Kelly Curtis, the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh and sister of fellow actress Jamie Lee Curtis, has died.
Kelly Curtis died Saturday morning, “In nature. At peace,” Jamie Lee Curtis wrote in an Instagram post. Her cause of death was not given. She was 69.
She was my first friend and lifelong confidant. She was jaw droppingly beautiful, and a talented actress,” Jamie Lee Curtis wrote of her sister in the post. “She played a mean game of hearts, collected turtles, loved her family, nature, music, thrifting, travel, Facebook, and Pokémon Go. She was proud of her Danish roots and Hungarian Jewish ancestry and was a devoted American patriot.
“She will be remembered for her loving generosity, fierce opinions, endless curiosity, unique style, and her powdered, almond, crescent cookies at Christmas, hence her name, Auntie Cookie,” the actress added.
Born Kelly Lee Curtis on June 17, 1956, the actress was the oldest of the two Curtis siblings. Jamie Lee Curtis was born on Nov. 22, 1958.
Kelly Curtis’ screen debut was in April 1983 in a guest role in an episode of the ABC crime drama The Renegades, a short-lived series starring Patrick Swayze and Kurtwood Smith. Two months later, she appeared in a supporting role in the comedy classic Trading Places, starring her younger sister alongside Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd.
Kelly Curtis Worked Mostly In Television
While she appeared in roles in feature films, Kelly Curtis largely worked in television, appearing in guest roles on such hit shows as Hunter, Silk Stalkings and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In addition, Curtis had starring roles in the TV movies Kojak: Ariana, Thanksgiving Day and False Arrest, and also played a recurring role in the first season of the UPN action adventure series The Sentinel in 1996.
Curtis’ last two screen appearances were in guest roles in the shows LateLine and Judging Amy, both in 1999.
In addition to acting, Curtis teamed with fellow filmmaker and husband John P. Marsh to direct the documentary features Marby Jets Are Go (2018) and Curling in Stanley (2019). Jamie Lee Curtis was the focus of her sister and Marsh’s 2012 docmentary The Night She Came Home!!, in which the Halloween film series star made a rare appearance at the Horror Hound Convention to raise money for Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
Jamie Lee Curtis finished her Instagram post on Saturday by noting, “Kelly always signed off any message or fare thee well with a Hungarian blessing … Isten Veled, God is with you. Isten Veled to my sister of the sun and the moon, my Tai. I’ll see you on down the line.”