Product Description

He has appeared in over a hundred films. Elvis copied his looks. The Beatles put him on the cover of Sgt. Pepper. Tony Curtis is without question a Hollywood legend and part of its Golden Age. In "American Prince" he tells the whole story, from his hard-knock childhood growing up in the Bronx to his wild days as a Hollywood playboy, his destructive drug addiction and his life now as an artist in his eighties. He talks frankly about the people he has known during his long and illustrious career, from the studio owners and directors to his famous friends, such as Jack Lemmon, Cary Grant and James Dean, and the women in his life, including Janet Leigh and Natalie Wood. Forthright and enthralling, and sparing no detail and no ego, "American Prince" is the true record of a life lived to the full.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13483 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
`I enjoyed American Prince by Tony Curtis immensely. I have known Tony and counted him as a friend since the early 1960s, and even shared with him some of the adventures he records. A wonderful read and long may he continue'
--Sir Peter Blake

From the Inside Flap
With a career spanning six decades, over a hundred films to his name and a notoriously turbulent love life, Tony Curtis is one of the last of the true Hollywood royalty.

Growing up in the Bronx as the child of immigrant parents, Bernard Schwarz could only imagine a life of fame, luxury and success. But that dream became a reality after he was contracted to Universal Pictures and renamed Tony Curtis. Propelled to fame through roles in Houdini and Spartacus, the film star made comedy history with Jack Lemmon in the unforgettable Some Like It Hot, dated Janet Leigh, Natalie Wood and Marilyn Monroe and partied with his close friends Frank Sinatra, Howard Hughes and the Kennedys.

Sparing no name, no detail and no ego, Tony Curtis speaks candidly of the people he has known during his long, illustrious career – his co-stars, the studio owners, his wives, his lovers and his friends. From his hard-knock childhood to his wild days as a Hollywood playboy, his destructive drug addiction and his life now as an artist at eighty years old, Tony Curtis speaks with humour and grace about a truly amazing life.

From the Back Cover
Elvis copied his looks. The Beatles put him on the cover of Sgt. Pepper. Tony Curtis is without question a Hollywood legend and part of its Golden Age.

Now, in American Prince, Curtis tells the story of his hard-knock childhood, his immigrant background, his wild days as a Hollywood playboy, his destructive drug addiction and his life today as an artist in his eighties. He talks frankly about the people he has known during his illustrious career, from his co-star Jack Lemmon in the unforgettable Some Like It Hot, to Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant and James Dean, and the screen sirens he has romanced, such as Marilyn Monroe, Janet Leigh and Natalie Wood.

Forthright and enthralling, and sparing no detail and no ego, American Prince is the true record of a life lived to the full.

'A perfect example of the traditional Hollywood rags-to-riches script with one of those all-star casts that you simply can't assemble any more' Sunday Telegraph

'A rollercoaster of a book ... It's a romp through Hollywood's golden age, when Curtis, with his thick, black hair and cerulean eyes, practically invented celebrity as we know it' The Sunday Times

'A wonderful read' Sir Peter Blake

Customer Reviews

A must for fans of Hollywood's golden age!


I was never the biggest Tony Curtis fan, but this is a fun and interesting read for fans of the Hollywood golden age. Curtis was a smooth character back in the day and a big time movie star. His life intersects with many of the biggest and brightest stars of the time including lovers such as Marilyn Monroe. A lot of the book does come off as "look at me, look who I knew and who I slept with," (Which I must admit was a guilty pleasure to read about) but the is more than that. It is also an interesting look into Hollywood during its golden age after world war two and prior to television taking over pop culture. The reader is taken behind the scenes of some of his great films "Houdini [1953] (REGION 1) (NTSC)", Some Like It Hot [1959] (with Marilyn Monroe), and Spartacus [1960] (with Kirk Douglas). I found the book less interesting as it moves into the late years of his life but overall this should be of interest to Curtis fans and fans of the old Hollywood. For more great reading on the end of Hollywood's heyday do try "Misfits Country" Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable brought to life!

Wow!!
Well TC stands for Tony Curtis but could also be used for Top Cat & either would fit Mr Curtis.

He has had the most incredible life & is one of the few who are still around to tell their tale of life at the height of what pleasuures the free Western way of life could offer.

Just reading it makes you feel tired & also rather envious although he certainly didn't have an easy life given his background.

It's a story of grit, wit, pleasure & pain; it's pretty well written in a very approachable style & would make a great gift for someone who may be a fan but not an avid reader.

Recommended.

"Yonda lies the castle of my fodda"
I liked Tony Curtis in his heyday, but his memoir makes him look like a perpetually horny little boy with the biggest ego in Hollywood.

He talks about all of his movies but seems proudest of his trysts with his leading ladies; apparently there were few starlets who could resist his charms. I gave up counting how many affairs he had; they must have numbered in the hundreds.

After his career took a nosedive, he blamed his six wives, his drug addiction, and anti-Semitism. His hubris concerning his desirability is matched only by his inflated opinion of his acting abilities. That said, it certainly is a page-turner.