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Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis

56 movies on Netflix

Biography

Tony Curtis was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 films across many genres, reaching his peak popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. Born Bernard Schwartz in New York City in 1925, he arrived in Hollywood in 1948 and, under contract at Universal Pictures, changed his name. His first major dramatic recognition came in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) opposite Burt Lancaster, and he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for The Defiant Ones (1958), in which he starred with Sidney Poitier. Comedies such as Some Like It Hot and Operation Petticoat, both from 1959, followed, along with a supporting part in Spartacus (1960). After his stardom declined in the 1960s, he gave a notable dramatic performance in The Boston Strangler (1968) and later starred in the television series The Persuaders! as Danny Wilde. He received the Sony Ericsson Empire Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.

85years old at death

  • Born Flower Hospital
  • Died Henderson
  • Star sign: GeminiThe sign runs May 21 to June 20
  • Bernard Schwartz (birth name)Also credited as T. Curtis

Movie Career

Films
56
Career span
57 years1949 to 2006

Genres

First and latest

Photos

  • Tony Curtis, photo 1 of 3
  • Tony Curtis, photo 2 of 3
  • Tony Curtis, photo 3 of 3

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  1. Early training

    Curtis trained as an actor at The New School in Greenwich Village, where his teacher was Erwin Piscator, a German stage director. Among his fellow students were Elaine Stritch, Harry Belafonte, Walter Matthau, Beatrice Arthur and Rod Steiger.

  2. First role

    Curtis's uncredited screen debut came in the 1949 crime drama Criss Cross, where he played a rumba dancer opposite Yvonne de Carlo and Burt Lancaster.

  3. A first

    Curtis's production company made 40 Pounds of Trouble, which he appeared in with Suzanne Pleshette and Phil Silvers. Disneyland had never been used as a location for a motion picture before this film.

  4. A change of course

    Curtis began painting as a second career in the early 1980s, and his painting The Red Table was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 2007.

Tony Curtis movies on Netflix

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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  1. Some Like It Hot1959 Comedy, Romanceas Joe / Josephine / Shell Oil Junior

    IMDb rating 8.2307K votes

  2. Sweet Smell of Success1957 Drama, Film-Noiras Sidney Falco

    IMDb rating 8.041K votes

  3. Spartacus1960as Antoninus

    IMDb rating 7.9152K votes

  4. The Defiant Ones1958as John 'Joker' Jackson

    IMDb rating 7.520K votes

  5. The Great Race1965as The Great Leslie

    IMDb rating 7.222K votes

  6. Operation Petticoat1959as Lt. JG Nicholas Holden

    IMDb rating 7.218K votes

  7. The Vikings1958as Eric

    IMDb rating 7.018K votes

  8. The Boston Strangler1968as Albert DeSalvo

    IMDb rating 7.012K votes

Most often with

Blake Edwards directed three of these films, Richard Fleischer two and Richard Quine two. Larry Storch appears in six of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Larry Storch, 6 films togetherSee the 6 films with Larry StorchJanet Leigh, 5 films togetherSee the 5 films with Janet LeighBurt Lancaster, 4 films togetherSee the 4 films with Burt LancasterDonald Pleasence, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Donald PleasenceKirk Douglas, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Kirk DouglasJeff Corey, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Jeff CoreyBlake EdwardsDirector, 3 filmsSee the 3 films by Blake EdwardsRichard FleischerDirector, 2 filmsSee the 2 films by Richard FleischerRichard QuineDirector, 2 filmsSee the 2 films by Richard Quine

Films together

Box office

What Tony Curtis's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$202 million

17 of the 56 films have a worldwide figure.

Of the 56 films: 17 worldwide figure; 4 us gross only; 3 never in cinemas; 32 figure not found.

  • 17Worldwide figure
  • 4US gross only
  • 3Never in cinemas
  • 32Figure not found

Top grosser

Spartacus1960as Antoninus$60.0 million

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 91% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

  1. 1
    Spartacus1960as Antoninus
    $60M29.7% of the total
  2. 2
    Rosemary's Baby1968as Donald Baumgart (voice)
    $33M16.5% of the total
  3. 3
    The Great Race1965as The Great Leslie
    $25M12.5% of the total
  4. 4
    Some Like It Hot1959as Joe / Josephine / Shell Oil Junior
    $25M12.4% of the total
  5. 5
    Trapeze1956as Tino Orsini
    $14M7.1% of the total
  6. 6
    The Mirror Crack'd1980as Martin N. Fenn
    $11M5.4% of the total
  7. 7
    The Bad News Bears Go to Japan1978as Marvin Lazar
    $7.1M3.5% of the total
  8. 8
    Operation Petticoat1959as Lt. JG Nicholas Holden
    $6.8M3.4% of the total
Little Miss Marker (1980), $6.3 millionTaras Bulba (1962), $4.0 millionSweet Smell of Success (1957), $2.5 millionWinchester '73 (1950), $2.2 millionThe Celluloid Closet (1995), $1.4 millionBeachhead (1954), $1.4 millionNaked in New York (1993), $1.0 millionSextette (1978), $50,000The Vikings (1958), $20,311

$19.0 millionfrom the other 9 films with a worldwide figure, 9% of the total

Awards

Eleven awards and honors from 1958 to 2000, one of them major.

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Tony Curtis's awards and nominations, grouped by award
YearAwardFilmResult
Golden Globes
AwardsWon
Other honors
2000Sitges Grand Honorary AwardHonorary
1973Bambi AwardThe Persuaders!Won
1961Henrietta AwardWon
1958Bambi AwardSweet Smell of SuccessWon
1958Henrietta AwardWon
American Campaign MedalWon
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign MedalWon
David di Donatello Award for Lifetime AchievementWon
Star on Hollywood Walk of FameHonored
World War II Victory MedalWon

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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