Tony Curtis’ Children: All About His Sons and Daughters, Including Actress Jamie Lee Curtis

Legendary actor Tony Curtis welcomed six children: daughters Kelly, Jamie Lee, Alexandra and Allegra and sons Nicholas and Benjamin.

Tony and his first wife, actress Janet Leigh, welcomed daughters Kelly in 1956 and Jamie Lee in 1958. A few years later, he welcomed daughters Alexandra in 1964 and Allegra in 1966 with his second wife, German actress Christine Kaufmann. Tony became a father again with the births of his two sons — Nicholas in 1970 and Benjamin in 1973 — whom he shared with third wife, Leslie Allen.

Tony was estranged from his children throughout their lives and was often absent during their childhoods. Still, the Spartacus star was closer to his sons, though Nicholas died at 23 in 1994. Decades later, the actor’s children reflected on their different relationships with him.

“I had very good years with my father, that none of my sisters had,” Benjamin told The Courier-Gazette in 2010 after Tony’s death. “He wasn’t a good father, that was obvious, especially to his daughters.”

Despite her own experiences, Jamie Lee came to understand his circumstances.

“He was not a father and he was not interested in being a father,” she said on The Talk in 2010. “It’s not a slant against him … He did what he was supposed to do from a financial standpoint, which was honorable of him but he was not an involved father.”

Allegra also reflected on her childhood with Tony. “I think my dad’s greatest accomplishment is that he became a big star and was able to take care of his family,” she told Closer Weekly in 2021. “He had a wonderful way of bringing us all together.”

Here’s everything to know about Tony Curtis’ children, including daughters Kelly, Jamie Lee, Alexandra and Allegra and sons Nicholas and Benjamin.

Kelly Curtis, 68

Tony and Janet welcomed his eldest child, Kelly Lee Curtis, on June 17, 1956.

She quickly followed her parents into the family business, joining them in 1958’s The Vikings when she was just 2 years old.

“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,” she told PEOPLE in 2010.

Jamie Lee has now been sober for decades, a move she sees as breaking generational family patterns.

“I’m breaking the cycle that has basically destroyed the lives of generations in my family,” Jamie Lee told PEOPLE in 2018. “Getting sober remains my single greatest accomplishment.”

Jamie Lee married her husband, Christopher Guest, in 1984 and the couple share two kids. She has continued her life in Hollywood, including with a forthcoming, highly-anticipated sequel of her 2003 movie Freaky Friday.

Alexandra Curtis, 60

Tony and his second wife Christine welcomed their third child, Alexandra Curtis, on July 19, 1964.

Like her two older sisters and her parents, Alexandra pursued acting for a time and appeared in a few projects in the early ‘80s, including 1982’s The Excluded and 1983’s The Gold of Love.

Despite this, Alexandra is the most private of her siblings and lives a life outside of the public eye.

Allegra Curtis, 58

Tony and Christine welcomed their second daughter, Allegra Curtis, on July 11, 1966.

Allegra joined the family business and pursued acting in the ’80s and ’90s, and has since appeared on shows like Germany’s Dschungelcamp (a reality competition show based on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here) in 2013.

Allegra also has a son named Raphael. They attended Tony’s 80th birthday party together in 2005.

She has recounted happier memories of her dad than her siblings, including the ways Tony would make her laugh even if he didn’t see her often.“He was one of the funniest people ever,” she told Closer in 2021. “He would call me and leave me a message like, ‘Allegra, this is Dracula. How long is your neck?’ ”

Nicholas Bernard Curtis

Tony and Leslie welcomed their first son, Nicholas Bernard, on Dec. 31, 1970. He died at age 23 on July 2, 1994, of a heroin overdose.

Before his death, Nicholas was a musician and a student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He mainly grew up in Cape Cod, Mass., with his mom and younger brother.

According to Jamie Lee, Nicholas had been “clean and sober” for a period before his death and overdosed during a relapse.

“He is one of millions and millions of people whose lives have been extinguished because of addiction,” Jamie Lee said on Morning Joe in 2023.

In a 2003 interview with The Cape Cod Times, Tony expressed “no sadness” over his life, except that he missed his “sweet boy” Nicholas. Tony was buried with a pair of Nicholas’ baby shoes when he died in 2010.

“It’s a terrible thing when a father loses his son,” he said.

Benjamin Curtis, 51

Tony and Leslie welcomed their second son, Benjamin Curtis, on May 2, 1973.

Benjamin has acknowledged how his father had a different relationship with him as a young boy, though it was still difficult to live up to his expectations.

“My father had the ability to make me feel like the most special, unique, desired person. He liked recognizing himself in me, there was definitely favoritism,” he told The Courier-Gazette.

Ben now lives in Maine where he manages a bar and raises his three sons with his partner. In the interview with The Courier-Gazette, he expressed how seriously he takes being an active father and how important it is to be with his kids.

“I’m there every day when they wake up and I’m there every night when they go to sleep. And that is important to me,” he said. “To me, personally in my life, that’s the most important thing in parenting, is being present every day.” Looking back, Ben saw how he was able to handle his difficult upbringing with his estranged father by normalizing it, and ultimately learning how to find joy in it.

“The whole extended family dynamic was so chaotic, yet so normal to me,” he said. “I feel I learned to just try to enjoy the times I had with my father.”