Oscar-Nominated Actor Tony Curtis Dead at 85

Sept. 30, 2010— -- Actor Tony Curtis, who co-starred in movies that ranged from toga epics like "Spartacus" to comedies like "Some Like It Hot," has died.

His death was confirmed to ABC News by Curtis' business manager and family spokesman, Preston Ahearn.

Curtis died peacefully at 12 a.m. ET while lying in bed beside his wife in their home in Henderson, Nev. He was 85 years old.

Curtis starred alongside Jack Lemon and Marilyn Monroe in "Some Like It Hot."

He dominated the box office in the 1950s and 1960s, with his 1957 turn in "The Sweet Smell of Success" playing opposite Burt Lancaster, and earned an Oscar nomination for "The Defiant Ones."

But Curtis may best be remembered for the magic touch he displayed with some of Hollywood's leading ladies, including Monroe, Natalie Wood and Janet Leigh -- the first of his six wives.

Curtis and Leigh had two children, actresses Kelly and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925, in the Bronx, New York, Curtis joined the Marines in World War II.

He changed his name to Tony Curtis when he began his movie career in 1949.

Curtis, whose career spanned roughly 60 years, overcame an impoverished childhood that came with its share of tragedy (a brief stint in an orphanage, the death of a younger brother), and later, battled drug and alcohol addiction, to endure as one of America's leading film stars.