Tim Curry

Timothy James Curry (1946–2026) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned nearly 60 years and included over 240 credits across screen and stage. He first gained wide recognition for playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show and its 1975 film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Throughout his career, he worked extensively in theatre, film, television, voice-over performance, and music.

Curry was born on 19 April 1946 in Grappenhall, Cheshire. His mother worked as a school secretary, and his father was a Royal Navy chaplain. He grew up with an elder sister and spent parts of his early childhood in Hong Kong and various British seaside towns before his family settled in Plymouth when he was 11. Following his father's death in 1958, Curry attended Kingswood School in Bath, Somerset, where he sang as a boy soprano in church choirs. He later studied English and drama at the University of Birmingham, graduating in 1968.

Curry made his professional acting debut in the West End production of Hair from 1968 to 1969. In 1973, he originated the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, performing the part in London, Los Angeles, and New York City through 1975. Reprising the role in the 1975 film adaptation established him as a household name with a cult following. He subsequently returned to the stage in Tom Stoppard's Travesties in London and New York.

On stage, Curry earned three Tony Award nominations for his Broadway performances as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Amadeus, Alan Swann in My Favorite Year, and King Arthur in Spamalot. He also received two Laurence Olivier Award nominations for his West End roles in The Pirates of Penzance and Spamalot. His other notable theatrical appearances included roles in The Rivals, The Threepenny Opera, and A Christmas Carol.

In film, Curry appeared in a variety of comedic and dramatic roles. His notable screen credits include playing Rooster Hannigan in Annie, the Lord of Darkness in Legend, Wadsworth in Clue, the Concierge in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers, and Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island. He also appeared in feature films such as The Hunt for Red October, Congo, Charlie's Angels, Scary Movie 2, and Kinsey. On television, he portrayed Pennywise in the 1990 miniseries It and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his role in Tales from the Crypt.

Curry was also a prolific voice actor and musician. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for voicing Captain Hook in Peter Pan & the Pirates and received a Grammy Award nomination for his audiobook reading of A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning. His other voice projects included FernGully: The Last Rainforest, The Wild Thornberrys, Brütal Legend, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Outside of acting, Curry released three solo studio albums: Read My Lips, Fearless, and Simplicity, with the latter two charting on the US Billboard 200. His memoir, Vagabond, was published in 2025, a year before his death on 25 August 2026.