The Best Tony Curtis Movies

Updated September 23, 2019 2.8k votes 537 voters 42k views98 items

List RulesVote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

List of the best Tony Curtis movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Tony Curtis's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Tony Curtis movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Tony Curtis movies will be at the top of the list. Tony Curtis has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Tony Curtis movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Tony Curtis films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Tony Curtis role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Tony Curtis performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

The list you're viewing contains films like Drop Dead Darling and Sweet Smell of Success.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Tony Curtis movies?" and "What are the greatest Tony Curtis roles of all time?"

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1
Some Like It Hot
Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon
92
12
Released: 1959
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Some Like It Hot is a 1959 American comedy film set in 1929, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The film is about two musicians who dress in drag in order ...more
#239 of 557 The Best Film Scores Of All Time #234 of 370 The Best Musical Movies Of All Time #30 of 675 The Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
2
The Vikings
Kirk Douglas, Janet Leigh
76
15
Released: 1958
Directed by: Richard Fleischer
The Vikings is a 1958 adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer and filmed in Technicolor. It was produced by and stars Kirk Douglas. It is based on the novel The Viking by Edison Marshall, which ...more
#30 of 83 The Best Knight Movies #21 of 130 The Best Medieval Movies #16 of 78 The Best Kirk Douglas Movies
3
Boeing Boeing
Jerry Lewis, Tony Curtis
80
19
Released: 1965
Directed by: John Rich
Boeing Boeing is a 1965 American bedroom farce comedy film, based on the 1960 French play Boeing-Boeing, and starring Jerry Lewis and Tony Curtis. It was released on December 22, 1965, and was the ...more
#156 of 175 The Best Movies Of The '60s #18 of 61 The Best Jerry Lewis Movies
4
Spartacus
Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier
76
17
Released: 1960
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo was based on the novel Spartacus by Howard Fast. It was inspired by the life story ...more
#92 of 1,195 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever #48 of 367 The 50+ Best War Movies Ever Made, Ranked #92 of 552 The Greatest Epic Movies Ever Made
5
Sweet Smell of Success
Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis
63
14
Released: 1957
Directed by: Alexander Mackendrick
Sweet Smell of Success is a 1957 American film noir/drama film made by Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists. It was directed by Alexander Mackendrick and stars Burt ...more
6
Operation Petticoat
Cary Grant, Tony Curtis
69
19
Released: 1959
Directed by: Blake Edwards
Operation Petticoat is a 1959 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards, and starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. It was the basis for a television series in 1977 starring John Astin in Grant's role. ...more
#79 of 223 The Greatest World War II Movies of All Time #13 of 52 The Best Submarine Movies Of All Time #53 of 100 The Most Patriotic Movies of All Time
7
The Great Race
Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon
64
18
Released: 1965
Directed by: Blake Edwards
The Great Race is a 1965 American slapstick comedy Technicolor film starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood, directed by Blake Edwards, written by Blake Edwards and Arthur A. Ross, and ...more
#1145 of 1,436 The Most Rewatchable Movies #213 of 927 The All-Time Greatest Comedy Films #422 of 1,142 The Absolute Funniest Movies Of All Time
8
Houdini
Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis
68
21
Released: 1953
Directed by: George Marshall
Houdini is a 1953 biographical film about the life of the magician and escapologist Harry Houdini, played by Tony Curtis, co-starring with then-wife Janet Leigh. It was made by Paramount Pictures, ...more
9
Not with My Wife, You Don't!
Tony Curtis, George C. Scott
40
11
Released: 1966
Directed by: Norman Panama
Not with My Wife, You Don't! is a 1966 comedy film starred by Tony Curtis, Virna Lisi and George C. Scott. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy. The plot ...more
10
The Rat Race
Debbie Reynolds, Don Rickles
36
7
Released: 1960
Directed by: Robert Mulligan
The Rat Race is a 1960 American drama film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds as struggling young entertainment professionals in New York City. Filming took ...more
11
The Defiant Ones
Sidney Poitier, Tony Curtis
69
40
Released: 1958
Directed by: Stanley Kramer
The Defiant Ones is a 1958 black and white film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It ...more
12
The Boston Strangler
Henry Fonda, Tony Curtis
64
36
Released: 1968
Directed by: Richard Fleischer
The Boston Strangler is a 1968 American film based on the true story of the Boston Strangler and the book by Gerold Frank. It was directed by Richard Fleischer, and stars Tony Curtis as Albert ...more
13
Captain Newman, M.D.
Robert Duvall, Gregory Peck
37
13
Released: 1963
Directed by: David Miller
Captain Newman, M.D. is a 1963 film starring Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, Robert Duvall, Eddie Albert and Bobby Darin. It was directed by David Miller and filmed on location at Fort ...more
14
Paris When It Sizzles
Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra
35
12
Released: 1964
Directed by: Richard Quine
Paris When It Sizzles is a 1964 romantic comedy film directed by Richard Quine and produced by Quine and George Axelrod. The screenplay is by George Axelrod based on the story and film Holiday for ...more
#598 of 781 The Greatest Chick Flicks Ever Made #11 of 41 The Best '60s Romantic Comedies #22 of 66 The Best Romance Movies of the 1960s
15
Taras Bulba
Tony Curtis, Yul Brynner
39
16
Released: 1962
Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
Taras Bulba is a 1962 film loosely based on Nikolai Gogol's short novel, Taras Bulba, starring Yul Brynner in the title role, and Tony Curtis as his son, Andrei, leaders of a Cossack clan on the ...more
16
The Purple Mask
Angela Lansbury, Tony Curtis
29
7
Released: 1955
Directed by: H. Bruce Humberstone
The Purple Mask is a 1955 film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone. ...more
17
The Outsider
Tony Curtis, James Franciscus
29
7
Released: 1961
Directed by: Delbert Mann
The Outsider is a 1961 biopic film about Ira Hayes, a Native American who fought in World War II in the United States Marine Corps and was one of the Marines who raised the flag on Iwo Jima. The film ...more
18
The Great Impostor
Tony Curtis, Karl Malden
38
18
Released: 1961
Directed by: Robert Mulligan
The Great Impostor is a 1961 movie based on the true story of an impostor named Ferdinand Waldo Demara. Loosely based on Robert Crichton's 1959 biography of the same name, it stars Tony Curtis in the ...more
19
Lepke
Tony Curtis, Michael Callan
27
6
Released: 1975
Directed by: Menahem Golan
Lepke is a 1975 film starring Tony Curtis as the Jewish American gangster Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. It is often regarded by film fans as one of Tony Curtis's most underrated movies and one of his ...more
20
The Black Shield of Falworth
Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis
32
13
Released: 1954
Directed by: Rudolph Maté
The Black Shield of Falworth is a 1954 film made by Universal-International, produced by Robert Arthur and Melville Tucker and directed by Rudolph Maté. The screenplay was adapted by Oscar Brodney ...more
21
Winchester '73
James Stewart, Rock Hudson
29
11
Released: 1950
Directed by: Anthony Mann
Winchester '73 is a 1950 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, and Stephen McNally. Written by Borden Chase and Robert L. Richards, ...more
#39 of 399 The Best Western Movies Ever Made #8 of 63 The Best Western Movies of the 1950s #10 of 85 Every James Stewart Movie, Ranked Best to Worst
22
Francis
Tony Curtis, Donald O'Connor
25
8
Released: 1950
Directed by: Arthur Lubin
Francis is a 1950 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International that launched the Francis the Talking Mule film series. Francis is produced by Robert Arthur, directed by Arthur ...more
23
Goodbye Charlie
Debbie Reynolds, Tony Curtis
27
12
Released: 1964
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
Goodbye Charlie is a 1964 comedy film about a callous womanizer who gets his just reward. It was adapted from George Axelrod's play Goodbye, Charlie and starred Debbie Reynolds and Tony Curtis. The ...more
24
Kings Go Forth
Frank Sinatra, Natalie Wood
27
12
Released: 1958
Directed by: Delmer Daves
Kings Go Forth is a 1958 black-and-white World War II film starring Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood. The screenplay was written by Merle Miller from the novel of the same name by Joe ...more
25
Trapeze
Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis
54
45
Released: 1956
Directed by: Carol Reed
Trapeze is a 1956 circus film directed by Carol Reed and starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida, making her debut in American films. The film is based on Max Catto's novel The ...more