Editing Tony Curtis (section)

==Personal life==

Curtis was married six times.<ref name = portrait /> His first wife was actress [[Janet Leigh]], whom he married in 1951. The studio he was under contract with, [[Universal-International]], generally stayed out of their stars' love lives. When he chose to get married, however, studio executives spent three days trying to talk him out of it, telling him he would be "poisoning himself at the box office." They threatened "banishment" back to the Bronx and the end of his budding career. In response, Curtis and Leigh defied the studio heads and eloped and were married by a local judge in [[Greenwich, Connecticut]]. Comedian and close friend [[Jerry Lewis]] was present as a witness.<ref name=Lifemag/>

The couple had two children, actresses [[Kelly Curtis|Kelly]] and [[Jamie Lee Curtis|Jamie Lee]].<ref>
{{cite news| url=http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/movies/2010/09/30/15537731.html| title=Jamie Lee Honours Her Dad| newspaper=Toronto Sun| access-date=October 1, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001195512/http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/movies/2010/09/30/15537731.html| archive-date=October 1, 2010| url-status=dead}}</ref>

The couple divorced in 1962. "For a while, we were Hollywood's golden couple," he said. "I was very dedicated and devoted to Janet, and on top of my trade, but in her eyes that goldenness started to wear off. I realized that whatever I was, I wasn't enough for Janet. That hurt me a lot and broke my heart."<ref name=portrait>{{cite news| newspaper=[[The Australian]]| date=October 1, 2010| title=A Bronx boy who mastered his art| url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/a-bronx-boy-who-mastered-his-art/story-e6frg6so-1225932601316}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|Xc142F5Cb60|Video clip compilation}} 2 minutes</ref>

The following year Curtis married [[Christine Kaufmann]], the 18-year-old German co-star of his latest film, ''[[Taras Bulba (1962 film)|Taras Bulba]].'' He stated that his marriage with Leigh had effectively ended "a year earlier".<ref name="tcmcurtis"/> Curtis and Kaufmann had two daughters, Alexandra (born July 19, 1964) and [[Allegra Curtis|Allegra]] (born July 11, 1966). The couple divorced in 1968. After their divorce, Kaufmann resumed her career, which she had paused during their marriage.

On April 20, 1968, Curtis married Leslie Allen, with whom he had two sons—Nicholas Bernard Curtis (December 31, 1970 – July 2, 1994)<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/07/05/Actor-Tony-Curtis-son-dies-on-Cape-Cod/3868773380800/| title=Actor Tony Curtis' son dies on Cape Cod| work=[[UPI]]| date=July 5, 1994| access-date=October 24, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3ANicholas~%20%2Bsurname%3ACurtis~%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1970-1970~%20%2Bdeath_year%3A1994-1994~%20%2Bfather_givenname%3ATony~%20%2Bfather_surname%3ACurtis~| title=Nicholas B. Curtis| publisher=[[Social Security Death Index]]| via=[[FamilySearch.org]]| access-date= October 24, 2018}}</ref> and Benjamin Curtis (born May 2, 1973). The couple divorced in 1982.

Curtis married Andrea Savio in 1984; they divorced in 1992.<ref name=McDonald>{{cite book| last=McDonald| first=William| title=The Obits 2012: The New York Times Annual| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MZtSJX1sTq0C&q=andrea+savio| publisher=Workman Publishing| date=November 11, 2011| page=85| isbn=978-0761169420}}</ref>

The following year, on February 28, 1993, he married Lisa Deutsch. They divorced only a year later in 1994.

His sixth and last wife, Jill Vandenberg, was 45 years his junior. They met in a restaurant in 1993 and married on November 6, 1998.<ref name=McDonald/> "The age gap doesn't bother us. We laugh a lot. My body is functioning and everything is good. She's the sexiest woman I've ever known. We don't think about time. I don't use [[Viagra]] either. There are 50 ways to please your lover."<ref>Drye, Brittny. [http://thestir.cafemom.com/entertainment/110302/tony_curtis_6_women_behind "Tony Curtis: 6 Women Behind the Hollywood Heartthrob"], ''The Stir'', September 30, 2010, accessed January 13, 2011.</ref>

On April 26, 1970, Curtis was arrested for marijuana possession at [[Heathrow Airport]] in London.<ref>''[[New York Daily News]]'', April 27, 1970, pg. 4</ref>

According to the ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]'', Curtis, who had a problem with alcoholism and drug abuse, went through the treatment center of the [[Betty Ford Clinic]] in the mid-1980s, which was successful for him.<ref name=McDonald/>

In 1994, his son Nicholas died of a heroin [[drug overdose|overdose]] at the age of 23. After his son's death, Curtis remarked that it was "a terrible thing when a father loses his son."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101001/NEWS/10010322 |title=Movie star Tony Curtis had Cape ties |date=October 1, 2008 |work=Cape Cod Times |access-date=February 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708115037/http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20101001%2FNEWS%2F10010322 |archive-date=July 8, 2011}}</ref>

===Philanthropy===
Beginning in 1990, Curtis and his daughter Jamie Lee Curtis took a renewed interest in their family's Hungarian Jewish heritage, and helped finance the rebuilding of the [[Dohány Street Synagogue|Great Synagogue]] in Budapest, Hungary. The largest synagogue in Europe today, it was originally built in 1859 and suffered damage during World War II.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Steves| first1=Rick| last2=Hewitt| first2=Cameron| title=Rick Steves' Budapest| publisher=Avalon Publishing| date=May 26, 2015| pages=72–73| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7RSCBgAAQBAJ| isbn=978-1631211119| access-date=February 25, 2019}}</ref> In 1998, he also founded the Emanuel Foundation for Hungarian Culture, and served as honorary chairman. The organization works for the restoration and preservation of synagogues and the 1300 Jewish cemeteries in Hungary and is dedicated to the 600,000 Jewish victims of [[the Holocaust]] in [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)|Hungary]] and lands occupied by the [[Royal Hungarian Army]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3892380.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104205238/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3892380.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |title=Curtis aiding Hungary Jews |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |via=HighBeam Research |date=June 29, 1988 |access-date=September 30, 2010 }}</ref> Curtis also helped promote Hungary's national image in commercials.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.origo.hu/utazas/20100608-orszagimazs-tony-curtis-magyar-turizmus-zrt.html |title=Csináljon velünk országimázs filmet! |publisher=Origo.hu |date=June 8, 2010 |trans-title=Make us a country image movie! |language=hu |journal=[[Origo (website)|Origo]] |access-date=February 25, 2010}}</ref>

===Books and appearances===
[[File:2009-0314-LV-002-TonyCurtis.jpg|thumb|175px|right|Curtis in 2009, during a book-signing of his memoir ''American Prince'']]
In 1965, Tony Curtis was animated in an episode of ''[[The Flintstones]]''; he also voiced his character Stoney Curtis.
In 1994, a mural featuring his likeness, painted by the artist George Sportelli, was unveiled on the [[Sunset Boulevard]] overpass of the Hollywood Freeway [[Highway 101]] in Los Angeles. The mural was relocated to Hollywood Boulevard and Bronson Avenue in September 2011.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.muralconservancy.org/murals/tony-curtis-0| title=Tony Curtis| website=Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles| access-date=October 3, 2010}}</ref> His face is featured among the celebrities on the cover of the ''[[Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' album by [[The Beatles]].

Also in 1994, the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation awarded its Lone Sailor Award for his naval service and his subsequent acting career.

In 2004, he was inducted into the [[University of Nevada, Las Vegas]] Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2004/sep/14/unlv-entertainerartist-hall-to-honor-tony-curtis/ |title=UNLV Entertainer/Artist Hall to honor Tony Curtis| newspaper=[[Las Vegas Sun]] |date=September 14, 2004 |access-date=February 25, 2019}}</ref> A street is named after him in the Sun City Anthem development of his adopted hometown, [[Henderson, Nevada]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tony+Curtis+Ln,+Henderson,+NV+89052/@35.9544968,-115.0943303,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x80c8d281b12c229d:0xdf011d2f6ad1e6eb!8m2!3d35.9544968!4d-115.0921416|title=Google maps Tony Curtis Lane, Henderson, Nevada, USA| website=[[Google Maps]] |date=September 3, 2020 |access-date=September 3, 2020}}</ref>

In 2005, Curtis was criticized after he stated that he would refuse to watch ''[[Brokeback Mountain]]''. He additionally stated that [[John Wayne]] would not have approved of a film about gay cowboys.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-20220302.html |title=Still stuck in the film closet| newspaper=[[Irish Examiner]] |date=January 22, 2013 |access-date=June 28, 2022}}</ref>

In 2008, he was featured in the documentary ''[[The Jill & Tony Curtis Story]]'' about his efforts with his wife to rescue horses from slaughterhouses.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jill-vanderberg-curtis-worked-with-husband-on-last-film/ |title=Jill VanderBerg Curtis Worked With Husband On Last Film |work=[[CBS News]] |date=September 30, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614031657/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20018144-10391698.html |archive-date=June 14, 2013 }}</ref>
In October 2008, Curtis's autobiography ''American Prince: A Memoir'', was published.<ref name=Curtis>Curtis, Tony; Golenbock, Peter. ''American Prince'', [[Harmony Books]] (2008) {{ISBN|978-1-905264-34-6}}.</ref> In it, he describes his encounters with other Hollywood legends of the time including Frank Sinatra and [[James Dean]], as well as his hard-knock childhood and path to success. It was followed by the publication of his next book, ''The Making of Some Like it Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic American Movie'' (2009).<ref name=Vieira>Curtis, Tony; Vieira, Mark A. ''The Making of Some Like it Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic American Movie'', John Wiley and Sons (2009) {{ISBN|978-0-470-53721-3}}</ref> Curtis shared his memories of the making of the movie, in particular about Marilyn Monroe, whose antics and attitude on the set made everyone miserable.

On May 22, 2009, Curtis apologized to the [[BBC]] radio audience after he used three profanities in a six-minute interview with BBC presenter [[William Crawley]]. The presenter also apologized to the audience for Curtis's "Hollywood realism." Curtis explained that he thought the interview was being taped, when it was in fact live.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni/2009/05/tony_curtis_brings_some_holywo.html |title=Tony Curtis brings some Hollywood realism to BBC radio |website=BBC |last=Crawley |first=William |date=May 23, 2009}}</ref>