American film star of Hungarian descent dies

Tony Curtis, Hollywood’s greatest actor born in a Hungarian family, died in bed at his Las Vegas home on September 29 of cardiac arrest at the age of 85. Between 1949 and 2008, he played in 130 movies. He was always proud of his Hungarian descent.

Tony Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz in the Bronx, New York, the son of Emanuel Schwartz, a tailor, and his wife Helen Klein. His parents were Hungarian Jewish immigrants from Mátészalka, Hungary; Hungarian was Curtis' only language until he was five or six, postponing his schooling.a

After serving in the US Navy during World War II, he studied acting at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York. Arriving in Hollywood in 1948 at age 23, he was placed under contract at Universal Pictures and changed his name to Tony Curtis, taking his last name from a surname from in his mother's family. Although, many movie-goers and television viewers know him from the comedy 'Some like it hot' where he co-starred with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, his most recognized role (that earned him an Oscar nomination) was that of a bigoted escaped convict chained to Sidney Poitier in 'The Defiant Ones'. In the 1950s and '60s, he was one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood. His most famous television role was in 'The persuaders' with Roger Moore. He was also dedicated to painting.

In 1998, he founded the Emanuel Foundation for Hungarian Culture, and served as honorary chairperson. The foundation's goal is the restoration and preservation of synagogues and 1300 Jewish cemeteries in Hungary. He dedicated this to the 600,000 Hungarian victims of the Holocaust. Having had Hungarian descent, he participated in Hungary's country image commercials aired in the United States. "It's not for money, I do it for the country where my parents came from," he said in a Hungarian television interview.