Vale – Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis - 1925-2010

News broke this morning (Australian Time) that legendary actor Tony Curtis has passed away. While many Hollywood actors and actresses are often touted as “screen legends” well before their time, and often with dubious ceremony, Curtis is among the few who have well and truly earned that moniker. His only brush with Oscar came with a role alongside Sidney Poitier in The Defiant Ones, for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor gong. Among his many, many film appearances, his most memorable include Some Like It Hot, with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, Sweet Smell Of Success, Spartacus, Sex & The Single Girl, The Great Race, Naked In New York and the 1976 version of The Count Of Monte Cristo.

Curtis was the father of Hollywood actress Jamie Lee Curtis, and was once married to Psycho femme fatale Janet Leigh.

He died overnight from a heart attack, aged 85.

Tony Curtis with Marilyn Monroe in 1959's Some Like It Hot

Who wrote this?

Rodney Twelftree

“Some people say I like films. Those people are wrong. I *love* films.” – Me. I said this.

Rodney has been writing about films for well over two decades, appreciates a good wine, the love of his wife and kids, and the affection of his dog and cats. He has a fondness of cheesy 90’s action and classic Hollywood, hates that physical media is disappearing, and wishes somebody would make a high-budget series of The Neverending Story.

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2 thoughts on “Vale – Tony Curtis”

  1. As mentioned, another great loss in cinema history. Where would one even begin to discuss this man's career? His humble beginnings, his tour in the Pacific in World War II and the wound that sent him home to New York where he used the G.I bill to get into acting. He was one of those young actors (like Clint Eastwood among others) who got snapped up by Universal – Curtis got a 7 year deal worth $100 a week which wasn't bad back then! He made some flops, sure, who hasn't, but he also worked with some of the biggest names in the business and all the while he remained a charismatic gentlemen who maybe wasn't the best father who could have been (according to his famous daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis) but he walked the walk, made some stumbles here and there and in the process left us with some fantastic memories.

    I hope you don't mind me posting my link to the news about Mr. Curtis' passing over at movie-vault.com here.

    http://www.movie-vault.com/articles/Tony-Curtis-D…

    Thank you Mr. Curtis for the good, the bad, and the stuff we'll never know about!

    Oh, and Dan — nice list of top 10 movies. Spartacus for sure, Some like it hot (obviously), the Defiant Ones, but what did you think of his work in the series Vega$?

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