Hot and spicey is how I would describe my most favourite of actors Tony Curtis who has just died. With six wives under his belt, (among them Janet Leigh whose house I have just bought in Los Angeles, and with whom he a had a daughter Jamie Leigh Curtis), his career lasted for over 60 years.
I saw him speak last year at the British Film Institute happily chatting with his wife about their love of horses. His wife kept producing tiny plastic horses. He was certainly articulate and interesting and spiced up his interview with little stories..
He started life as a trapeze artist and son of a Jewish working class tailor, but sadly both his brother and mother were crazy. With this difficult start but amazing blue eyes and unusual good looks, Tony quickly moved on to star in a "Sweet Smell of Success" a very good name as he later starred in about 100 films. Of course my most favourite of all was Some Like it Hot, the most daring film of the late 1950's, opposite Marilyn Monroe.
He said at the BFI lecture I went to, that Marilyn had red hair when he first saw her and she was completely different from the Hollywood idol she later became. Tony and Jack Lemmon are the funniest cross dressers ever and I love the scene where they are all in a train, he was definitely cult. He also loved to paint in his later life and showed at the Catto Gallery, London. He was a true enthusiast.
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