The film world has been paying tribute after news of Tony Curtis's death at the age of 85, at home in Las Vegas. The Clark County coroner reported Curtis had a cardiac arrest.
In his 60-year career as a film actor, Curtis met and worked with almost everyone who was anyone in Hollywood's glory years, from James Stewart in Winchester 73 to Robert de Niro in The Last Tycoon. In between he was directed by the likes of Douglas Sirk, Stanley Kubrick and Billy Wilder. He married Janet Leigh and they were the golden couple of the early 50s before divorcing in 1962.
In a prepared statement Curtis's daughter with Leigh, Jamie Lee Curtis, said: "My father leaves behind a legacy of great performances in movies and in his paintings and assemblages. He leaves behind children and their families who loved him and respected him and a wife and in-laws who were devoted to him. He also leaves behind fans all over the world."
Tributes have come pouring in for Curtis, even if his acting career diminished in quality and quantity after its 1960s heyday. Sir Roger Moore, who acted with him in the TV series The Persuaders in the early 70s, said: "We had a lot of laughs together for about 15 months, working together every day. He was great fun to work with, a great sense of humour and wonderful ad libs. We had the best of times."
Because of his colourful personality and reputation as a carouser, Curtis became a popular chat show guest. Sir Michael Parkinson said: "He was an extraordinary man. Hollywood tried to make him into a sex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s but he was his own man. He was wonderfully indiscreet but he was very bright and did not take himself too seriously."
Although they never made a film together, Curtis and Sir Michael Caine became good friends. Caine said: "When his time as a leading man was over he went off to Hawaii and painted. He had a very happy life. Every time I saw him he was the happiest man you could think of."
The Twitterverse went into meltdown, with Curtis's death following those of legendary director Arthur Penn and US comic Greg Giraldo. Marcgellen wrote: "Last of the great old school Hollywood actors, what a cool guy", while nixonshepherd tweeted: "Classically handsome, unabashedly charismatic & sincerely genuine ... the bygone traits of Hollywood's golden age." Laserblue summed it up best : "Step aside Steve McQueen, the real king of cool is on his way up, with syrup."
