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Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925 – September 29, 2010) was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles covering a wide range of genres. In his later years, Curtis made numerous television appearances.

He achieved his first major recognition as a dramatic actor in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with co-star Burt Lancaster. The following year he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Defiant Ones (1958) alongside Sidney Poitier (who was also nominated in the same category). This was followed by the comedies Some Like It Hot and Operation Petticoat in 1959. In 1960, Curtis played a supporting role in the epic historical drama Spartacus.

His stardom and film career declined considerably after 1960. Subsequently, his most significant dramatic part came in 1968 when he starred in the true-life drama The Boston Strangler. Curtis also took on the role of the Ukrainian Cossack Andrei in the historical action romance epic Taras Bulba in 1962 and starred in the ITC TV series The Persuaders!, playing Danny Wilde, an American millionaire. The series ran for twenty-four episodes.

Curtis married six times and fathered six children. He is the father of the actresses Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis with his first wife, actress Janet Leigh, and actresses Allegra Curtis and Alexandra Curtis with his second wife, actress Christine Kaufmann. He had two sons with his third wife, Leslie Allen, one of whom predeceased him. From 1998 until his death, he was married to Jill Vandenberg, a horse trainer.

Birth and Death Data: Born June 3, 1925 (Flower Hospital (defunct hospital in Manhattan, New York City, United States)), Died September 29, 2010 (Henderson (city in Clark County, Nevada, United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1954

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca L 7887 9/14/1954 The gypsy in my soul Tony Curtis vocalist  
Decca L 7888 9/14/1954 The first thing you know Tony Curtis vocalist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Curtis, Tony," accessed January 20, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/310549.

Curtis, Tony. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 20, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/310549.

"Curtis, Tony." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 20 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/310549

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