Tim Curry, the unmistakable British actor whose theatrical flair, booming voice and talent for playing wonderfully eccentric characters made him a pop-culture fixture for generations, has died at 80.
Curry died peacefully Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to his longtime manager, Marcia Hurwitz. A specific cause of death was not immediately announced.
For millions of movie fans, Curry will forever be associated with Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the outrageous mad scientist at the center of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Curry originated the character onstage before bringing the role to the screen in the 1975 musical comedy.
The movie was hardly an instant blockbuster. Instead, it found its audience gradually, becoming a midnight-screening phenomenon in which moviegoers dressed as characters, shouted along with the dialogue and turned screenings into performances of their own.
That unusual second life transformed the film into an enduring cult classic and Curry into an icon.
Yet Rocky Horror represented only one corner of a career that stretched across film, television, theater, music and voice acting.
Curry displayed a particular gift for characters who could be funny, sinister and flamboyant at the same time. He played the frantic butler Wadsworth in the 1985 mystery comedy Clue and transformed himself into the imposing Darkness for Ridley Scott’s fantasy film Legend.
A generation of horror viewers encountered a considerably more frightening Curry when he played Pennywise in the 1990 television adaptation of Stephen King’s It.
His other film appearances included Annie, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, The Hunt for Red October, The Three Musketeers and Muppet Treasure Island.
Curry was equally accomplished onstage. His Broadway work earned him three Tony Award nominations, including recognition for performances in Amadeus, My Favorite Year and Monty Python’s Spamalot.
His distinctive voice also opened another major chapter in his career. Curry became a prolific performer in animation, television and other voice roles, winning a Daytime Emmy for his performance as Captain Hook in Peter Pan and the Pirates.
A severe stroke in 2012 affected Curry’s mobility and left him using a wheelchair. Although his screen appearances became less frequent, he continued performing and remained connected to the projects and audiences that had made him famous.
He even returned to the Rocky Horror universe in the 2016 television production The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again, this time appearing as the narrator.
Few performers managed to make theatrical excess look quite as effortless as Curry did. Whether playing a murderous clown, a suspicious butler, a fantasy demon or the most famous resident of Transsexual, Transylvania, he rarely disappeared quietly into the scenery.
Instead, Tim Curry made being unforgettable something of a career.
