Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz, the son of Jewish Hungarian immigrants Emanuel and Helen Schwartz, in the Bronx. Famous for his dark good looks, flashing long eyelashes and trademark New York accent, popular during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the actor's most enduring role has been in Some Like It Hot with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe. He has appeared in over 100 films since 1949.

Originally seen as just another pretty boy, but he proved he had great acting talent as well as impossible good looks with many great performances in outstanding films like as the scheming press agent Sidney Falco in The Sweet Smell of Success with Burt Lancaster and in his oscar nominated performance as a bigoted escaped convict chained to Sidney Poitier in The Defiant Ones.

Curtis has also appeared frequently on television; he co-starred with Roger Moore in the TV series The Persuaders!. He later starred in McCoy and Vega$. He made his screen debut uncredited in Criss Cross playing a rhumba dancer. He also did the voice of "Stony Curtis" as a guest star on The Flintstones.

Since at least the early 1980s, Curtis has had a second career as a painter.

Curtis has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and received France's honor, the Order of Arts and Letters, in 1995.

Tony Curtis has been married six times. His first (and most famous) wife was the actress Janet Leigh (1927-2004), to whom he was married for 11 years, and with whom he fathered actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis.

He has also been married to: