1925-06-03 Bronx, New York, USA
Tony Curtis (June 3, 1925 – September 29, 2010) was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama. In his later years, Curtis made numerous television appearances. Although his early film roles were partly the result of his good looks, by the later half of the 1950's he became a notable and strong screen presence. He began proving himself to be a “fine dramatic actor,” having the range to act in numerous dramatic and comedy roles. In his earliest parts he acted in a string of "mediocre" films, including swashbucklers, westerns, light comedies, sports films, and a musical. However, by the time he starred in Houdini (1953) with his wife Janet Leigh, "his first clear success," notes critic David Thomson, his acting had progressed immensely. He won his first serious recognition as a skilled dramatic actor in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with co-star Burt Lancaster. The following year he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in another drama, The Defiant Ones (1958). Curtis then gave what many believe was his best acting, in a completely different role, the comedy Some Like It Hot (1959). Thomson calls it an "outrageous film," and it was voted the number 1 funniest film in history from a survey done by the American Film Institute. It costarred Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, and was directed by Billy Wilder. That was followed by Blake Edwards’ comedy Operation Petticoat (1959) with Cary Grant. They were both “frantic comedies,” and displayed "his impeccable comic timing." He often collaborated with Edwards on later films. His most significant serious part came in 1968 when he starred in the true-life drama The Boston Strangler, which some consider his "last major film role." The part reinforced his reputation as a serious actor with his "chilling portrayal" of serial killer Albert DeSalvo. He gained 30 pounds and had his face "rebuilt" with a false nose to look like the real DeSalvo. Curtis was the father of actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis by his first wife, actress Janet Leigh.
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From Roger Moore with Love | Self (archive footage) | 2024-12-15 |
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Retratos Fantasmas | Self (archive footage) | 2023-08-24 |
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Rat Pack | Self (archive footage) | 2022-01-11 |
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Amicalement vôtre : Hollywood au service de sa Majesté | Danny Wilde | 2017-07-05 |
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Marlon Brando, un acteur nommé désir | Self - Actor (archive footage) | 2014-09-20 |
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Tony Curtis - le gamin de Bronx | Self | 2012-03-20 |
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Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe | Self (archive footage) | 2012-05-15 |
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That's Insignificance | Self | 2011-06-14 |
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Marilyn Monroe - Ich möchte geliebt werden | Self | 2010-02-10 |
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Tony Curtis erzählt... | Self | 2010-10-03 |
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Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff | Eric (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2010-05-05 |
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Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel | Self | 2009-09-12 |
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The Jill & Tony Curtis Story | 2008-04-27 | |
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David & Fatima | Mr. Schwartz | 2008-06-27 |
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The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot' | Self | 2006-06-25 |
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The Making of 'Some Like It Hot' | Self | 2006-06-25 |
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Jerry Lewis - König der Komödianten | Self (archive footage) | 2006-03-15 |
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Hollywood Legenden | Self | 2004-01-01 |
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Hugh Hefner: American Playboy | Self | 2003-11-18 |
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Reflections of Evil | Host | 2002-03-22 |
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Rescued from the Closet | Self | 2001-05-29 |
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Tony Curtis on 'Some Like It Hot' | Self | 2001-05-22 |
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Nobody's Perfect: The Making of Some Like It Hot | Self | 2001-12-31 |
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Play It to the Bone | Tony Curtis (Ringside Fan) | 1999-12-25 |
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Roxanne's Best Christmas Ever | Bernard (voice) | 1998-12-15 |
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Stargames | King Fendel | 1998-06-03 |
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Louis & Frank | Lenny Star Springer | 1998-07-08 |
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Bounty Hunters 2: Hardball | Wald | 1997-03-30 |
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The Continued Adventures of Reptile Man | Jack Steele | 1997-05-13 |
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Elvis Meets Nixon | Tony Curtis | 1997-08-12 |
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The Celluloid Closet | Self | 1996-03-15 |
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Roger Moore: A Matter of Class | Self | 1995-11-16 |
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The Immortals | Dominic | 1995-10-05 |
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Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor | Johnny Steele | 1994-11-09 |
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A Century of Cinema | Self | 1994-01-01 |
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Bandit: Beauty and the Bandit | Lucky Bergstrom | 1994-04-03 |
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Naked in New York | Carl Fisher | 1993-11-10 |
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The Mummy Lives | Aziru / Dr. Mohassid | 1993-07-10 |
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Center of the Web | Stephen Moore | 1992-05-15 |
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Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time | Self | 1992-01-01 |
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Christmas in Connecticut | Alexander Yardley | 1992-12-22 |
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Prime Target | Copella | 1991-09-27 |
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Joseph Cornell: Worlds in a Box | Narrator (voice) / Self | 1991-11-29 |
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Lobster Man from Mars | J.P. Shelldrake | 1990-02-09 |
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Thanksgiving Day | Max Schloss | 1990-11-19 |
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Walter og Carlo: I Amerika | WIlly La Rouge | 1989-11-24 |
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Midnight | Mr. B | 1989-07-01 |
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Tarzan in Manhattan | Archimedes Porter | 1989-04-15 |
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Der Passagier - Welcome to Germany | Mr. Cornfield | 1988-05-04 |
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Sparky's Magic Piano | 1987-01-01 | |
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Banter | Charles Foster | 1986-08-25 |
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Club Life | Hector | 1986-02-20 |
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Mafia Princess | Sam Giancana | 1986-01-19 |
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Murder in Three Acts | Charles Cartwright | 1986-10-01 |
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The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal | Self | 1986-07-31 |
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Insignificance | The Senator | 1985-08-02 |
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Half Nelson | 1985-03-24 | |
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Where Is Parsifal? | Parsifal Katzanella-Boden | 1984-01-01 |
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Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1983-02-25 |
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Balboa | Ernie Stoddard | 1983-01-02 |
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BrainWaves | Dr. Clavius | 1983-08-05 |
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Magic with the Stars | Harry Houdini (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1982-01-17 |
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Otelo (Comando negro) | Col. Iago | 1982-11-15 |
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Portrait of a Showgirl | Joey DeLeon | 1982-04-09 |
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The Million Dollar Face | Chester Masterson | 1981-03-12 |
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Inmates: A Love Story | Flanagan | 1981-02-13 |
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The Scarlett O'Hara War | David O. Selznick | 1980-05-19 |
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Little Miss Marker | Blackie | 1980-03-21 |
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The Mirror Crack'd | Martin N. Fenn | 1980-02-06 |
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It Rained All Night the Day I Left | Robert Talbot | 1980-08-05 |
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The Masqueraders | Danny Wilde | 1980-01-01 |
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Death Becomes Me | Danny Wilde/Aunt Sophie Schwartz | 1979-01-01 |
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Title Shot | Frank Renzetti | 1979-09-09 |
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Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration | Self | 1979-05-07 |
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Sextette | Alexei Karansky | 1978-03-03 |
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The Users | Randy Brent | 1978-10-01 |
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The Manitou | Harry Erskine | 1978-04-28 |
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The Bad News Bears Go to Japan | Marvin Lazar | 1978-06-30 |
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Casanova & Co. | Giacomo Casanova / Giacomino | 1977-03-01 |
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The Last Appointment! | Danny Wilde | 1977-06-11 |
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The Last Tycoon | Rodriguez | 1976-11-18 |
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The Switch | Danny Wilde | 1976-06-07 |
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The Count of Monte-Cristo | Fernand Morcerf Mondego | 1975-10-31 |
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Lepke | Louis 'Lepke' Buchalter | 1975-05-23 |
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Sporting Chance | Danny Wilde | 1975-01-01 |
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Mission: Monte Carlo | Danny Wilde | 1974-01-01 |
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London Conspiracy | Danny Wilde | 1974-10-04 |
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The Persuaders! | Danny Wilde | 1973-04-01 |
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The Third Girl from the Left | Joey Jordan | 1973-10-16 |
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Norman Jewison, Film Maker | Self (uncredited) | 1971-01-01 |
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You Can't Win 'Em All | Adam Dyer | 1970-07-23 |
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Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? | Shannon Gambroni | 1970-09-11 |
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Monte Carlo or Bust! | Chester Schofield | 1969-04-28 |
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The Boston Strangler | Albert DeSalvo | 1968-10-08 |
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Rosemary's Baby | Donald Baumgart (voice) (uncredited) | 1968-06-12 |
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La cintura di castità | Guerrando da Montone | 1967-12-01 |
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Don't Make Waves | Carlo Cofield | 1967-06-20 |
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The Legend of Marilyn Monroe | 1966-11-30 | |
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Arrivederci, Baby! | Nick Johnson | 1966-12-28 |
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Not With My Wife, You Don't! | Tom Ferris | 1966-11-02 |
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Chamber of Horrors | Mr. Julian | 1966-10-19 |
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Boeing, Boeing | Bernard Lawrence | 1965-12-22 |
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The Great Race | The Great Leslie | 1965-07-01 |
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Paris When It Sizzles | Actor Portraying Maurice or Philippe (uncredited) | 1964-03-01 |
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Sex and the Single Girl | Bob Weston | 1964-12-25 |
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Goodbye Charlie | George Wellington Tracy | 1964-11-18 |
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Wild and Wonderful | Terry Williams | 1964-06-09 |
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Captain Newman, M.D. | Cpl. Jackson "Jake" Leibowitz | 1963-12-25 |
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The List of Adrian Messenger | Organ Grinder | 1963-05-23 |
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Taras Bulba | Andrei Bulba | 1962-11-21 |
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40 Pounds of Trouble | Steve McCluskey | 1962-12-31 |
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The Outsider | Ira Hamilton Hayes | 1961-12-27 |
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The Great Impostor | Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. / Martin Donner / Dr. Gilbert / Ben. W. Stone / Dr. Joseph Mornay / Robert Boyd Hammnd | 1960-12-23 |
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Spartacus | Antoninus | 1960-10-13 |
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The Rat Race | Pete Hammond Jr. | 1960-07-10 |
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Who Was That Lady? | David Wilson | 1960-04-08 |
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Pepe | Tony Curtis | 1960-12-21 |
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Menschen, Hoffnungen, Medaillen | Self | 1960-03-14 |
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Some Like It Hot | Joe (Josephine) | 1959-03-19 |
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Operation Petticoat | Lieutenant Nicholas Holden | 1959-12-05 |
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The Vikings | Eric | 1958-06-11 |
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Kings Go Forth | Caporal Britt Harris | 1958-06-28 |
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The Perfect Furlough | Cpl. Paul Hodges | 1958-11-30 |
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The Defiant Ones | John 'Joker' Jackson | 1958-08-14 |
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Mister Cory | Cory | 1957-02-23 |
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Sweet Smell of Success | Sidney Falco | 1957-07-04 |
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The Midnight Story | Joe Martini | 1957-06-04 |
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Nightmare | Tony | 1956-01-01 |
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The Rawhide Years | Ben Matthews | 1956-07-01 |
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Trapeze | Tino Orsini | 1956-05-30 |
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Allen in Movieland | Self | 1955-07-02 |
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Six Bridges to Cross | Jerry Florea | 1955-01-21 |
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The Square Jungle | Eddie Quaid / Packy Glennon | 1955-12-30 |
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The Purple Mask | Rene de Traviere / The Purple Mask | 1955-06-15 |
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Miss Glucksman Visits Hollywood | 1954-04-18 | |
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The Black Shield of Falworth | Myles Falworth | 1954-09-02 |
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Beachhead | Burke | 1954-02-05 |
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A Star Is Born World Premiere | Self | 1954-09-28 |
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So This Is Paris | Joe Maxwell | 1954-12-15 |
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Johnny Dark | Johnny Dark | 1954-06-25 |
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Houdini | Harry Houdini | 1953-07-02 |
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The All American | Nick Bonelli | 1953-10-01 |
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Forbidden | Eddie Darrow | 1953-12-02 |
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The World's Most Beautiful Girls | Self | 1953-01-29 |
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Son of Ali Baba | Kashma Baba | 1952-08-15 |
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Flesh and Fury | Paul Callan | 1952-06-26 |
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Meet Danny Wilson | Nightclub Patron | 1952-02-08 |
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An Eye for an Eye | 1952-01-02 | |
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No Room for the Groom | Alvah Morrell | 1952-06-13 |
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Come Back Little Shiksa | 1952-01-01 | |
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The Prince Who Was a Thief | Julna | 1951-05-17 |
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The Re-Inforcer | Baffo | 1951-10-04 |
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Fairfax Avenue | 1951-01-01 | |
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Winchester '73 | Doan | 1950-07-12 |
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Sierra | Brent Coulter | 1950-05-26 |
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Woman in Hiding | Dave Shaw (voice) (uncredited) | 1950-01-06 |
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Francis | Captain Jones | 1950-02-08 |
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I Was a Shoplifter | Pepe | 1950-05-13 |
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Kansas Raiders | Kit Dalton | 1950-11-15 |
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Criss Cross | Gigolo (uncredited) | 1949-02-04 |
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The Lady Gambles | Bellboy (as Anthony Curtis) | 1949-05-20 |
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Johnny Stool Pigeon | Joey Hyatt (as Anthony Curtis) | 1949-04-20 |
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City Across the River | Mitch (as Anthony Curtis) | 1949-04-07 |
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How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border | 1949-01-01 |
