The Boston Strangler is a 1968 American biographical crime drama film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, George Kennedy, Mike Kellin, Murray Hamilton, Sally Kellerman and William Hickey. It is loosely based on the true story of the Boston Strangler and the 1966 book of the same name by Gerold Frank.The Boston Strangler was released in the United States on October 16, 1968, by 20th Century Fox. It was a box-office success, grossing over $17 million, but received mixed reviews from critics, with several deriding it as an exploitation film that featured a number of inaccuracies in its depiction of the actual crimes. For his performance as Albert DeSalvo—the man who confessed to being the Strangler—Curtis was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.