SAG Mourns the Loss of Tony Curtis

September 30, 2010 — Screen Actors Guild is saddened by the loss of celebrated actor and former National Board member Tony Curtis, who died of cardiac arrest Wednesday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 85.

Audiences will remember the versatile Curtis for his prolific film career that spanned more than 100 films and included early favorites Some Like it Hot, Houdini, The Sweet Smell of Success, Spartacus and The Defiant Ones (for which he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role). In later years, he starred and guest starred on television as well and pursued a career as a painter.

Curtis served Screen Actors Guild as a National Board member for three years, starting in 1956. Additionally, he was the last surviving member of the Guild's original Awards Committee that oversaw the design of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.

Daughter and actress Jamie Lee Curtis had this to say in a statement to the press: “"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.”