Tony Curtis's Real Name: Bernard Schwartz

Quick answer: Tony Curtis's documented original name is Bernard Schwartz. Britannica lists that form, dates his birth to June 3, 1925, in Manhattan, New York, and his death to September 29, 2010, in Henderson, Nevada. A 2010 Guardian obituary independently uses Bernard Schwartz, June 3, 1925, and September 29, 2010 (Britannica; The Guardian).

Real name and early life

He is known professionally as Tony Curtis. Both sources agree that he was born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925. Britannica says he was born in Manhattan and lived variously in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx as a child. The Guardian, writing in British style, gives the same birth date and says he grew up in the Bronx, the eldest of three sons, in a family of Hungarian Jews who had emigrated to the United States. Those accounts are compatible: Manhattan for the birth, with later or additional childhood time in the Bronx. Britannica notes a troubled home life, U.S. Navy service during World War II, and drama study before he went to Hollywood in 1949 and adopted the name Tony Curtis. His 1993 autobiography, cited by Britannica, is the source Britannica uses for the Manhattan birth and the boroughs of his childhood.

Career highlights

Britannica says his first starring role was in The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951), and that he later earned acclaim in Houdini (1953), Trapeze (1956), and other 1950s films. The Guardian independently highlights Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Defiant Ones (1958), for which it says he received his only Oscar nomination, and Some Like It Hot (1959). The Guardian also notes his role as Antoninus in Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus. Britannica records later work and a long career that moved between dramatic and comic parts, including films with his first wife, Janet Leigh. Jamie Lee Curtis, their daughter, is mentioned in Britannica; that name is not linked here because a matching live biography was not confirmed.

Death

The Guardian's obituary, published September 30, 2010, records that he died on September 29, 2010, aged 85. Britannica independently dates the death to September 29, 2010, in Henderson, Nevada.

Name notes for searchers

Bernard Schwartz is the documented original name; Tony Curtis is the professional name adopted in Hollywood. Searchers looking for Some Like It Hot, The Defiant Ones, or Sweet Smell of Success are usually aiming at the same person.