Tim Curry, an icon of lovable and eccentric villains, dies at 80

Tim Curry, famous for his role as the cross-dressing mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter in ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, has died at the age of 80.

Curry passed away at his home in Los Angeles on August 26, according to The Hollywood Reporter, citing his manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz.

His cause of death remains unknown. The actor had suffered a debilitating stroke in 2012.

‘The sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania’

Born Timothy James Curry on April 19, 1946, the English actor began his professional acting career in 1968 at a West End production of ‘Hair’.

Curry then originated the character of Dr. Frank-N-Furter — “the sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania” — in Richard O’Brien’s ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ when it debuted in 1973 at London’s Royal Court Theatre.

He later reprised the role for the 1975 film adaptation alongside Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick.

The incredibly campy musical later became a cult classic after initially flopping at the box office, with its midnight showings turning into a perfect venue for fans to dress up as their favorite character while they dance and sing to Curry’s sensual and iconic performance of ‘Sweet Transvestite’ and other favorites such as ‘Time Warp’ and ‘Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch-Me’.

Curry’s decision to give Dr. Frank-N-Furter a queer and seductive aura earned the love of many around the world, but especially members of the LGBTQ+ community.

In a 2005 interview with NPR, Curry described the film as “a chance for people to try on a few roles for size, maybe help them figure out their own sexuality.”

“I’ve certainly had some very interesting and moving mail from people who’ve said, ‘Thanks for helping me figure out who I was,’ and that’s very nice,” he added.

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Iconic, lovable villains

With his natural talent for comedy, Curry provided a certain air of eccentricity to the villainous roles he later played, which audiences learned to both love and hate.

In 1990, Curry brought the evil clown Pennywise to life in a television miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘It’.

The show’s director, Tommy Lee Wallace, in a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, likened Curry to actor Robin Williams “in the way he brought a spontaneous improvisation to the part.”

His fascinating ability to play lovable antagonists was also seen in his characters in ‘Annie’, ‘Charlie’s Angels’, ‘The Three Musketeers’ and ‘Muppet Treasure Island’.

Curry’s other film credits include ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York’, ‘Clue’, and ‘The Hunt for Red October’.

He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 1994 for playing an entire murderous family in ‘Tales from the Crypt’.

A talented stage – and voice actor

Curry also proved to be a powerhouse on stage, gathering both Tony and Olivier nominations.

He earned nominations for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal as the Pirate King in ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ and King Arthur in ‘Spamalot’, a musical based on the 1975 film ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’.

He was nominated for the Tonys on three occasions — in 1981 for Best Actor in a Play as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in ‘Amadeus’, and in 1993 and 2005 for Best Actor in a Musical as Alan Swann in ‘My Favorite Year’ and again as King Arthur in Broadway’s ‘Spamalot’.

Curry was also an insanely talented voice actor, with some of his works including Captain Hook on Fox’s ‘Peter Pan and the Pirates’, which got him a Daytime Emmy award in 1990, and Lemony Snicket’s ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning’. He was nominated for a Grammy in 2006 for the latter.

During an interview last year with CBS Sunday Morning, Curry, who had been in a wheelchair since his stroke, was asked if he was afraid of dying.

His answer: “No, I’m not. I don’t fear death. I try to avoid it, as I think we all do, but I suspect that in the end I will welcome it.”

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