During his long career, Tony Curtis played characters who worked in a chain gang, an all-girl band, on a submarine, as a New York publicist, and even one who strangled women in his spare time -- and those represent just a handful of his many roles. Here are six of Tony Curtis's best films.
Tony Curtis received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of John "Joker" Jackson, who, along with Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier) escapes from a chain gang during a truck accident in The Defiant Ones, However, they're chained together and therefore interdependent. What begins as hostility ends as friendship and respect for one another. Curtis said that the characters did not need to be racially different in order for the story to work - it's about two men from different backgrounds who have to work together in order to survive. Directed by Stanley Kramer.More »
In Billy Wilder's classic comedy Some Like it Hot, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon play Joe and Jerry, two out-of-work musicians. After witnessing the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the two escape the mob by joining an all-girl band - as women. Joe (Josephine - Curtis) falls for band singer Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), while Jerry (Daphne - Lemmon) is romanced by wealthy suitor (Joe E. Brown). Curtis sports another disguise to romance Sugar, that of a wealthy oilman who sounds suspiciously like Cary Grant. One of the greatest comedies of all time, with fantastic performances.More »
In this Blake Edwards comedy, the commander (Cary Grant) of a damaged submarine is allowed to raise the sub and make her seaworthy enough to reach Australia before an impending Japanese assault. A paint shortage causes the sub to be painted pink, and the commander is stuck with one Lt. Holden (Curtis), a streetwise con man who is in the Navy for the prestige and what he can get out of it. He becomes the ship's supply officer when a transfer is canceled for the admiral whom he assists. Curtis is very funny as Holden, who grew up in a neighborhood called "Noah's Ark" - "you traveled in pairs or you didn't travel." Curtis loved working with Grant, his role model.Buy from Amazon »
J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster), is a powerful Broadway columnist, and Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) is an ambitious publicist who will do anything to get into Hunsecker's good graces. He's so desperate that he agrees to help Hunsecker break up his sister and her musician boyfriend. James Wong Howe's gritty photography, perfect for the New York shots, is a great backdrop for the stunning script by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman that tells a cynical story that was ahead of its time. With strong direction by Alexander Mackendrick, Sweet Smell of Success offers brilliant performances by both Lancaster and Curtis as two unforgettable characters.
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1. 'The Defiant Ones' - 1958
Tony Curtis received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of John "Joker" Jackson, who, along with Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier) escapes from a chain gang during a truck accident in The Defiant Ones, However, they're chained together and therefore interdependent. What begins as hostility ends as friendship and respect for one another. Curtis said that the characters did not need to be racially different in order for the story to work - it's about two men from different backgrounds who have to work together in order to survive. Directed by Stanley Kramer.More »
2. 'Some Like It Hot' - 1959
In Billy Wilder's classic comedy Some Like it Hot, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon play Joe and Jerry, two out-of-work musicians. After witnessing the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the two escape the mob by joining an all-girl band - as women. Joe (Josephine - Curtis) falls for band singer Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), while Jerry (Daphne - Lemmon) is romanced by wealthy suitor (Joe E. Brown). Curtis sports another disguise to romance Sugar, that of a wealthy oilman who sounds suspiciously like Cary Grant. One of the greatest comedies of all time, with fantastic performances.More »
3. 'Operation Petticoat' - 1959
In this Blake Edwards comedy, the commander (Cary Grant) of a damaged submarine is allowed to raise the sub and make her seaworthy enough to reach Australia before an impending Japanese assault. A paint shortage causes the sub to be painted pink, and the commander is stuck with one Lt. Holden (Curtis), a streetwise con man who is in the Navy for the prestige and what he can get out of it. He becomes the ship's supply officer when a transfer is canceled for the admiral whom he assists. Curtis is very funny as Holden, who grew up in a neighborhood called "Noah's Ark" - "you traveled in pairs or you didn't travel." Curtis loved working with Grant, his role model.Buy from Amazon »
4. 'Sweet Smell of Success - 1957
J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster), is a powerful Broadway columnist, and Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) is an ambitious publicist who will do anything to get into Hunsecker's good graces. He's so desperate that he agrees to help Hunsecker break up his sister and her musician boyfriend. James Wong Howe's gritty photography, perfect for the New York shots, is a great backdrop for the stunning script by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman that tells a cynical story that was ahead of its time. With strong direction by Alexander Mackendrick, Sweet Smell of Success offers brilliant performances by both Lancaster and Curtis as two unforgettable characters.
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5. 'Insignificance' - 1985
Directed by Nicolas Roeg, Insignificance is the story of four 1950's icons (Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio and Senator Joseph MacCarthy) who meet in a hotel room in this biting film, which is accented by strong visuals. The film moves easily from the past to the present and the future, centering on Einstein's observations and memories. Curtis gives a strong performance as a mean, paranoid Senator. The film also stars Theresa Russell, Gary Busey, and Michael Emil, with a script by Terry Johnson.
6. 'The Boston Strangler' - 1968
Tony Curtis fought for the role of Albert DeSalvo, aka "The Boston Strangler," winning out over competitors Warren Beatty, Horst Buchholz, and Stuart Whitman. As the movie begins, Boston is terrorized by a serial killer. The investigators follow several leads until coming upon the strangler; thus, DeSalvo's character actually doesn't appear until the second hour of the film. This stands as one of Curtis' greatest performances as a deranged killer whose domestic life betrays no hint of the monster within. Directed by Richard Fleischer, Edward Anhalt wrote the script based on the Gerold Frank novel, replacing Terence Rattigan. (Rattigan wrote the film as a comedy, in which the killer is revealed by computer to be producer Darryl F. Zanuck.)Buy from Amazon »
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