Tony Curtis - Dead at 85 (1 Viewer)

[Steve_Pannell]

Actor Tony Curtis has died:


http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/09/30/reports-actor-tony-curtis-dead/

 

[mattCR]

http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/r-i-p-tony-curtis/

Curtis was that rare actor who could play with or against type, who could swing from light comedy to serious drama, and yet who remained a greatly undervalued thesp for most of his long career. Maybe if he hadn't been so good-looking and become a teen idol in hollywood's Dream Factory days, he would have been taken more seriously as an actor sooner. (Who can ever forget Curtis hilariously playing a slave in 1960's Spartacus with his heavy Bronx accent? When it was restored in the 1990s and audio had been lost, he redubbed the lines...) But Curtis also loved his stardom: he was married 6 times, most famously to Janet Leigh. (Actress Jamie Lee Curtis is their daughter.) Strangely, my generation knew him best as the epitome of a celebrity "Stony Curtis" on The Flintstones. Even in later years when movies had given him up, he found work on television and then began selling his art. He also remained a true gentleman every time I ran into him around Los Angeles. He even was cautious not to hurt anyone in his recent but unrevealing memoir American Prince. This is a very sad day for Hollywood.

 

[Eric Peterson]

I met Tony twice at showings of "Some Like it Hot" and he was incredibly gracious. Another great star has left us.


Here's a funny story from the first time that I met him.

I was in line for him him to autograph a "Some Like it Hot" reproduction poster. Due to his failing hearing, he had an assistant writing names down on a post-it, but when it came to be my turn, his assistant was distracted by something else, so Tony asked me directly what my name was. I said Eric, and he didn't hear it right, so I started to spell E-R-I-C, and the first letter that he caught was C, so I started to re-spell, but it was too late. I ended up with a poster that said "To Crit". As soon as he was done, I could tell that he knew he had made a mistake, so he drew some additional decoration on the poster and I thanked him and left. That will be my Tony Curtis story for the rest of my life...and in many ways makes it more special than a correctly signed poster.


Thanks Tony!! RIP

 

[Steve Christou]

Headline news on Sky TV here . So sad, another Hollywood legend gone. [/url]

 

[Brook K]

RIP Tony, thanks for all the laughter, you'll never be forgotten.

 

[Charles Smith]

I normally don't spend much time reading celebrity obits, even for some of those who meant more to me than others. And Tony Curtis actually didn't stand out as a personal favorite for me as much as many have. But today I started reading the NY Times obit, and found myself hanging on to every word. What a fascinating career and remarkable person. A great one lost, indeed. And of course it's a cliche, but they just don't make 'em like this anymore.

 

[Don Solosan]

My video from the LAHTF/Jules Verne Film Festival screenings of Houdini and Some Like It Hot at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles. I didn't get to talk with him directly, but he was a very gracious guest. When he arrived at the theater amid all his fans and hoopla, he sat in his wheelchair, but instead of going inside, he wheeled over to a woman who was also in a wheelchair and asked if she wanted to race. He made the event very special.

 

[Henry Gale]

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-tony-curtis-20101001,0,5186692,full.story