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November 2, 2019

That Time When Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh Were Hollywood’s Golden Couple

One of the hottest couples at the time, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh first met at an RKO publicity party in 1950. A very powerful attraction at first sight, with Curtis recalling that he was “stunned by the way she looked,” while Leigh was more specific, “a devastatingly handsome young man – beautiful really – with black unruly hair, large sensitive eyes fringed by long dark eyelashes, a full sensuous mouth – and an irresistible personality.”

August 1956. Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis pose for a portrait at home in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Richard C. Miller.

Upon their choice to get married in 1951, Universal executives, who rarely interfered with their stars’ love lives, spent three days trying to talk Curtis out of it, even threatened to banish him. The couple decided to defy the studio heads and held a private ceremony in Greenwich, Connecticut, with close friend Jerry Lewis, who had earlier advised the couple against their marriage, present as a witness. Curtis and Leigh had two children, Kelly (born 1956) and Jamie Lee (1958), who both subsequently became actresses, with the latter having a more successful career.

Their marriage ended in 1962, when Curtis had divorced papers served to Leigh on the set of The Manchurian Candidate. Often more forthcoming about the reasons for their break-up, Curtis claimed that in public Leigh began “bossing me around, just as my mother had bossed my father around.” While later Leigh would comment that their split came from “outside problems,” such as the death of Curtis’ father, maybe even his battle with drugs.

Let’s take a look back at the time when the couple was together:

1951. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh in their honeymoon suite at the Waldorf, New York City. Photo by Bettmann.

February 1952. Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, star in Model Wife on the CBS Radio program, 'Stars in the Air.' Photo by CBS.

May 1953. Delighted at his master's magical artistry, Houdini, pet poodle of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, would like to know what's going on in that silk hat, Manhattan, New York. Photo by Bettmann.

1954. Tony Curtis and wife Janet Leigh enjoying a dance at a party held at James Mason's home in Beverly Hills. Photo by Slim Aarons.

1955. Tony Curtis sitting with his arm around wife Janet Leigh at the controls of a boat. Photo by Silver Screen Collection.

1955. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh on a carousel. Photo by Silver Screen Collection.

August 1956. Janet Leigh at home with daughter Kelly Curtis and husband Tony Curtis in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Richard C. Miller.

October 1956. Tony Curtis and wife Janet Leigh arrive in Grand Central Station. Photo by Evelyn Straus.

November 1956. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh with their six-month-old baby daughter Kelly Curtis in New York. Photo by Keystone.

January 1957. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh at a reception. Photo by Keystone-France.

1957. Janet Leigh with husband Tony Curtis. Photo by Corbis.

1957. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh at their home in Hollywood. Photo by Dennis Stock.

May 1957. Hollywood's 'ideal family', Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and their 11-month-old daughter Kelly at Paddington Station, London. Photo by PA Images.

February 1958. Tony Curtis showing his 'Henrietta' award to wife Janet Leigh at the Foreign Press Awards, or the Golden Globes, in Hollywood. Photo by Archive Photos.

February 1958. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh kissing at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Awards, or the Golden Globe Awards, at Cocoanut Grove, Los Angeles. Photo by Earl Leaf.

1958. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh lay in the snow while skiing. Photo by Richard C. Miller.

May 1958. Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and their daughter Kelly Lee Curtis. Photo by Corbis.

1958. Tony Curtis and a pregnant Janet Leigh at dinner. Photo by Bettmann.

January 1959. Janet Leigh with husband Tony Curtis, who is holding daughters Kelly Lee and Jamie Lee on his lap as they sit on the floor at home. Photo by Allan Grant-LIFE.

January 1959. Tony Curtis with wife Janet Leigh and their daughters Kelly Curtis and baby Jamie Lee Curtis. Photo by Earl Leaf.

1959. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh with children Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis. Photo by ullstein bild.

January 1959. Janet Leigh with husband Tony Curtis, who is holding daughters Kelly Lee and Jamie Lee on his lap as they sit on the floor at home. Photo by Allan Grant-LIFE.

1959. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh with their children Kelly Curtis and and younger daughter Jamie Lee Curtis. Photo by Richard C. Miller.

January 1959. Kelly Lee Curtis, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, and Jamie Lee Curtis at home in Hollywood. Photo by Bettmann.

1959. Tony Curtis with Janet Leigh at the 33rd Annual Academy Awards. Photo by Bettmann.

1959. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh working out with weight at home. Photo by Redferns.

April 1960. Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis play with their daughters Jamie Lee and Kelly by the pool at home in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Richard C. Miller.

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