Tony Curtis- Misconceptions and Facts

This post is to dispel some of the misconceptions and falsehoods that we hear from people about Tony. We will continue to add things as we hear them.



1) Tony was born in the Flower Hospital in Manhattan and grew up in Manhattan and the Bronx. He did not live in Brooklyn.


2) Tony was born Bernard Schwartz and LEGALLY changed his name to Anthony Curtis when he began acting in films. He prefers to be called Tony, not Bernie.


3) Tony is Hungarian, not Italian. Tony is fluent in Hungarian and takes great pride in his Hungarian roots.


4) Tony was very ill in late 2006 and early 2007. He did not have cancer or a stroke. He had pneumonia which caused him to placed on a ventilator for a month. This resulted in muscle loss, weakness and nerve damage. Tony went through intensive rehab to learn to speak, walk, and write again. Tony's mind was never affected, he is just as sharp as he always was.


5) Tony can walk. He uses a wheelchair, and at times a cane, for long distances.


6) Tony loves to travel and loves to meet his fans. Tony will always sign an autograph or take a photo with you.


7) All items that come from Curtis Enterprises (Books, artwork, photos, memorabilia, etc) are hand signed by Tony. All of these items can be ordered from Tony's website.


8) Tony loves his Stetson cowboy hats but he is not from Texas. He jokingly refers to himself as "The Armani Cowboy".

9) Tony has been painting and drawing his entire life. His art has been displayed all over the World and he loves to paint.

10) Tony joined the US Navy when he was 16, he served in the Submarine Service in WWII. He is proud supporter of the US Navy Memorial.

11) Tony has been married five times, not six times as is sometimes reported.

12) Tony is Jewish and is a supporter of the Dohany Synagogue in Budapest.