Bernard Schwartz, better known as Tony Curtis, was born in the Bronx and started his career at the movies in 1949 coming from the theatre using at first James Curtis and later Anthony Curtis as names. He always tried to work in various genres in order to avoid being typecast. In the genre of comedy one has to mention e.g. Goodbye Charlie and at the adventures e.g. The Vikings. That he is also able to play more complex and psychological roles he showed in The Boston Strangler. Curtis also produced some movies and appeared after 1973 several times in different TV productions. His daughter Jamie Lee Curtis with his first wife Janet Leigh has followed her father successfully into the movie business.
The Boston Strangler (1968): $30,000/week
Operation Petticoat (1959): $700,000
The Vikings (1958): $25,000/week
Trapeze (1956): $150,000
Forbidden (1953): $1,500/week
All American (1953): $1,500/week
Houdini (1953): $1,500/week
Flesh and Fury (1952): $700/week
Kansas Raiders (1950): $225/week
Criss Cross (1949): $75/week

Father of Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis (with Janet Leigh). Father of Allegra Curtis (with Christine Kaufmann). He had heart bypass surgery in April 1994. One of his sons, Nicholas, died of seizures on July 2, 1994 due to an overdose of heroin. His current wife, Jill Vandenberg Curtis, is 45 years younger than him. Son of a tailor from Hungary, Curtis still speaks Hungarian. Enjoys painting and creating "shadow boxes" of art objects. In late 2005, the Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY) acquired one of his canvasses for its permanent collection. Lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Appears on sleeve of The Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" Suffers from fear of flying He made a literary cameo in Matt Whyman's debut romantic comedy novel, 'Man or Mouse', in which the main character, Ren, e-mails Curtis with his love-life problems, and finally meets him briefly. He has two adopted sons. Was the inspiration for, and voice of, the character "Stoney Curtis" in The Flintstones. Since re-dubbing the bath scene in Spartacus with Anthony Hopkins, Curtis has said that whenever he encounters Hopkins, he hollers "Oh Tony... it's Antininus". Has appeared in a musical based on Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot in which he appears as millionaire Osgood Fielding III, originally assayed by Joe E. Brown in the film. He is a militant anti-smoker. Both Sir Michael Caine and Sir Roger Moore have credited Curtis with helping them quit smoking cigarettes in the early 1970s, though not cigars.