Curtis also took on the role of the Ukrainian Cossack Andrei in the historical action romance epic Taras Bulba in 1962 and starred in the ITC TV series The Persuaders!, with Curtis playing American millionaire Danny Wilde. His most significant dramatic part came in 1968 when he starred in the true-life drama The Boston Strangler.

His stardom and film career declined considerably after 1960.

In 1960, Curtis played a supporting role in the epic historical drama Spartacus. This was followed by the comedies Some Like It Hot and Operation Petticoat in 1959. The following year he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Defiant Ones (1958) alongside Sidney Poitier (who was also nominated in the same category). He achieved his first major recognition as a dramatic actor in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with co-star Burt Lancaster. In his later years, Curtis made numerous television appearances. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles covering a wide range of genres. Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz June 3, 1925 – September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s.

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