Tony Curtis, often regarded as one of the most handsome actors in the history of cinema, led a life filled with love affairs, fame, and fortune.
His journey into Hollywood in 1948 was nothing short of a dream come true, and he once famously stated, "I had more action than Vesuvius. Men, women, animals..." This assertion hinted at his supposed bis-xu@lity, adding to the enigmatic charm that surrounded him.
In the early days of his career, Curtis displayed audacity that was a harbinger of the charisma he'd soon become known for. To avoid going hungry, he even went so far as to tell actress Shelley Winters that he knew one of her aunts from the Bronx. Rather than taking offense, she offered to share an apartment with him and introduced him to a then-unknown Marilyn Monroe, with whom he would later embark on a love affair. Shortly thereafter, he began a relationship with the beautiful Yvonne de Carlo. It was Joyce Selznick, the talent scout and niece of producer David O. Selznick, who ensured that Universal Studios offered Curtis a seven-year Golden Age contract.
Ironically, in 1958, Curtis and Monroe found themselves starring alongside Jack Lemmon in Billy Wilder's comedy, "Some Like It Hot." It was during the filming of this iconic movie that Curtis and Monroe's off-screen romance blossomed. However, the film was not without its challenges. Curtis was married to Janet Leigh, and Monroe was married to the writer Arthur Miller, making their relationship a well-guarded secret. In fact, Marilyn Monroe's notorious tardiness and her penchant for driving the director to despair during the film's production made it a nightmare for all involved. She once repeated a single scene up to 80 times due to her forgetfulness.
Curtis had his breakthrough moment in 1950 when he starred in "Winchester '73," directed by Sara Montiel's husband, Anthony Mann. It was this performance that started gaining attention for Curtis and his fellow actor Rock Hudson. Curtis's most successful decades in the film industry were the 1950s and 1960s, during which he appeared in iconic films like "Trapeze" (1956), "The Vikings" (1958), "Spartacus" (1960), "The Great Race" (1965), and "The Boston Strangler" (1968). One notable scene that was censored in "Spartacus" involved a homoerotic undertone, with Laurence Olivier and Tony Curtis sharing a suggestive dialogue, reflecting the prevailing attitudes towards in Hollywood at the time.
As Curtis's career flourished, he found himself in the company of Hollywood's elite, including Jack Lemmon, Burt Lancaster, and Cary Grant. In a significant gesture of solidarity, during the filming of "The Defiant Ones" (1958), Curtis insisted that Sidney Poitier's name be placed alongside his before the film's title. This gesture was particularly significant given the climate of Hollywood at the time, which was marked by anti-Semitism, racism, and homophobia.
Curtis's romantic life was equally intriguing. His marriage to Janet Leigh, the star of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" (1960), with whom he had two daughters, Kelly and Jamie Lee, was a topic of intense fascination in Hollywood. Their chemistry was palpable, with fellow actress Debbie Reynolds playing a role in their introduction. From 1951 to 1962, the Curtis-Leighs were the most photographed and envied couple of their era, at least until Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton took center stage with their romance during the filming of "Cleopatra" (1963).
Tony Curtis was notorious for his addiction to marriage, a trait he shared with the likes of Zsa Zsa Gabor and Mickey Rooney. After Janet Leigh, he entered into wedlock five more times, each time with a different partner—Christine Kaufmann (1963-1967), Leslie Allen (1968-1982), Andrea Savio (1984-1992), Lisa Deutsch (1993-1994), and Jill Vandenberg (1998-2010). Vandenberg, an explosive blonde nearly 45 years his junior, became the universal heir to his substantial assets, including a 10-million-euro Las Vegas mansion and a bank account containing 45 million euros. This arrangement led Curtis's first-born daughter, Kelly, to challenge her father's will, though the outcome was not in her favor.
Curtis's life took a complicated turn in the mid-1960s when he was compelled to accept roles of diminishing quality in order to meet his substantial child support obligations. Furthermore, he faced an increasing battle with substance abuse, struggling with cocaine, heroin, and alcohol addiction as a means of coping with his deep-seated depression and insecurities, as well as his fear of aging.
