Tony Curtis : Love, Heartbreak & Regret

It took the screen icon decades to overcome his painful past

In 1959, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh invited a photographer into their home to introduce the newest addition to their family. Flashbulbs popped as Tony gave their toddler daughter Kelly a hug while a glowing Janet cradled infant Jamie Lee.

On the surface, the late 1950s seemed the best of times for Tony. With a beautiful, loving wife, a growing family and an Oscar nomination for 1958’s The Defiant Ones, he was a man envied by millions. However, the emotional scars Tony bore from his traumatic childhood always prevented him from embracing love and happiness for very long. Only work could quiet his restless spirit. “He was happiest when he was creating,” daughter Kelly Curtis tells Closer. “On a film set, in front of a group of fans, or alone in his art studio painting.”