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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Rat Pack | Self (archive footage) | 2022-01-11 |
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And the Oscar Goes To... | Self (archive footage) | 2014-02-01 |
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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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That's Insignificance | Self | 2011-06-14 |
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Tony Curtis erzählt... | Self | 2010-10-03 |
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Marilyn Monroe - Tod einer Ikone | Self | 2010-02-10 |
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Marilyn Monroe - Ich möchte geliebt werden | Self | 2010-02-10 |
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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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David & Fatima | Mr. Schwartz | 2008-06-27 |
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Jerry Lewis - König der Komödianten | Self (archive footage) | 2006-03-15 |
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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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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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Louis & Frank | Lenny Star Springer | 1998-07-08 |
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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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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 | 1996-01-30 |
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The Immortals | Dominic | 1995-10-05 |
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Roger Moore: A Matter of Class | Self | 1995-11-16 |
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Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor | Johnny Steele | 1994-11-09 |
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Bandit: Beauty and the Bandit | Lucky Bergstrom | 1994-04-03 |
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A Century of Cinema | Self | 1994-01-01 |
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The Mummy Lives | Aziru / Dr. Mohassid | 1993-07-10 |
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Naked in New York | Carl Fisher | 1993-11-10 |
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Center of the Web | Stephen Moore | 1992-05-15 |
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Christmas in Connecticut | Alexander Yardley | 1992-12-22 |
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Joseph Cornell: Worlds in a Box | Narrator (voice) / Self | 1991-11-29 |
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Prime Target | Copella | 1991-09-27 |
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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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Tarzan in Manhattan | Archimedes Porter | 1989-04-15 |
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Midnight | Mr. B | 1989-07-01 |
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Walter og Carlo: I Amerika | WIlly La Rouge | 1989-11-24 |
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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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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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Banter | Charles Foster | 1986-08-25 |
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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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BrainWaves | Dr. Clavius | 1983-08-05 |
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Balboa | Ernie Stoddard | 1983-01-02 |
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Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1983-02-25 |
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Magic with the Stars | Harry Houdini (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1982-01-17 |
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Portrait of a Showgirl | Joey DeLeon | 1982-04-09 |
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Otelo (Comando negro) | Col. Iago | 1982-11-15 |
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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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The Masqueraders | Danny Wilde | 1980-01-01 |
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The Mirror Crack'd | Martin N. Fenn | 1980-09-19 |
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Little Miss Marker | Blackie | 1980-03-21 |
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It Rained All Night the Day I Left | Robert Talbot | 1980-08-05 |
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Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration | Self | 1979-05-07 |
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Title Shot | Frank Renzetti | 1979-09-09 |
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Death Becomes Me | Danny Wilde/Aunt Sophie Schwartz | 1979-01-01 |
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The Users | Randy Brent | 1978-10-01 |
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Sextette | Alexei Karansky | 1978-03-03 |
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The Bad News Bears Go to Japan | Marvin Lazar | 1978-06-30 |
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The Manitou | Harry Erskine | 1978-04-28 |
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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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Sporting Chance | Danny Wilde | 1975-01-01 |
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Lepke | Louis 'Lepke' Buchalter | 1975-05-23 |
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The Count of Monte-Cristo | Fernand Morcerf Mondego | 1975-10-31 |
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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 Third Girl from the Left | Joey Jordan | 1973-10-16 |
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The Persuaders! | Danny Wilde | 1973-04-01 |
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Norman Jewison, Film Maker | Self (uncredited) | 1971-01-01 |
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Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? | Shannon Gambroni | 1970-09-11 |
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You Can't Win 'Em All | Adam Dyer | 1970-07-23 |
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Monte Carlo or Bust! | Chester Schofield | 1969-04-28 |
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Rosemary's Baby | Donald Baumgart (voice) (uncredited) | 1968-06-12 |
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The Boston Strangler | Albert DeSalvo | 1968-10-08 |
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Don't Make Waves | Carlo Cofield | 1967-06-20 |
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La cintura di castità | Guerrando da Montone | 1967-12-01 |
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Chamber of Horrors | Mr. Julian | 1966-10-19 |
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Not With My Wife, You Don't! | Tom Ferris | 1966-11-02 |
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Arrivederci, Baby! | Nick Johnson | 1966-12-28 |
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The Great Race | The Great Leslie | 1965-07-01 |
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Boeing, Boeing | Bernard Lawrence | 1965-12-22 |
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Paris When It Sizzles | Maurice / Philippe (uncredited) | 1964-03-01 |
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Wild and Wonderful | Terry Williams | 1964-06-09 |
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Goodbye Charlie | George Wellington Tracy | 1964-11-18 |
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Sex and the Single Girl | Bob Weston | 1964-12-25 |
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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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Spartacus | Antoninus | 1960-10-13 |
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Menschen, Hoffnungen, Medaillen | Self | 1960-03-14 |
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Pepe | Tony Curtis | 1960-12-21 |
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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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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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Operation Petticoat | Lieutenant Nicholas Holden | 1959-12-05 |
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Some Like It Hot | Joe (Josephine) | 1959-03-19 |
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The Perfect Furlough | Cpl. Paul Hodges | 1958-11-30 |
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Kings Go Forth | Caporal Britt Harris | 1958-06-28 |
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The Vikings | Eric | 1958-06-11 |
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The Defiant Ones | John 'Joker' Jackson | 1958-08-14 |
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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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Mister Cory | Cory | 1957-02-23 |
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Nightmare | Tony | 1956-01-01 |
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Trapeze | Tino Orsini | 1956-05-30 |
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The Rawhide Years | Ben Matthews | 1956-07-01 |
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Six Bridges to Cross | Jerry Florea | 1955-01-21 |
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Allen in Movieland | Self | 1955-07-02 |
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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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Beachhead | Burke | 1954-02-05 |
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The Black Shield of Falworth | Myles Falworth | 1954-09-02 |
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Miss Glucksman Visits Hollywood | 1954-04-18 | |
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So This Is Paris | Joe Maxwell | 1954-12-15 |
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A Star Is Born World Premiere | Self | 1954-09-28 |
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Johnny Dark | Johnny Dark | 1954-06-25 |
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The World's Most Beautiful Girls | Self | 1953-01-29 |
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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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Meet Danny Wilson | Nightclub Patron | 1952-02-08 |
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Come Back Little Shiksa | 1952-01-01 | |
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Son of Ali Baba | Kashma Baba | 1952-08-15 |
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No Room for the Groom | Alvah Morrell | 1952-06-13 |
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An Eye for an Eye | 1952-01-02 | |
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Flesh and Fury | Paul Callan | 1952-06-26 |
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The Prince Who Was a Thief | Julna | 1951-05-17 |
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Fairfax Avenue | 1951-01-01 | |
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The Re-Inforcer | Baffo | 1951-10-04 |
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Francis | Captain Jones | 1950-02-08 |
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Winchester '73 | Doan | 1950-07-12 |
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Sierra | Brent Coulter (as Anthony Cutis) | 1950-05-26 |
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Kansas Raiders | Kit Dalton | 1950-11-15 |
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I Was a Shoplifter | Pepe | 1950-05-13 |
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Woman in Hiding | Dave Shaw (voice) (uncredited) | 1950-01-06 |
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City Across the River | Mitch (as Anthony Curtis) | 1949-04-07 |
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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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How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border | 1949-01-01 | |
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Criss Cross | Gigolo (uncredited) | 1949-02-04 |
