Born “Bernard Schwartz” on 3 June 1925, Tony Curtis (1925-2010) earned an international following as an actor and, later, as a fine artist. Growing up during the Great Depression in an impoverished area of the Bronx, Curtis pledged to rise above his family's situation. He joined the Navy in 1943 and after serving in World War II, he returned to New York City and used the benefits of the GI Bill to attend acting school. His natural talent was quickly discovered and he moved to Hollywood in 1948, where he had a contract with Universal Pictures. In the early years of his career, Curtis was cast in a number of starring roles in hit films. His first “top billing” was in The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951), but it was his pivotal role opposite Sidney Poitier in The Defiant Ones (1958) that earned him an Academy Award nomination. Although Curtis has starred in nearly 150 major motion pictures, playing a wide range dramatic, comic, and tragic characters, his most memorable film was undoubtedly Some Like it Hot (1959) with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe.

Curtis treasured his years as an actor, but in later years turned to expression through fine art; “I still make movies, but I'm not that interested anymore. I paint all the time,” he explained. Curtis' focus was never on selling his artwork, but after introducing a few of his original paintings to the market, they sold for over $50,000. His remarkable artwork has been displayed in prestigious galleries around the world in cities such as Las Vegas, Maui, Paris, London, and New York; and, in 2007, one of his paintings was displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Curtis was also a fervent supporter of Shiloh Horse Rescue and Sanctuary with his wife, Jill, with whom he lived on a ranch in Nevada with two hundred horses. Curtis lived in Nevada, committing himself to his art and to the causes he held dear, until his death in September 2010.