RIP Tim Curry

In sad news, British actor Tim Curry has passed away at the age of 80. One of the best-known and most popular actors of his generation, Curry was known for his charisma, acting skill, singing voice, his ability to make the cheesiest roles his own, and his generosity to fans.

Born in Cheshire in 1946, Curry was raised abroad in Hong Kong as well as different towns around the UK. At school he studied singing and became a soprano. He decided to focus on acting and studied drama at the University of Birmingham, graduating in 1968.

Curry almost immediately demonstrated his flamboyance and love of combining acting with singing and dancing by appearing in the West End musical Hair, which involved interactions with the audience (including dancing with my mother during one performance!). He met Richard O'Brien during the tour and they struck up a key friendship.

When O'Brien was developing The Rocky Horror Show, he reconnected with Curry and cast him in the key role of Frank-N-Furter. Curry relished early reviews of the play in 1973 which called him "ambisextrous" and "Bowiesque." Curry played the role in London and New York, attracting significant acclaim. Curry continued the role in the 1975 film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which made him an immediate star. The film's longevity, with regular viewing parties at cinemas worldwide to this very day and the mega-selling soundtrack album, is almost unmatched among pop culture phenomena.

Curry would go on to enjoy considerable success on stage through the 1970s and 1980s, such as the title role in Peter Shaffer's Amadeus, and continued with TV and film roles in the UK and USA, keeping a toe in both countries. In 1985 Curry enjoyed additional success with his roles as the Lord of Darkness in Ridley Scott's Legend and Wadsworth the Butler in Clue, the latter being arguably his second-biggest film role as the movie became another cult success, frequently referenced to this day.

In the late 1980s he focused on Hollywood work, and famously turned up in movies both excellent and dismal, though he was never less then supremely entertaining in them. His work ethic was formidable. Iconic roles  followed in The Hunt for Red October (1990), Home Alone 2 (1992), Loaded Weapon 1 (1993), The Three Musketeers (1993), The Shadow (1994) and Congo (1995). He also played scores of guest roles on television, but his outstanding performance was playing Pennywise in the 1990 TV mini-series Stephen King's It.

Curry also had a substantial career in animation, providing voices for shows such as The Wild Thornberries, Captain Planet and Gargoyles. He also began providing voice-over work for video games, including Wing Commander III, Toonstruck, Brutal Legend, Dragon Age: Origins and the Gabriel Knight series. In 2008 he played the role of Premier Anatoly Cherdenko in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 and gave what is generally regarded as the most hilarious line reading in filmed history.

Curry enjoyed a late career surge starting with his role as King Arthur in Spamalot on the stage. He took over the role of Emperor Palpatine in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and appeared in the film Burke & Hare.

Curry experienced a stroke in 2012 which left him unable to walk and partially paralysed. He worked hard at rehabilitation and resumed voice-over roles, as he found memorising lines after his stroke very difficult. In 2016 he made his last on-screen appearance, fittingly in the television remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. His final role was a voice-over in the horror movies Stream (2024) and Stream 2: Sudden Death (2026). In 2025 he published his autobiography, Vagabond.

An international treasure, noted for his quick wit, humour, warmth and impressive output, Tim Curry will very much be missed.