Tony Curtis' Children: All About His Sons and Daughters, Including Actress Jamie Lee Curtis

Mar. 15, 2025

Actor Tony Curtis attended an Art Exhibition Dinner Party on April 22, 1989, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, along with his son Benjamin Curtis, daughter Kelly Curtis, son Nicholas Curtis, daughter Allegra Curtis, and actress daughter Jamie Lee Curtis.Photo:Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Legendary actorTony Curtiswelcomed six children: daughters Kelly,Jamie Lee, Alexandra and Allegra and sons Nicholas and Benjamin.

Tony and his first wife, actress Janet Leigh, welcomed daughters Kelly in 1956 and Jamie Lee in 1958. A few years later, he welcomed daughters Alexandra in 1964 and Allegra in 1966 with his second wife, German actress Christine Kaufmann. Tony became a father again with the births of his two sons — Nicholas in 1970 and Benjamin in 1973 — whom he shared with third wife, Leslie Allen.

Tony was estranged from his children throughout their lives and was often absent during their childhoods. Still, theSpartacusstar was closer to his sons, though Nicholas died at 23 in 1994. Decades later, the actor’s children reflected on their different relationships with him.

“I had very good years with my father, that none of my sisters had,” Benjamin toldThe Courier-Gazettein 2010 after Tony’s death. “He wasn’t a good father, that was obvious, especially to his daughters.”

Tony Curtis with his children Benjamin, Nicolas, Allegra and Alexandra in 1979.A. Schorr/ullstein bild/Getty

A. Schorr/ullstein bild/Getty

Despite her own experiences, Jamie Lee came to understand his circumstances.

“He was not a father and he was not interested in being a father,” she said onThe Talkin 2010. “It’s not a slant against him … He did what he was supposed to do from a financial standpoint, which was honorable of him but he was not an involved father.”

Allegra also reflected on her childhood with Tony. “I think my dad’s greatest accomplishment is that he became a big star and was able to take care of his family,” she toldCloser Weeklyin 2021. “He had a wonderful way of bringing us all together.”

Here’s everything to know about Tony Curtis’ children, including daughters Kelly, Jamie Lee, Alexandra and Allegra and sons Nicholas and Benjamin.

Kelly Curtis, 68

Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Tony and Janet welcomed his eldest child, Kelly Lee Curtis, on June 17, 1956.

She quickly followed her parents into the family business, joining them in 1958’sThe Vikingswhen she was just 2 years old.

Kelly Lee Curtis arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere “Hitchcock” at AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theater on November 20, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.Barry King/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Barry King/FilmMagic/Getty Images

A decade after Tony’s death, Kelly was able to see their relationship differently: “I know he loved me and my sisters and brothers deeply and we loved him with our hearts and souls,” Kelly toldCloserin 2021. “Ours was a deep bond.”

Kelly married playwright Scott Morfee in 1989.

Jamie Lee Curtis, 66

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her father Tony Curtis at a screening of “Streets of Fire” in Beverly Hills on May 29, 1984.Ron Galella/Getty Images

Ron Galella/Getty Images

Tony and Janet welcomed their second child, Jamie Lee Curtis, on Nov. 22, 1958.

She has become an icon in her own right due to starring in theHalloweenmovie series and winning an Oscar for her supporting role in 2022’sEverything Everywhere All at Once.

Though she was often estranged from Tony throughout her life, the two reconnected for a time but it didn’t last. Despite their ups and downs, Jamie Lee was able to establish a relationship with her father toward the end of Tony’s life.

Actor Tony Curtis and actress Jamie Lee Curtis attend the 36th Annual Genii Awards of the American Women in Radio & Television - Southern California Chapter on May 30, 1991.Ron Galella/Getty Images

“My relationship with him, although nonexistent for much of my life, in the end was good and based on mutual respect rather than any father and daughter model,” she told PEOPLE in 2010.

Jamie Lee has now been sober for decades, a move she sees as breaking generational family patterns.

“I’m breaking the cyclethat has basically destroyed the lives of generations in my family,” Jamie Lee told PEOPLE in 2018. “Getting sober remains my single greatest accomplishment.”

Jamie Lee married her husband, Christopher Guest, in 1984 and the coupleshare two kids. She has continued her life in Hollywood, including with a forthcoming, highly-anticipated sequel of her 2003 movieFreaky Friday.

Alexandra Curtis, 60

ony Curtis, his actress wife Christine Kaufmann, and their one-year-old girl, Alexandra, left New York aboard the France on August 5, 1965.Bettmann/Getty Images

Bettmann/Getty Images

Tony and his second wife Christine welcomed their third child, Alexandra Curtis, on July 19, 1964.

Like her two older sisters and her parents, Alexandra pursued acting for a time and appeared in a few projects in the early ‘80s, including 1982’sThe Excludedand 1983’sThe Gold of Love.

Despite this, Alexandra is the most private of her siblings and lives a life outside of the public eye.

Allegra Curtis, 58

Tony Curtis (center), Allegra Kaufmann-Curtis and Antonia Dorian.Ron Galella/Getty Images

Tony and Christine welcomed their second daughter, Allegra Curtis, on July 11, 1966.

Allegra joined the family business and pursued acting in the ’80s and ’90s, and has since appeared on shows like Germany’sDschungelcamp(a reality competition show based onI’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here) in 2013.

Allegra Curtis poses for a picture during a portrait session at Hotel Maricel on December 13, 2012 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.Oscar Pipkin/Getty Images

Oscar Pipkin/Getty Images

Allegra also has a son named Raphael. They attended Tony’s 80th birthday party together in 2005.

She has recounted happier memories of her dad than her siblings, including the ways Tony would make her laugh even if he didn’t see her often.“He was one of the funniest people ever,” she toldCloserin 2021. “He would call me and leave me a message like, ‘Allegra, this is Dracula. How long is your neck?’ "

Nicholas Bernard Curtis

Tony Curtis and son Nicholas attend the party for the 100th anniversary of the Moulin Rouge in Paris in 1989.Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images

Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images

Tony and Leslie welcomed their first son, Nicholas Bernard, on Dec. 31, 1970. He died at age 23 on July 2, 1994, of a heroin overdose.

Before his death, Nicholas was a musician and a student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He mainly grew up in Cape Cod, Mass., with his mom and younger brother.

According to Jamie Lee, Nicholas had been “clean and sober” for a period before his death and overdosed during a relapse.

“He is one of millions and millions of people whose lives have been extinguished because of addiction,” Jamie Lee said onMorning Joein 2023.

“It’s a terrible thing when a father loses his son,” he said.

Benjamin Curtis, 51

Tony Curtis With His Son, Benjamin Outside Spago on July 29,1998.David Keeler/Getty Images

David Keeler/Getty Images

Tony and Leslie welcomed their second son, Benjamin Curtis, on May 2, 1973.

Benjamin has acknowledged how his father had a different relationship with him as a young boy, though it was still difficult to live up to his expectations.

“My father had the ability to make me feel like the most special, unique, desired person. He liked recognizing himself in me, there was definitely favoritism,” he toldThe Courier-Gazette.

Ben now lives in Maine where he manages a bar and raises his three sons with his partner. In the interview withThe Courier-Gazette, he expressed how seriously he takes being an active father and how important it is to be with his kids.

“The whole extended family dynamic was so chaotic, yet so normal to me,” he said. “I feel I learned to just try to enjoy the times I had with my father.”

source: people.com