Tony Curtis, began his acting career in an uncredited screen debut came in the film, Criss Cross (1949) playing a rumba dancer. Later, he performed in the film, Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with Burt Lancaster (who also starred in Criss Cross) and an Oscar-nominated performance in, The Defiant Ones.
He also performed in the comedies:
Some Like It Hot. When musicians, Joe and Jerry (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon), witness what looks like the Saint Valentines Day Massacre of 1929. When the Chicago gangsters see them, they decide to leave town, taking a job where they disguise themselves as women, playing in an all-girl musical band. Calling themselves Josephine and Geraldine, they join the band and board a train. Joe and Jerry both have eyes for"Sugar Kane" (Marilyn Monroe), the band's singer and Ukulele player. Another wonderful comedy, Sex and the Single Girl.
His dramas include: The Outsider, the true story of WW II veteran Ira Hayes, and The Boston Strangler, in which he played the self-confessed murderer of the film's title, Albert DeSalvo.
Curtis also performed on television, he co-starred with Roger Moore in the TV series The Persuaders!. Later, he co-starred in McCoy and Vega$.
In the early 1960's, he was immortalized as "Stony Curtis," a voice-over on The Flintstones.
Curtis loved to paint and since the early 1980's, it became his second career.
In 2007, his painting The Red Table was on display in the Metropolitan Museum in Manhattan. His paintings can also be seen at the Tony Vanderploeg Gallery in Carmel, California.
Curtis was disappointed that never won an Oscar. But in March 2006, Curtis did receive the Sony Ericsson Empire Lifetime Achievement Award. I will always remember his wonderful performances. He will be missed. He is part of the vanishing era of Hollywood .....
Wow!! that news comes as a shock to me, I had'nt heard about this until I clicked on this blog.
ReplyDeleteLike you say Dawn Hollywood has lost another of it's greats.
Rest In Peace Tony Curtis.
Paul, I know... I was shocked to read about his passing this morning too.
ReplyDeleteI have always liked Some Like It Hot, The Defiant Ones, many of his movies. But I think my two favorites are Houdini and The Boston Strangler. Although Houdini was a cleaned-up Hollywood version of Houdini's life, Curtis was wonderful in it. He was a little older when he did The Boston Strangler, and showed real talent in playing that difficult part. He will be missed.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing Tony Curtis for the first time in Trapeze. I was only 12 years old and developed a crush. I've seen many of Tony's films, but my favorites are Some Like it Hot, The Rat Race and The Defiant Ones. Tony was a handsome and talented actor and he will be missed.
ReplyDeleteBecky, I do not think I have seen the two films, Houdini and The Boston Strangler. Those would be great movies to watch this month.
ReplyDeleteSilent, Not only was Tony Curtis handsome. He seemed like a really nice person.