Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, children's author, and activist. She came to prominence with her portrayal of Lt. Barbara Duran on the ABC sitcom '' Operation Petticoat'' (1977–78). In 1978, she made her feature film debut playing Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's slasher film ''Halloween'', which established her as a scream queen and led to a string of parts in horror films such as '' The Fog'', '' Prom Night'', ''Terror Train'' (all 1980) and ''Roadgames'' (1981). She reprised the role of Laurie in the sequels '' Halloween II'' (1981), '' Halloween H20: 20 Years Later'' (1998), '' Halloween: Resurrection'' (2002), ''Halloween'' (2018), ''Halloween Kills'' (2021), and '' Halloween Ends'' (2022).

Curtis's film work spans many genres, including the cult comedies ''Trading Places'' (1983)—for which she won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress—and ''A Fish Called Wanda'' (1988), for which she received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress. Her role in the 1985 film '' Perfect'' earned her a reputation as a sex symbol. She won a Golden Globe Award for her role as Helen Tasker in James Cameron's action thriller ''True Lies'' (1994). Curtis's other notable film credits include '' Blue Steel'' (1990), '' My Girl'' (1991), '' Forever Young'' (1992), '' Mother's Boys'' (1993), ''Virus'' (1999), ''Drowning Mona'' (2000), ''The Tailor of Panama'' (2001), '' Freaky Friday'' (2003), ''Christmas with the Kranks'' (2004), '' You Again'' (2010), '' Knives Out'' (2019), and ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' (2022). To date, her films have grossed in excess of US$2.3 billion at the box office.

Curtis received a Golden Globe and a People's Choice Award for her role as Hannah Miller on ABC's ''Anything But Love'' (1989–1992), and earned an Primetime Emmy nomination for '' Nicholas' Gift'' (1998). She also starred as Cathy Munsch on the Fox series '' Scream Queens'' (2015–16), for which she received her seventh Golden Globe nomination. Curtis has written numerous children's books, including ''Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day'' (1998), which made ''The New York Times'' best-seller list.

In 2016, ''IndieWire'' named her one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination. Curtis is a daughter of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. She is married to Christopher Guest, with whom she has two adopted children. Due to her marriage with Guest, who is the 5th Baron Haden-Guest in the United Kingdom, Curtis is a baroness, though she does not use this title.

Early life

Curtis was born in Santa Monica, California, to actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Her father was Jewish, a son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants, from Mátészalka. Two of her maternal great-grandparents were Danish, while the rest of her mother's ancestry was German and Scots-Irish. Curtis has an older sister, Kelly Curtis, who is also an actress, and four half-siblings (all from her father's remarriages): Alexandra, actress Allegra Curtis, Benjamin, and Nicholas Curtis (who died in 1994 of a drug overdose). Curtis's parents divorced in 1962. After the divorce, she stated her father was "not around" and that he was "not interested in being a father." She was raised by her mother and her stepfather, stockbroker Robert Brandt.

Curtis attended elite schools Westlake School (now Harvard-Westlake School) and Beverly Hills High School in Los Angeles, and graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut in 1976. Returning to California in 1976, she attended her mother's alma mater, the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and studied law. She dropped out after one semester to pursue an acting career.

Acting career

Film performances

Curtis's film debut occurred in the 1978 horror film ''Halloween'', in which she played the role of Laurie Strode. The film was a major success and was considered the highest-grossing independent film of its time, earning accolades as a classic horror film. The producer, Debra Hill, specifically cast Curtis because her mother, Leigh, had been known as a horror icon. Curtis was subsequently cast in several horror films, garnering her the title " scream queen." She would also return to the ''Halloween'' franchise seven times, playing Strode again in the sequels '' Halloween II'' (1981), '' Halloween H20: 20 Years Later'' (1998), '' Halloween: Resurrection'' (2002), ''Halloween'' (2018), ''Halloween Kills'' (2021), and '' Halloween Ends'' (2022), and having an uncredited voice role in '' Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' (1982).

Her next film following ''Halloween'' was '' The Fog'', which was helmed by ''Halloween'' director John Carpenter. The horror film opened in February 1980 to mixed reviews but strong box office, starting Curtis as a horror film starlet. Her next film, '' Prom Night'', was a low-budget Canadian slasher film released in July 1980. The film, for which she earned a Genie Award nomination for Best Performance by a Foreign Actress, was similar in style to ''Halloween'', yet received negative reviews which marked it as a disposable entry in the then-popular slasher genre. That year, Curtis also starred in ''Terror Train'', which opened in October and met with negative reviews akin to ''Prom Night''. Both films performed moderately well at the box office. Curtis's roles in the latter two films served a similar function to that of Strode—the main character whose friends are murdered and is practically the only protagonist to survive. Film critic Roger Ebert, who gave negative reviews to all three of Curtis's 1980 films, said that Curtis "is to the current horror film glut what Christopher Lee was to the last one—or Boris Karloff was in the 1930s." In 1981, she appeared alongside Stacey Keach in the Australian thriller film ''Roadgames'', directed by Carpenter's friend Richard Franklin; her importation, which was requested by the film's American distributor AVCO Embassy Pictures, was contested by the Sydney branch of Actors Equity.''Kangaroo Hitchcock: The Making of Roadgames'' (2003). Anchor Bay Entertainment.Murray, Scott (July 12, 2008)
"Richard Franklin: Director/Producer"
''Senses of Cinema''. Accessed October 26, 2012. Although the film was a box office bomb in Australia and Franklin later regretted not increasing the size of Curtis's role, it has achieved a cult following and was championed by Quentin Tarantino. In 1997, she was inducted into the ''Fangoria'' Hall of Fame.

Her role in 1983's ''Trading Places'' helped Curtis shed her horror queen image, and garnered her a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She then starred in the 1988 comedy film ''A Fish Called Wanda'', which achieved cult status while showcasing her as a comedic actress. For her performance, she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Curtis received positive reviews for her performance in the action thriller '' Blue Steel'' (1990), which was directed by Kathryn Bigelow. She also received a Golden Globe Award for her work in the 1994 action comedy film ''True Lies'', directed by James Cameron.

Her other film roles also include the coming-of-age films '' My Girl'' (1991) and '' My Girl 2'' (1994), and the Disney comedy film '' Freaky Friday'' (2003), opposite Lindsay Lohan. The latter was filmed at Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, California, near where Curtis and Guest lived with their children. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her performance in the film. She starred in the Christmas comedy film ''Christmas with the Kranks'' (2004), which went on to gain a cult following.

In October 2006, Curtis told '' Access Hollywood'' that she had closed the book on her acting career to focus on her family. She returned to acting after being cast in June 2007 in Disney's live-action-animated film ''Beverly Hills Chihuahua'', co-starring opposite Piper Perabo as one of three live-action characters in the film. She also starred in the 2010 comedy film '' You Again'', opposite Kristen Bell and Sigourney Weaver. Curtis had voice roles in the animated films '' The Little Engine That Could'' (2011) and '' From Up on Poppy Hill'' (2011). This was followed by supporting roles in the neo-noir mystery film ''Veronica Mars'' (2014) and the biographical drama film '' Spare Parts'' (2015).

Curtis returned to leading roles with her reprisal of Laurie Strode in the horror sequel film ''Halloween'' (2018). The film debuted to $76.2 million, marking the second-best opening weekend of October and the highest opening weekend of the ''Halloween'' franchise; and became the biggest domestic grosser in the franchise with its opening weekend alone. Its opening performance was the best-ever for a film starring a lead actress over 55 years old. Curtis's performance earned critical acclaim. Also in 2018, she had a role in the drama film ''An Acceptable Loss''. She then starred as Linda Drysdale-Thrombrey in Rian Johnson's mystery film '' Knives Out'', which earned critical acclaim and over $300 million at the global box office.

In September 2021, she was honored with the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for her lifetime achievements. Curtis again reprised her role as Laurie Strode in the horror sequels ''Halloween Kills'', which was released in October 2021, and in '' Halloween Ends'', which was released in October 2022. She also appeared as Deirdre Beaubeirdra in the science fiction action film ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' (2022), and will have a leading role in the video game adaptation '' Borderlands''.

Television performances

Curtis made her television debut in a 1977 episode of the drama series '' Quincy, M.E.''. She went on to guest star on several series, including ''Columbo'', ''Charlie's Angels'' and '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century''. She appeared as Nurse Lt. Barbara Duran in the short-lived comedy series '' Operation Petticoat'' (1977–1978), based on the 1959 film that starred her father, Tony Curtis. Curtis was also a gameshow panelist on several episodes of ''Match Game''.

Curtis starred in the 1981 television film '' Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story'', playing the eponymous doomed Playmate. She earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for her work in TNT's adaptation of the Wendy Wasserstein play '' The Heidi Chronicles''. Her first starring role on television came opposite Richard Lewis in the situation comedy series ''Anything But Love'', which ran for four seasons from 1989 through 1992. For her performance as Hannah Miller, she received a People's Choice Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. Curtis also appeared in a 1996 episode of the sitcom ''The Drew Carey Show''. In 1998, she starred in the CBS television film '' Nicholas' Gift'', for which she received an Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

In 2012, she appeared in five episodes of the police drama series '' NCIS'', playing the role of Dr. Samantha Ryan, a potential romantic interest of Special Agent Gibbs (Mark Harmon). During an interview, she stated that if they could develop a storyline, she would be interested to return to the series, but this never occurred. The series reunited Curtis with Harmon, after he played her character's fiancé and later husband in the 2003 remake of '' Freaky Friday''.

From 2012 to 2018, Curtis had a recurring role as Joan Day, the mother of Zooey Deschanel's character, in the sitcom ''New Girl''. From 2015 to 2016, Curtis had a lead role as Cathy Munsch on the Fox satirical horror comedy series '' Scream Queens'', which aired for two seasons. For her performance, she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy.

Other ventures

Children's books

Working with illustrator Laura Cornell, Curtis has written a number of children's books, all published by HarperCollins Children's Books.

*''When I Was Little: A Four-Year Old's Memoir of Her Youth'', 1993.
*''Tell Me Again About The Night I was Born'', 1996.
* ''Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day'', 1998; listed on the ''New York Times'' best-seller list for 10 weeks.
*''Where Do Balloons Go?: An Uplifting Mystery'', 2000.
*''I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem'', 2002.
*''It's Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel'', 2004.
*''Is There Really a Human Race?'', 2006.
*''Big Words for Little People'', , 2008.
*''My Friend Jay'', 2009, edition of one, presented to Jay Leno
*''My Mommy Hung the Moon: A Love Story'', 2010.
*''My Brave Year of Firsts'', 2016.
*''This Is Me: A Story of Who We Are and Where We Came From'', 2016.
*''Me, Myselfie & I: A Cautionary Tale'', 2018.

Invention

In 1987, Curtis filed a US patent application that subsequently issued as Patent No. 4,753,647. This is a modification of a diaper with a moisture-proof pocket containing wipes that can be taken out and used with one hand. Curtis refused to allow her invention to be marketed until companies started selling biodegradable diapers. The full statutory term of this patent expired February 20, 2007, and it is now in the public domain. She filed a second US patent application related to disposable diapers in 2016 which issued as US Patent 9,827,151 on November 28, 2017, and will expire on September 7, 2036.

Blogging

Curtis has been a blogger for ''The Huffington Post'' online newspaper from 2011 to 2017. On her website, Curtis tells her young readers that she "moonlights as an actor, photographer, and closet organizer".

Podcasts

Curtis launched the podcast series ''Letters from Camp'' on Audible in 2020 and ''Good Friend with Jamie Lee Curtis'' for iHeartRadio in 2021.

Political views

During California's 2008 general election, Curtis appeared in the "Yes on Prop 3" television advertisements.

In March 2012, Curtis was featured with Martin Sheen and Brad Pitt in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play '' 8''—a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage—as Sandy Stier. The production was held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre and broadcast on YouTube to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.Archived a
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In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Curtis and others told the stories of the people killed there.

Curtis endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election; she has since been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump.

Philanthropy

Beginning in 1990, Curtis and her father, Tony, took a renewed interest in their family's Hungarian Jewish heritage, and helped finance the rebuilding of the "Great Synagogue" in Budapest, Hungary. The largest synagogue in Europe today, it was originally built in 1859 and suffered damage during World War II.

Curtis also helped to refurbish the synagogue in Mátészalka where her grandparents worshipped. She attended the opening of the Tony Curtis Memorial Museum and Cafe, which is also located in Mátészalka.

Curtis was guest of honor at the 11th annual gala and fundraiser in 2003 for Women in Recovery, a Venice, California-based non-profit organization offering a live-in, twelve-step program of rehabilitation for women in need. Past honorees of this organization include Sir Anthony Hopkins and Dame Angela Lansbury. Curtis is also involved in the work of the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, serving as the annual host for the organization's "Dream Halloween" event in Los Angeles, launched every year in October.

Curtis plays a leadership role for Children's Hospital Los Angeles and supported the 2011 opening of a new inpatient facility for the organization.

Personal life

Curtis married Christopher Guest on December 18, 1984. She saw a picture of him from the movie '' This Is Spinal Tap'' in ''Rolling Stone'' and told her friend Debra Hill, "Oh, I'm going to marry that guy"; she married him five months later. They have two adopted daughters: Annie, born in 1986, and Ruby, born in 1996; Ruby is transgender. Curtis is actor Jake Gyllenhaal's godmother. Prior to her marriage to Guest, Curtis dated British rock singer Adam Ant.

Her father-in-law was a British hereditary peer, Peter Haden-Guest, 4th Baron Haden-Guest; when he died on April 8, 1996, her husband succeeded him, becoming the 5th Baron Haden-Guest and making her ''The Honourable the Lady Haden-Guest''. Curtis does not use this title, saying, "it has nothing to do with me".

She is close friends with actress Sigourney Weaver. In a 2015 interview, she said she has never watched Weaver's film ''Alien'' in its entirety because she was too scared by it.

Curtis is a recovering alcoholic, and was once addicted to painkillers that she began using after a cosmetic surgical procedure. She became sober from opiates in 1999 after reading and relating to Tom Chiarella's account of addiction; and maintains that recovery is the greatest achievement of her life.

After her father Tony's death, she learned that her entire family, including siblings, had been cut out of his will.

She is a fan of ''World of Warcraft'' and ''One Piece'', and has attended Comic-Con, EVO and BlizzCon incognito.

Curtis received the Lifetime Achievement Award during the 78th Venice International Film Festival, to which she reacted saying that she " eltso alive, like I'm this 14-year-old person just beginning their life. That’s how I wake up every day with that sort of joy and purpose" and added that she "is just beginning erwork."

Acting credits and awards

References

External links

* for Jamie Lee Curtis & Laura Cornell books
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Jamie Lee
1958 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Los Angeles
Actresses from Santa Monica, California
American children's writers
American film actresses
American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
American people of Danish descent
American people of German descent
American people of Scotch-Irish descent
American philanthropists
American television actresses
American voice actresses
Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award winners
California Democrats
Choate Rosemary Hall alumni
LGBT rights activists from the United States
University of the Pacific (United States) alumni
Women inventors
Writers from Santa Monica, California
Activists from California
Haden-Guest family
Haden-Guest