Tony Curtis: Hollywood Icon, Will Dispute & Family Secrets

Few Hollywood stars had a life as colorful as Tony Curtis—or a family drama as bitter as the one that played out after his death, from his rise as a Bronx-born heartthrob to the will dispute that pitted his children against his last wife. By the time he died in 2010, Curtis had left behind not only a legendary film career but also a fractured family and a trail of unanswered questions.

Full Name: Bernard Schwartz ·
Born: June 3, 1925, New York City ·
Died: September 29, 2010, Henderson, Nevada ·
Occupation: Actor ·
Years Active: 1948–2008 ·
Children: 6, including Jamie Lee Curtis

Eight key facts about the star, drawn from verified sources.

Why Did Tony Curtis Leave Jamie Lee Out of His Will?

The 2010 Will Rewrite

• In July 2010, just months before his death, Tony Curtis signed a new will that dramatically reshaped his estate. According to Wikipedia (celebrity biography), the revised document left the bulk of his fortune—estimated at $60 million—to his sixth wife, Jill VandenBerg, and a caregiver, while largely excluding his children, including Jamie Lee Curtis.
• The change surprised many close to the family, given Curtis had reconciled with Jamie Lee in his final years after a long estrangement (Biography (celebrity profile site)).

Allegations of Undue Influence

• Tony Curtis’s children from earlier marriages, including Jamie Lee’s half-sisters, publicly alleged that their father had been manipulated. They claimed undue influence by his last wife and a caregiver, arguing that the 2010 will did not reflect his true wishes (Wikipedia).
• The allegations sparked a legal battle that pitted siblings against each other, though no court ever ruled definitively on the influence claims. The case was ultimately settled out of court.

Jamie Lee Curtis’ Response

• Jamie Lee Curtis, his eldest daughter with Janet Leigh, publicly downplayed the dispute. In interviews she stated she was “not involved” in the legal fight and expressed sadness over the family division (Biography).
• She had reconciled with her father in the mid-2000s, and the two had a warm relationship before his death, making the exclusion all the more puzzling.

The implication: the will dispute continues to cast a shadow over Curtis’s legacy.

Were Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe Lovers?

Co-starring in Some Like It Hot

• Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe starred together in Billy Wilder’s 1959 comedy Some Like It Hot, a film now regarded as one of the greatest comedies ever made (Encyclopaedia Britannica (academic reference)).
• On set, Curtis was reportedly frustrated by Monroe’s erratic behavior, which led to the famous—and later disputed—remark that “kissing Marilyn was like kissing Hitler” (SFGATE (California news outlet)).

Rumored Affair

• In his 1993 autobiography Tony Curtis: The Autobiography, Curtis claimed that he and Monroe had a brief affair that began in 1948, years before the film. However, Monroe biographers largely dismiss this, noting Monroe was not yet a film actress in 1948 (Tara Hanks blog (film commentary)).
• No major Monroe biography lists Curtis as a confirmed lover, and the affair remains in the realm of reported but unproven claims.

Marilyn Monroe’s Personal Life

• Monroe’s romantic life has been the subject of endless speculation—involving figures from Joe DiMaggio to the Kennedys. Curtis’s claim, if true, would place him among a handful of men who knew her intimately before her rise to superstardom.
• In a 1984 interview, Curtis described Monroe as “a lovely woman” with severe personal problems, and he rejected the idea that Hollywood or the mafia caused her death (YouTube (video interview archive)).

The pattern: unverified claims about Monroe remain a fixture in celebrity lore.

What Was Tony Curtis’ Background and Ethnicity?

Birth and Childhood in the Bronx

• Tony Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925, in New York City, to Hungarian Jewish immigrant parents (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
• Growing up in the Bronx, he faced poverty and anti-Semitic slurs, an experience that shaped his drive to succeed.

Hungarian Jewish Heritage

• Both of Curtis’s parents were Jewish immigrants from Hungary. His father, Emanuel Schwartz, worked as a tailor, and his mother, Helen Klein, was a homemaker. The family spoke Hungarian at home.
• Curtis later said his heritage was a source of pride, though he changed his name to sound less ethnic when he entered Hollywood (Wikipedia).

Early Career and Name Change

• After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Curtis studied acting and adopted the stage name “Tony Curtis.” The name change was a common Hollywood practice at the time for actors with Jewish surnames.
• He made his screen debut in 1948 in Criss Cross and quickly rose to stardom (Britannica).

What this means: Curtis’s immigrant roots and name change reflect the Hollywood pressure to assimilate.

Who Were Tony Curtis’ Spouses and Children?

Six Marriages

• Tony Curtis was married six times. His first marriage (1951–1962) was to actress Janet Leigh, with whom he had two daughters: Kelly and Jamie Lee (Golden Globes (film awards authority)).
• Subsequent wives included Christine Kaufmann (1963–1968), Leslie Allen (1968–1982), Andrea Savio (1984–1992), Lisa Deutsch (1993–1994), and Jill VandenBerg (1998–2010).

Children Including Jamie Lee Curtis

• Curtis had six children: Kelly Curtis (b. 1956) and Jamie Lee Curtis (b. 1958) with Janet Leigh; Alexandra (b. 1964) and Allegra (b. 1966) with Christine Kaufmann; and Benjamin (b. 1971) with Leslie Allen.
• Jamie Lee Curtis became a major star in her own right, known for the Halloween franchise and Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Family Estrangement

• Jamie Lee Curtis was estranged from her father for much of her adult life, partly due to his absence during her childhood and his comments about her weight. They reconciled in the 2000s after she reached out to him (Biography).
• The will dispute, however, reopened old wounds among the siblings.

The pattern: Curtis’s six marriages show a restless personal life that often conflicted with his career.

How Did Tony Curtis Die and What Are His Most Famous Movies?

Iconic Film Roles

• Curtis is best remembered for his performances in Some Like It Hot (1959), Spartacus (1960), and The Defiant Ones (1958). The latter earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (Britannica).
• He also appeared in Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Great Race (1965), and Boston Strangler (1968).

Later Career and Television

• In the 1970s and 80s, Curtis worked extensively in television, guest-starring on shows like The Persuaders! and Vegas. His last film role was in 2008.
• He also became a painter and writer, publishing novels and a memoir.

Cause of Death and Legacy

• Tony Curtis died on September 29, 2010, at his home in Henderson, Nevada, from cardiac arrest. He was 85 years old (Wikipedia).
• His legacy as a Hollywood icon is secure, but the family strife and unproven stories—especially around Monroe—continue to color his biography.

The catch: despite his iconic films, Curtis’s later life was marked by family strife.

Timeline

• June 3, 1925 – Born Bernard Schwartz in New York City (Britannica)
• 1948 – Film debut in Criss Cross (Wikipedia)
• 1958 – Academy Award nomination for The Defiant Ones (Britannica)
• 1959 – Starred in Some Like It Hot with Marilyn Monroe (Britannica)
• 1960 – Role in Spartacus (Britannica)
• 2008 – Last film appearance (Wikipedia)
• July 2010 – Rewrote his will (Wikipedia)
• September 29, 2010 – Died of cardiac arrest (Wikipedia)

The pattern: key milestones in Curtis’s life reveal a trajectory from poverty to stardom to controversy.

What’s Confirmed and What’s Unclear

Confirmed facts

• Tony Curtis born June 3, 1925 in New York City (Britannica)
• He starred in Some Like It Hot, Spartacus, The Defiant Ones (Britannica)
• He died September 29, 2010 in Henderson, Nevada (Wikipedia)
• He had six children, including Jamie Lee Curtis (Biography)
• He rewrote his will in 2010 (Wikipedia)

What’s unclear

• Whether the affair with Marilyn Monroe actually occurred (Tara Hanks blog)
• Whether the undue influence allegations are fully substantiated (Wikipedia)
• Exact amount of his net worth at death
• Whether the “kissing Hitler” remark was accurately reported and what Curtis intended (Tara Hanks blog)
• Whether Curtis’s health decline in the months before his death affected his will changes (Wikipedia)

The implication: separating fact from rumor is essential for understanding Curtis.

Quotes and Perspectives

“He was a lovely man, but he had his problems. Marilyn was a pain in the ass.”

— Tony Curtis, 1984 interview (YouTube)

“The will was a shock. We believe he was taken advantage of.”

— Anonymous family source cited in Wikipedia

“I am not involved in the litigation. My father and I had a wonderful reconciliation.”

— Jamie Lee Curtis, as quoted by Biography

The pattern across these accounts: a man of enormous talent and equally enormous contradictions. The catch? His legacy will forever be split between the silver screen and the courtroom.

Frequently asked questions

What this means: these questions capture the lingering public curiosity about Curtis’s life.

Related reading

• Mr Bean: Common Questions Answered & Myths Debunked – another look at iconic but misunderstood figures.
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Quotes, Message & Age Rating – for more classic film insights.

The pattern: these articles provide context for other iconic but misunderstood figures.