Kelly Curtis, an American actress and the sister of Jamie Lee Curtis, died on Saturday. She was 69.
Jamie Lee Curtis announced her older sister’s death in a Facebook post. She wrote, “A warm aloha to my older sister, Kelly Lee Curtis. She passed away this morning. In her home. In nature. At peace. She was my first friend and lifelong confidant. She was jaw droppingly beautiful, and a talented actress. 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 continued, “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. 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.”
Kelly Curtis appeared alongside her younger sister in the 1983 comedy “Trading Places.” She also worked as her assistant on “Freaky Friday,” “Christmas With the Kranks” and “You Again.”
Curtis appeared as Lieutenant Carolyn Plummer in the first season of UPN’s action series “The Sentinel.” She also had one-off roles in shows like “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “The Equalizer,” “Hunter,” “Silk Stalkings,” “LateLine” and “Judging Amy.”
On the film side, Curtis starred in the 1987 comedy “Magic Sticks” and the 1990 TV movie “Thanksgiving Day,” which also featured Mary Tyler Moore. Her other film credits include “False Arrest” and “The Sect.”
Curtis’ most recent work was as director of a pair of documentaries. The first, 2018’s “Marby Jets Are Go,” chronicled the ups and downs of an Australian high school track team. The second, 2019’s “Curling in Stanley,” captured the first-ever “Sawtooth Outdoor Bonspiel” curling tournament in Stanley, Idaho.
Born in Santa Monica in 1956, Curtis’ big screen debut was in the 1958 action-adventure film “The Vikings,” which starred her parents, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.
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