American Prince

A Memoir

By: Tony Curtis, Peter Golenbock

Narrated by: Mitchell Greenberg

“All my life I had one dream and that was to be in the movies.”

He was the Golden Boy of the Golden Age. A prince of the silver screen. Dashing and debonair, Tony Curtis arrived on the scene in a blaze of bright lights and celluloid. His good looks, smooth charm, and natural talent earned him fame, women, and adulation—Elvis copied his look and the Beatles put him on their Sgt. Pepper album cover. But the Hollywood life of his dreams brought both invincible highs and debilitating lows. Now, in his captivating, no-holds-barred autobiography, Tony Curtis shares the agony and ecstasy of a private life in the public eye.

No simple tell-all, American Prince chronicles Hollywood during its heyday. Curtis revisits his immense body of work—including the unforgettable classics Houdini, Spartacus, and Some Like It Hot—and regales readers with stories of his associations with Frank Sinatra, Laurence Olivier, director Billy Wilder, and film industry heavyweight Lew Wasserman, as well as paramours Natalie Wood and Marilyn Monroe, among others.

As forthright as he is enthralling, Tony Curtis offers intimate glimpses into his succession of failed marriages (and the one that has endured), his destructive drug addiction, and his passion as a painter. Written with humor and grace, American Prince is a testament to the power of living the life of one’s dreams.©2008 Tony Curtis; (P)2008 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[F]illed with fond recollections of [Curtis’s] friendships with the famous and powerful but punctuated, too, by harsh words for Hollywood legends he says did him wrong….Curtis spares few intimate details about his years as a Hollywood lothario, including his teenage affair with a redheaded, ponytailed Marilyn Monroe.”
—USA Today


Praise for Tony Curtis

“When you’re with Tony Curtis, you’re with somebody very alive. He was—and is—one of the most ‘up’ people I have ever known.”
—Sidney Poitier

“Tony Curtis could have just been the beautiful young leading man, handsome, charming as hell . . . [but] he wanted to be a good actor, and he’s the only guy I know wholearned his craft successfully.”
—Jack Lemmon

“For Some Like It Hot, I wanted a straight leading man and a comedian. I was sure Tony was right for it. Tony is so open and animated. . . . It was a huge, wonderful
plus for the picture.”
—Billy Wilder

Loved it!

This is a tell all. You will get all the interesting previously unknown happenings in Hollywood. Can't believe Janet Leigh pushed and pinched Tony Curtis as they were walking on the red carpet just because he paused to be photographed, and she wanted to keep walking. He tells all about his emotions, all about his girlfriends - most of them famous. You will love this audio book! He had a hard life, but man was it interesting. It's like you're right there. Riveting. I'm glad I got this book. Highly recommended.

Interesting stories, but...

Tony Curtis' heyday was a little before my time, but his stories of famous people he knew in Hollywood in the 40's, 50's and 60's were very interesting. However, at the end, I couldn't help but think Tony Curtis just isn't that likeable of a guy. He had a tough childhood, to be sure. I guess because of that, he did not seem to be able to connect emotionally with any of his ex wives, or his children. To this day he has very cool relations with his grown children. He admits he wasn't a very good, or available, dad, but it is disconcerting to hear him mention *twice* in the book that one of his ex wives, Janet Leigh, filled their daughters heads with negative comments about him, and claims that's part of the reason he has a poor relationship with them today, decades later. At 80 something years old, it's time to take full responsibility for these relationships, or lack of them, as the case may be, and stop blaming your ex. He mentions the births of his children only in passing, and very little about them as little children, but goes into great detail about his many, many affairs. That probably tells you where his priorities were. He admits he sometimes didn't see his children for months. He also had no problem cheating on his wives, even when he was newly, and still happily, married. He mentions one of his wives cheating on him and being very upset when he found out. He admits he cheated as well, but somehow his cheating wasn't so bad because he was "discrete". It's probably no surprise he is currently on his fourth marriage.
The stories he tells about the famous people he knew are interesting, but Tony Curtis himself? Not so much.

The worst book I’ve ever experienced.

Tony Curtis is one of the most narcissistic womanizers I could ever imagine. I’m shocked anyone thought sharing his story was of any value. The book makes me never want to watch any movie in which he appears. Don’t waste your time.