service, Curtis studied acting in New York along with Elaine Stritch, Walter Matthau, and Rod Steiger. On September 2, 1945, he witnessed the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay from about a mile away. Curtis retains his brother's cap and school books since 'That's all that's left of him.' cite quoteĭuring World War II Curtis served in the United States Navy aboard USS Proteus (AS-19), a submarine tender. Four years later, his brother Julius was struck and killed by a truck. When Curtis was eight, he and his younger brother Julius were placed in an orphanage for a month because their parents could not afford to feed them. Curtis has said, 'When I was a child Mom beat me up and was very aggressive and antagonistic.' His mother was later diagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental illness which also affected his brother Robert and led to his institutionalization. The family lived in the back of the tailor shop, his parents in one corner and Curtis and his brothers Julius and Robert in another. Since 1949, he has appeared in more than 100 films and has made frequent television appearances.Ĭurtis was born as Bernard Schwartz in the Bronx, New York, the son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants Helen (née Klein) and Emanuel Schwartz. He has also done serious dramatic roles, such as the escaped convict in ' The Defiant Ones' (1958), which earned him an Academy Award nomination. He is best known for light comic roles, especially his musician on the run from gangsters in ' Some Like It Hot' (1959) with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe. Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz June 3, 1925) is an American film actor.

Tony curtis as the great houdini free