Kelly Curtis

A rising star with a magnetic screen presence, Kelly Curtis navigates the glitz and shadows of 1980s Hollywood, chasing fame as personal demons and industry pressures threaten to derail her promising career.

Born

June 17, 1956

Died

May 30, 2026

From

Santa Monica, California, USA

Also:
Actress
Director

Credits on file

Decades active

In short · Acted for seven decades — 22 credits.

Remembered for

Ranked by community engagement + sustained interest across this person's credits in our database.

Recent & in release

May 30
In the news
Kelly Curtis, Sister of Jamie Lee Curtis, Dies at 69
“Kelly Curtis, an American actress and the older sister of Jamie Lee Curtis, has died at the age of 69. Her passing was confirmed by Jamie Lee Curtis through a Facebook post. Curtis shared that her sister passed away peacefully at home in nature. Known for her role in 'The Sentinel,' Kelly Curtis was a respected figure in the entertainment industry. Her family's announcement emphasized the serene and natural circumstances of her death, highlighting the close bond between the sisters. The news has sparked an outpouring of tributes from fans and colleagues.”
May 30
In the news
Kelly Curtis, Actress and Sister of Jamie Lee Curtis, Dies at 69
“Kelly Curtis, daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, was an actress who appeared in the foreign films 'Magic Sticks' and 'The Devil's Daughter.' She was the sister of actress Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis passed away at the age of 69.”

Biography

Kelly Lee Curtis (born June 17, 1956) was an American actress known for her roles in *Magic Sticks* (1987) and *The Devil's Daughter* (1991). She was born in Santa Monica, California, the eldest child of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. She had a sister, actress Jamie Lee Curtis (born 1958). Her paternal grandparents were Hungarian-Jewish immigrants, and two of her maternal great-grandparents were Danish, with the rest of her mother’s ancestry being German and Scots-Irish. She had four half-siblings from her father's remarriages: Alexandra Curtis (born July 19, 1964), Allegra Curtis (born July 11, 1966), Nicholas Curtis (December 21, 1970 – July 2, 1994), who died of a drug overdose, and Benjamin Curtis (born May 2, 1973).

Curtis made her first film appearance as a child in the United Artists action/adventure film *The Vikings* (1958), which starred her parents, Kirk Douglas, and Ernest Borgnine. Her parents divorced in 1962, after which her mother married Robert Brandt (1927–2009). In 1978, she graduated from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, with a degree in Business. She worked briefly as a stockbroker before studying acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. An article in the *Los Angeles Times* of July 28, 1982, on the play *Say Goodnight, Gracie* noted that Curtis played the role of Ginny and delivered a touching monologue. She later played the role of Shirley in the comedy *Magic Sticks* (1987), opposite George Kranz, and starred as Miriam Kreisl in the horror film *The Devil's Daughter* (1991).

On September 14, 1989, she married playwright and producer Scott Morfee (born 1954). The couple collaborated on his musical play *Shout and Twist*, in which she both appeared and produced. Curtis was a regular cast member as Lieutenant Carolyn Plummer in the first season of the crime/action television series *The Sentinel* (1996), alongside Richard Burgi, Garett Maggart, and Bruce A. Young. She also made guest appearances on *The Renegades* (1983), *Star Trek: Deep Space Nine* (1993), and *Judging Amy* (1999). She worked as an assistant on the films *Freaky Friday* (2003), *Christmas with the Kranks* (2004), and *You Again* (2010). As of 1990, Curtis and her husband lived in New York on Long Island.

Filmography · 21 of 21

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