Hungarian Minister of Economy, János Kóka, and
Ambassador Simonyi traveled to Las Vegas last week to attend a birthday
celebration in honor of actor Tony Curtis' 80th birthday at the MGM
Grand Hotel.
The attendees, who included close friends of Tony and
Jill Cutis, as well as art curators, could view a retrospective
exhibition of Mr. Curtis' paintings, which were put on sale to benefit
Jill Curtis' charitable organization, the Shiloh
Horse Rescue and Sanctuary.
On Saturday evening, Minister Kóka and Ambassador
Simonyi were welcomed on stage by actor Larry Manetti, of "Magnum,
P.I." and "Starsky and Hutch" fame, who was also MC for
the evening, as well as Tony Curtis' daughter, actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
On behalf of the Hungarian Government, the Minister and the Ambassador
presented Mr. Curtis with a custom-made Herend porcelain vase featuring
Mr. Curtis' portrait. According to Ambassador Simonyi, Tony Curtis was
visibly moved by the gesture.
Minister
Kóka praised Mr. Curtis as someone who has given Hungary and Hungarians a
good name in the U.S. "We have now combined two outstanding
achievements to come out of Hungary - Tony Curtis and Herend," said
the Minister.
Photos by CharMaine Beleele
www.angelkissedphotography.com
