Kelly Curtis, actress, director, and the eldest daughter of Hollywood icons Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, has passed away at the age of 69. The news was announced by her younger sister, actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who shared a heartfelt tribute on social media revealing that Kelly died peacefully at her home on May 30. “A warm aloha to my older sister, Kelly Lee Curtis,” Jamie Lee Curtis wrote. “She passed away this morning. In her home. In nature. At peace.”
Remembering her sister as both a lifelong friend and confidant, Jamie described Kelly as a woman known for her generosity, curiosity, strong opinions, love for family, travel, nature, and her unique sense of style. She also fondly recalled Kelly’s famous Christmas almond crescent cookies, which earned her the family nickname “Auntie Cookie.”
Born in Santa Monica, California, in 1956, Kelly Curtis made her first screen appearance as an infant in the 1958 film The Vikings, which starred both of her parents. However, rather than immediately pursuing an acting career, she attended Skidmore College and later studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.
Kelly returned to acting in the early 1980s and appeared alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in the comedy classic Trading Places. Throughout the decade and into the 1990s, she built a steady career with appearances in projects including The Renegades, The Equalizer, Kojak, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Sentinel, Silk Stalkings, Hunter, and Judging Amy.
One of her notable film roles came in 1991’s The Devil’s Daughter, a project co-written and produced by acclaimed Italian filmmaker Dario Argento.
Beyond acting, Curtis also worked behind the scenes. She served as an assistant to Jamie Lee Curtis on films such as Freaky Friday, Christmas with the Kranks, and You Again. She later directed several projects, including the 2018 documentary Marby Jets Are Go and the Halloween documentary The Night She Came Home.
Jamie Lee Curtis concluded her tribute by recalling a blessing Kelly often used when saying goodbye: “Isten Veled,” which translates to “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,” she wrote.
Kelly Curtis is survived by her husband, producer Scott Morfee, whom she married in 1989, as well as her half-siblings Alexandra, Allegra, and Ben.