Old Hollywood Heartthrob Tony Curtis Refused To Leave His Fortune To His Kids

The late Tony Curtis is known as a screen legend. Some of his biggest hits include "Some Like It Hot," co-starring Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, the epic "Spartacus," and the award-winning drama "The Defiant Ones." But another major part of Curtis' legacy is his family, and all the drama that came with it. The Hollywood star was married multiple times throughout his lifetime, and he had six kids total, including Jamie Lee Curtis. While most people experience ups and downs in their relationships with their parents, Curtis appeared to take any misgivings about his children to his grave, literally, surprising them by leaving absolutely nothing to them in his will. 

The shocking move came when Curtis decided to change his will only months before he died in September 2010. When he did, he made it very clear exactly where he wanted his fortune to go after his death, and that was to his then-wife, Jill Vandenberg. The two had a huge age gap of 45 years, but they were quite happy together, and she ended up inheriting all of Curtis' wealth and possessions. He wrote in the will, as reported by NBC 5 DFW, "I acknowledge the existence of my children ... and have intentionally and with full knowledge chosen not to provide for them."

Soon after his death, Vandenberg clashed with Curtis' children when she auctioned off over 500 items that belonged to her late husband, including personal letters to other icons, memorabilia from his biggest movies, and more. She was the only beneficiary of the auction. While Curtis' daughter Allegra told The Hollywood Reporter at the time, "This is not what my dad would have wanted," Darren Julien, the owner of the auction house, claimed that Curtis visited and specifically requested the auction before his death. 

Tony Curtis was well-known for seeming picture-perfect on the big screen, a Hollywood heartthrob and role model to many. But his home life was anything but, especially when it came to his children. Curtis welcomed two children, Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis, with his first wife, Janet Leigh, before having two more daughters, Alexandra Curtis and Allegra Curtis, with his second wife, Christine Kaufmann. His youngest two children were sons Nicholas Curtis and Benjamin Curtis, whom he had with his third wife, Leslie Allen. Nicholas died in 1994 of an overdose, and it was reportedly very hard on Curtis.

Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis is arguably his most famous child, and she has been quite open about her complicated relationship with her father. While talking about her stuggles with addiction, Jamie Lee said that she knew her father had the same issue because they once shared drugs. She told Variety in an interview, "There was a period of time where I was the only child that was talking to him... I shared drugs with my dad. I did cocaine and freebased once with my dad." As for her thoughts on her father and their relationship after his death, she said in a statement to People, "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." 

Clearly, they were estranged for a long time, but reportedly not when he died. Despite this, he still left her nothing in his will, but Jamie Lee has never publicly commented on the disinheritance. Meanwhile, some of her siblings attempted to sue, claiming that the changes to the will were made under "duress, menace, fraud, or undue influence" (via Forbes). The lawsuit was quickly dropped.