Hollywood Memorial

Tony was formerly married to actress Janet Leigh and was the father of actresses Kelly and Jamie Lee Curtis. In addition to acting, Curtis was a gifted artist with paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and in our very own museum at Hollywood Blvd. Cinema. He was one of the most handsome and popular leading men of his time, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an Oscar nomination for playing an escaped prisoner chained to Sidney Poitier in the Stanley Kramer picture ‘The Defiant Ones’ (1958). He is probably best remembered for his role as a female impersonator with his friends Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe in Billy Wilder’s ‘Some Like it Hot’ which still holds the number one position on AFI’s list of 100 Best Comedies. Tony always hosted our theaters annual screenings of this great comedy and was an absolute delight – funny, witty and Shakespearean eloquent. He was laid to rest in his favorite white shorts and favorite white sweater which had to be mended more times that can be counted, his Armani scarf around his neck and his well worn Stetson under his arm. Also a bag of interesting colored stones that he had collected during his travels, which included stones from his friend Dodi Fayed’s grave, a basket of which was flown over and used on his own grave by mourners in the traditional Jewish service. A model of his car, the 25th Anniversary Edition Trans Am with what Tony called, ‘the screaming chicken’ on its hood and some of his Navy medals as he was a proud sailor and a World War Two Veteran were placed inside his favorite bag with his late son Nicholas’ baby shoes that Tony always brought with him wherever he traveled as well as seven packets of Splenda. Tony loved to sweeten everything with Splenda – no less than seven packets. Also included were some of his favorite paint brushes, some paint and a sketch pad and a pen. An accomplished Fencer, his favorite Fencing saber is at his side. The ashes from his dog, Jack, who was rescued from the desert a few years ago and who instantly fell in love with Tony and faithfully followed him everywhere. When Jack passed on, Tony kept his ashes. Now Jack is following Tony again. Tony is buried in Palm Memorial Park in Las Vegas and his epitaph is a stanza from his favorite poem,
‘He was always quietly arrayed, and he was human when he talked; but still he fluttered pulses when he said, Good Morning and he glittered when he walked.’