Tragic Details About Jamie Lee Curtis
The following references sexual harassment, addiction,
The daughter of "The Defiant One," Tony Curtis, and "Psycho" scream queen Janet Leigh, Jamie Lee Curtis was born into Hollywood royalty. But unlike her mom, Jamie Lee has always been the last girl (okay, we're going to ignore that sequel for the time being). Immortalized as Laurie Strode in the "Halloween" franchise, fans eagerly await the release of "Halloween Ends," where Curtis will again reprise her role as the high schooler turned bada** combat warrior. The actor's "last girl" status is symbolic of her courage and will to survive in a sphere as unpredictable as Hollywood.
Indeed, in an industry of Insta-ready, impossibly smoothed faces, Jamie Lee is a refreshing reminder that a body positive attitude and illustrious Hollywood career are not mutually exclusive. In March 2022, she posted a snapshot of her un-retouched, authentic self working on "Everything Everywhere All at Once." "I have never felt more free creatively and physically," she wrote. Things weren't always so rosy for the beloved silver screen star, however.
Being born to Hollywood A-listers undoubtedly has its pitfalls. Yet, she has been able to come out through the darkness, telling the Independent, "I am in full acceptance of who I am... I think that liberation of self-acceptance, which comes with age and experience, has freed me to now be more creative today than I have been since I was 19." But it certainly wasn't easy getting to that place of self-love and inner peace: these are the tragic details about Jamie Lee Curtis.
Jamie Lee Curtis' parents split when she was a kid
The daughter of "Psycho" star Janet Leigh and acting dynamo Tony Curtis, one might assume that Jamie Lee Curtis had an idyllic childhood in the Hollywood Hills. But, as Rolling Stone noted in a 1985 profile, it didn't take long before the power couple's marriage turned ugly. When Jamie Lee was just three years old, her parents called it quits.
There was intense press intrusion into the celebrity divorce. Tony Curtis told Reuters that tabloids displayed headlines such as "Tony is going with a teenager and his children are crying," but he insisted that he made the right decision in divorcing Leigh, which he said was instrumental to his future happiness. While he may have been happy with the outcome, his young daughter certainly wasn't.
In an essay for More magazine (via Express), Jamie Lee revealed that her parents had her in an attempt to save their disintegrating marriage. "By the time I came along... my parents' bond had deteriorated precipitously as their stardom grew," she wrote. "And, like any other save-the-marriage baby, I failed." The actor went on to explain that her father left her mom for a 17-year-old girl, for which Janet Leigh harbored much animosity. And, while Leigh eventually "persevered through it all and survived," Jamie Lee admitted that she didn't. The divorce was incredibly difficult on the youngster, who watched Leigh get burnout whilst caring for her children and financially supporting them, as she discussed in an interview with Good Housekeeping.
Growing up with famous parents wasn't easy
Born into an acting dynasty, Jamie Lee Curtis enjoyed a prosperous childhood. But riches were no replacement for unconditional love. One of the hardest things about being born to superstar parents was growing up in the limelight, which Curtis says stifled her growth as a child. "It screwed with my head," she told Rolling Stone. "You're a child trying to develop an identity and a sense of self-worth, and all this Hollywood stuff plagues you and makes you kind of wonder who you are."
In addition to the perils of being the product of a Hollywood upbringing, Curtis lamented the insecurity that pervaded her childhood, with her parents constantly remarrying other people. For instance, while the young, self-doubting Curtis was lacking in paternal nurturing, her dad was tying the knot with 18-year-old Christine Kaufmann. As the "Halloween" star explained to Fast Company, the frequent divorces and remarriages resulted in much conflict, which she still struggles to deal with.
"There is nothing harder than being a child," Curtis told AARP. With 9 marriages in her family, she said she was left with a lack of stability and a sense of deep vulnerability. Tragically, Curtis admitted that amidst all the familial turmoil, she never felt loved as a child. "That killed me," she bitterly conceded. Tony Curtis himself acknowledged that there had always been a sense of sadness to Jamie Lee. In "American Prince," he noted that his daughter rarely smiled and often "sat quietly, keeping her thoughts to herself."
Her father was 'a stranger' and 'an enemy'
Tony Curtis may have been an accomplished actor, but when it came to parenting, his daughter has said he was severely lacking. According to Rolling Stone, Jamie Lee Curtis' relationship with her dad completely fell apart when he left. "My father was sort of a stranger, then a real stranger, then an enemy," she confessed to the outlet.
The elder Curtis suffered his own personal tragedy as a child. For instance, he was badly "ill-treated by his mother" and his parents were so impoverished that they had to place him into an orphanage, per The Guardian. Then, when Tony was 12, his brother was killed and he was forced to identify the body, all of which the actor tearfully recounted in an interview with psychologist Pamela Stephenson. As a result, he admitted that he hardly cared whether he lived or died, which may help to explain his distance from his daughter.
Speaking with People in 1994, the "Spartacus" star said he barely saw Jamie Lee as a child, noting that she was highly "introverted at one point." Though he went on to state that he became "friends" with his daughter when "she was 17 or 18," it seems that this closeness was ephemeral. Subsequently, as Jamie Lee told "The Talk" (via E! News) following his death in 2010, the elder Curtis "was not a father. He was not interested in being a father." Meanwhile, a source confirmed to E! News that the father and daughter duo "were not close. Ever."
Jamie Lee Curtis' brother died young
In 1968, when Jamie Lee Curtis was nine, her father married his third wife, 23-year-old Leslie Allen, per The New York Times. Two years later, they welcomed Jamie Lee's half brother, Nicholas Curtis. A musician, Nicholas tragically died at the age of just 23 in 1994, per AP. According to SF Gate, he overdosed after being given a particularly potent dose of heroin, which led to him suffering a fatal seizure. Subsequently, two men were arrested in connection with his death after police found a package, chillingly labeled "ready to die," by his body.
The death of Nicholas devastated his sister. As Jamie Lee poignantly told Variety, "I had six siblings. I have five." Speaking with The Irish Times, she revealed that Nicholas' death "brought the whole family together somewhat," though this reconciliation was all too brief and, once again, father and daughter parted ways.
In his autobiography, "American Prince," Tony Curtis said that he partly blamed himself for his son's drug overdose due to his own issues with drug use. "Did he inherit from me a tendency for substance abuse?" he pondered. As Jamie Lee reflected in an interview with Hello!, this family history of drug use has long haunted her, leading to her own issues with substance misuse. "I have a generational link to addiction and substance abuse in my family," she said, highlighting that, eventually, she had been able to break the familial cycle.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Jamie Lee Curtis used drugs with her dad
"I had a very abnormal normal childhood," is how Jamie Lee Curtis described her upbringing when chatting to Rolling Stone. And she's not wrong. In that same interview, it's mentioned that Tony Curtis long had an addiction to cocaine. Unfortunately, this addiction manifested itself in toxic ways for his daughter. Although father and daughter had a fractured relationship, they eventually connected, albeit fleetingly and in a devastating way.
In an interview with Variety, Curtis revealed that she took drugs with her dad as an unconventional means of bonding. "I did cocaine and freebased once with my dad," she admitted. "But that was the only time I did that, and I did that with him." The Irish Times notes that the pair bonding over drugs was reflective of their codependency, as they both struggled with addiction at the time. Indeed, Curtis admitted to Variety, "I knew my dad had an issue because I had an issue and he and I shared drugs."
Tony's relationship with his daughter mirrored his relationships with the other women in his life, starting with his tumultuous connection with his mother, who never loved him, to his numerous failed romantic pursuits, as he hinted at in an interview with The Guardian. Jamie Lee's half-sister Allegra Curtis once branded their father a "drug-addicted 'demon,'" according to the Daily Mail.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Jamie Lee Curtis' mother died
In 2004, Janet Leigh died of vasculitis, per RogerEbert.com. She was 77. As Ebert notes, Leigh's health had deteriorated rapidly once she was diagnosed with the inflammatory blood disease and she died after living with the condition for just one year.
Following her mom's death, Jamie Lee Curtis spoke with Black Film about the deep complexities of their relationship. "She really lived that fantasy life. ... I'm jaded and time tested and all the things that my mother wasn't. ... I don't think she appreciated that I wasn't going to work as much. I don't think she agreed with me." Leigh's intense work ethic was a reflection of her own turbulent upbringing. As noted in "Janet Leigh: A Biography," the "Psycho" star's parents were extremely poor and saw in their daughter a "child prodigy," deeming her destined for stardom as a means of helping the family out of poverty.
Reflecting on her mom, Curtis told Good Housekeeping that Leigh was adept at playing the role of a supportive and loving parent, but she was often absent emotionally. "My mother looked good on the outside as a mother," she stated. "She showed up to stuff and seemed to be paying attention." But in reality, Leigh was all consumed by her demanding work schedule, leaving her daughter feeling a lack of connection at times. "I don't know that I ever saw my mother sit down, let alone take a nap or read a book," she revealed.
She developed an addiction to painkillers and alcohol
Following a routine cosmetic surgery procedure to correct her "puffy eyes" in the late '80s, Jamie Lee Curtis became addicted to Vicodin, a powerful painkiller, and also began drinking. In a 2019 interview with Variety, she spoke candidly about her addiction and the difficult road to recovery. Curtis explained that she expertly played the role of doting mother and wife, as well as acclaimed Hollywood actor, while struggling behind the scenes. On the surface, Curtis said, she appeared to have it all. But addiction, which is classified as a disease by the American Medical Association, can affect anyone, regardless of how seemingly perfect one's life may appear.
For a decade, she managed to keep her disease a secret, which is symptomatic of the widespread stigma surrounding addiction. When Curtis finally told her husband, Christopher Guest, he was loving and supportive. "The secret, the shameful secret, is the reason why it is such a pervasive illness in our industry. ... It is the secret shame that keeps people locked up in their disease," she told Variety.
Subsequently, she attended recovery meetings and got sober in 1999. Without seeking help, Curtis told AARP, she would be "dead for sure." On "Today," she emphasized the importance of opening up about her illness and breaking the associated taboo, declaring, "you're only as sick as your secrets." Speaking with Good Housekeeping, she said that recovering from addiction is the greatest achievement of her entire life, outshining all her acting accomplishments.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
She faced sexual harassment in Hollywood
At school, Jamie Lee Curtis was targeted due to her unconventional appearance. She attended the boarding school Choate and was mocked for turning up to the elite institution with hippie hair and flairs. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she described this period in her life as "just a f***ing killer." As Curtis elaborated, she changed her clothing and hair in accordance with the appearances of the other girls at school in order to fit in. "It was a nightmare. I've never been so depressed," she said, admitting that she had "very low self-confidence growing up."
Once she reached the heights of Hollywood, Curtis found that her body was being judged in a different way. Like many actors — as has been apparent from the MeToo movement — Curtis was exploited sexually. "My biggest roles were to do with my physicality, my body, my sexuality," she told The Guardian. As Curtis previously explained to Rolling Stone, finding fame at a young age came with a price: despite being an immensely talented actor, she was still reduced to her physical attributes.
In a blog for HuffPost, Curtis revealed that was sexually harassed in Hollywood. "I, too, have been subjected to my own private, personal versions of sexual harassment on the job," she wrote. "Did I ask for it? No. What I simply asked for was a job, and what came with it was sexual harassment." Accordingly, she expressed her hope that the MeToo movement would lead to more abusers being exposed.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Jamie Curtis has worried she's 'a failure as a mother'
When she became a mom, Jamie Lee Curtis found herself repeating many of the mistakes she learnt from her parents during her unhappy childhood. Sadly, she has many regrets about how she raised her two adopted daughters, Ruby Guest and Annie Guest, even going so far as to tell Good Housekeeping that she often feels like "a failure as a mother." As she went on to explain, this hopeless feeling was due to the fact that, "despite my best efforts, I have replicated parts of how I was parented [that I didn't want to]. Even though I vowed not to... in many ways I repeated some of the same problems."
In an interview with USA Today, Curtis revealed that, while making "A Fish Called Wanda," she "cried every day to and from work" because she couldn't bear having to leave her baby daughter at home. She explained that her life consisted solely of working for 12 hours at a time, seeing her sleeping baby for an hour, then returning to a 12 hour shift, thereby mirroring the behavior of her overworked mother.
Thankfully, Curtis did find a way of being able to break the habits she learnt from her parents: Yogurt commercials provided a means for her to be with her daughters while still earning money. "It's the reason that I sold yogurt that makes you s*** for seven years. ... It allowed me to earn money and stay home," she joked on 'Today."
She helped a dying fan in his hour of need
We've all wished upon a star, but for some fans, wishes really can come true thanks to their favorite stars. When 29-year-old "Halloween" superfan Anthony Woodle was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2019, the director of the movie's latest installment, David Gordon Green, got in touch, per The Post and Courier. Green arranged for Woodle to watch a special preview of "Halloween" before his health deteriorated further. "That was the most I've seen him smile," his fiancée Emilee told The Post and Courier. After hearing about this, Curtis decided to get in touch with Woodle. "I thought [it] was a beautiful gesture and I simply followed it up by calling Anthony and started having a conversation to say, I could tell him any secrets," she told "The Talk" (via ET).
When Curtis spoke to Woodle, she discovered that his one wish was to wed his beloved fiancée before he left this world. Thanks to Curtis, his dream was made a reality when the actor officiated his wedding in 2020. "Anthony and Emilee, all anyone is promised is this moment," Curtis told the couple before pronouncing them husband and wife, per Deadline. Tragically, Woodle died less than an hour later.
"It was a privilege. He was the greatest 'Halloween' fan in the world, and I know a lot of them," Curtis poignantly told "The Talk." Palpably moved by Woodle's tragic story, the actor exhibited the ultimate act of compassion for a devoted fan.
Tony Curtis' death hit hard
In 2010, Tony Curtis died at the age of 85 after suffering a cardiac arrest, per the Los Angeles Times. As reported by People, Jamie Lee Curtis gave a statement following his death, in which she lamented that her father left behind "children and their families who loved him and respected him" as well as "fans all over the world." However, the tribute was devoid of any personalized recollections of her father, which is a tragic manifestation of their tumultuous relationship. Yet, despite the pair's differences, Tony Curtis' widow, Jill Vandenberg, told Inside Edition that Jamie Lee had taken the loss of her father "very badly."
When the acting great was laid to rest, over 400 people came to pay their respects, including numerous Hollywood A-listers, per "World War II Veterans in Hollywood." At the funeral, Jamie Lee's words were tinged with rancor and regret. "My dad was a little 'mashugana' [Yiddish for crazy, but full of life]. All of us got something from him. I, of course, got his desperate need for attention," she confessed.
Years after her father's death, Jamie Lee still struggles with the idea that she was the product of a toxic relationship. On Instagram, she shared a throwback snap of her parents and devastatingly wrote, "There are only a couple reminders to me that I was born from love and not resentment, competition, jealousy and rancor which are the cornerstones of any unpleasant divorce."
Jamie Lee Curtis was cut out of her dad's will
Jamie Lee and Tony Curtis may have attempted to reconcile towards the end of the latter's life, but his final gesture as a father was a devastating blow to his kids. Per Inside Edition, the elder Curtis omitted his offspring from his will, leaving a majority of his estate to his sixth and final wife, Jill Vandenberg, who is 12 years younger than Jamie Lee. Speaking to the outlet, Vandenberg maintained that her late husband left a substantial amount of money to fund his grandchildren's education. But this came as little solace to Jamie Lee and her siblings, all of whom were reportedly angered by their father's last will and testament, which stipulated, "I acknowledge the existence of my children, and have intentionally and with full knowledge chosen not to provide for them." What's more, when Tony's belongings went up for auction, Vandenberg was, as Allegra Curtis told The Hollywood Reporter, "the only beneficiary."
There have been suggestions that the Hollywood legend was persuaded to change his will as his health declined. Jamie Lee's sister Kelly Curtis decided to sue the Curtis estate, claiming that her father was the product of "undue influence," per Forbes. Tony's ex-wife Christine Kaufmann also raised concerns. "He was a nice Jewish father, and you know that nice Jewish fathers do not disinherit their children," Kaufmann told the Daily Mail. "Tony was on strong painkillers at the end, and they make you really stoned."