Hollywood icon Tony Curtis dies aged 85

TONY Curtis, one of the last icons of Hollywood's golden era, has died. He was 85. The Oscar-nominated actor suffered a heart attack at his Nevada home on Wednesday evening and passed away peacefully in bed next to his wife, Jill.

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The father of six, who made more than 120 films during a career spanning six decades, had suffered from poor health for several years. He was admitted to hospital this summer after an asthma attack.

Curtis, who will forever be remembered for his role in Billy Wilder's classic comedy Some Like It Hot, was paid glowing tributes yesterday by friends and family.

Jamie Lee Curtis, his daughter by Janet Leigh, said her father had left behind "a legacy of great performances".

The actress and writer, who at times had a fraught relationship with her father, added that he would be "greatly missed".

"He leaves behind children and their families who loved him and respected him and a wife and in-laws who were devoted to him," she said. "He also leaves behind fans all over the world."

An actor who began his career as a heart-throb, but went on to win the respect of his peers, Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz to Hungarian Jews who emigrated to the United States after the First World War. Growing up in New York, dreaming of stardom, his good looks ensured his ambition would be realised.

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He was married six times, battled alcohol and cocaine addictions and had heart surgery in 1994.

His best-known film remains Some Like It Hot, in which he co-starred alongside Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe.

In his later years, he became a much-loved figure on the chat-show circuit, with his tales of old Hollywood cementing his public image as a self-deprecating raconteur. Sir Michael Parkinson, who interviewed the "very, very fine actor" several times, said his performance in Some Like It Hot would live forever.

Describing it as "one of the greatest comedies of all time", Sir Michael said: "Billy Wilder did not suffer fools, so for Tony Curtis to work with him and make that film shows just how good he was. He was an extraordinary man.

"Hollywood tried to make him into a sex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s, but he was his own man. He was a great chatshow guest and was wonderfully indiscreet, but he was very bright and did not take himself too seriously."

Sir Roger Moore, who starred with Curtis in The Persuaders, the 1970s television series, described his friend as "great fun" and a "fine actor".

In a message on Twitter, Jonathan Ross wrote: "Very sad to hear the great Tony Curtis has left the room."