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Family plans public farewell for actor Tony Curtis
By OSKAR GARCIA
Associated Press Writer
Associated Press
Oct 4, 1:32 PM EDT
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Celebrities, fans, friends and family members will say
goodbye to Tony Curtis during public funeral services to celebrate the movie
star's life.
Curtis' wife, Jill Curtis, planned to eulogize her husband of 16 years
Monday in Las Vegas, longtime friend and pallbearer Gene Kilroy told The
Associated Press.
The 85-year-old Oscar-nominated actor who starred in such films as "The
Defiant Ones," "Spartacus" and "Some Like It Hot" died Wednesday at his home
in Henderson after suffering cardiac arrest.
Known for shifting from a pigeonholed pretty boy in the late 1940s and early
1950s to a serious actor, Curtis reshaped himself over decades of work and
make himself impossible to typecast. The transformation was completed in
1957's "Sweet Smell of Success," in which he played a sleazy press agent who
is manipulated by a ruthless newspaper columnist (Burt Lancaster).
In person, Kilroy said, Curtis loved giving friends and fans extra touches
that made their face-to-face moments more memorable.
"He had a certain way of making everybody feel like they were Spartacus,"
Kilroy said.
An hourlong funeral is to be followed by burial and then a reception for 200
invited guests at the Luxor hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
Kilroy, an executive at the casino, said billionaire investor Kirk
Kerkorian, actor Kirk Douglas and singer Phyllis McGuire are among seven
honorary pallbearers.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Curtis' daughter from his first marriage with "Psycho"
actress Janet Leigh, is among family members expected to attend.
She was estranged from her father for a long period, but they eventually
reconciled and Curtis took pride in her on-screen credits that include
"Perfect," "Halloween," "True Lies" and new comedy "You Again."
She said in a statement that her father leaves behind a "legacy of great
performances in movies and in his paintings and assemblages."
Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz in the Bronx in 1925. His father wanted to
be an actor, but was hindered by his heavy accent.
Curtis found refuge in movies at age 12 after his younger brother was killed
in a traffic accident. He served on a submarine during World War II, then
enrolled in drama school on the G.I. Bill. An agent lined up an audition
with Universal, and Curtis signed a seven-year contract starting at $100 a
week at age 23.
The studio gave him a new name: Anthony Curtis, taken from his favorite
novel, "Anthony Adverse," and the Anglicized name of a favorite uncle. He
later shortened it to Tony Curtis.
From: A. Papazian
By OSKAR GARCIA
Associated Press Writer
Associated Press
Oct 4, 1:32 PM EDT
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Celebrities, fans, friends and family members will say
goodbye to Tony Curtis during public funeral services to celebrate the movie
star's life.
Curtis' wife, Jill Curtis, planned to eulogize her husband of 16 years
Monday in Las Vegas, longtime friend and pallbearer Gene Kilroy told The
Associated Press.
The 85-year-old Oscar-nominated actor who starred in such films as "The
Defiant Ones," "Spartacus" and "Some Like It Hot" died Wednesday at his home
in Henderson after suffering cardiac arrest.
Known for shifting from a pigeonholed pretty boy in the late 1940s and early
1950s to a serious actor, Curtis reshaped himself over decades of work and
make himself impossible to typecast. The transformation was completed in
1957's "Sweet Smell of Success," in which he played a sleazy press agent who
is manipulated by a ruthless newspaper columnist (Burt Lancaster).
In person, Kilroy said, Curtis loved giving friends and fans extra touches
that made their face-to-face moments more memorable.
"He had a certain way of making everybody feel like they were Spartacus,"
Kilroy said.
An hourlong funeral is to be followed by burial and then a reception for 200
invited guests at the Luxor hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
Kilroy, an executive at the casino, said billionaire investor Kirk
Kerkorian, actor Kirk Douglas and singer Phyllis McGuire are among seven
honorary pallbearers.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Curtis' daughter from his first marriage with "Psycho"
actress Janet Leigh, is among family members expected to attend.
She was estranged from her father for a long period, but they eventually
reconciled and Curtis took pride in her on-screen credits that include
"Perfect," "Halloween," "True Lies" and new comedy "You Again."
She said in a statement that her father leaves behind a "legacy of great
performances in movies and in his paintings and assemblages."
Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz in the Bronx in 1925. His father wanted to
be an actor, but was hindered by his heavy accent.
Curtis found refuge in movies at age 12 after his younger brother was killed
in a traffic accident. He served on a submarine during World War II, then
enrolled in drama school on the G.I. Bill. An agent lined up an audition
with Universal, and Curtis signed a seven-year contract starting at $100 a
week at age 23.
The studio gave him a new name: Anthony Curtis, taken from his favorite
novel, "Anthony Adverse," and the Anglicized name of a favorite uncle. He
later shortened it to Tony Curtis.
From: A. Papazian