Tim Curry, actor famed for 'Rocky Horror Picture Show,' dead at 80

LOS ANGELES — Tim Curry, the baritone-voiced British actor who pranced to movie fame as a singing, lingerie-clad "sweet transvestite" in the 1975 cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," has died at age ​80, Variety and other outlets reported.

A cause of death was not immediately given, but Curry had been in ill health for some time.

Curry appeared in numerous movies, often as a hammy villain, was nominated three times for a Tony Award for Broadway roles, and performed voice work ‌in many animated films and TV shows.

But his best-known role was Dr. Frank N. Furter, which came in his debut film, the outrageous, crowd-pleasing horror-comedy-musical "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," co-starring Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick.

In a ‌1975 television interview, Curry noted the risk ‌of having his career defined by such an outlandish role — a prescient worry, as it turned out. "When I read it, I just thought ⁠it was very, very witty and funny," Curry said, although he confessed to some initial reluctance.

"I mean, ⁠I was hesitant in that, if it worked, it might be a difficult thing to shake off. But, really, I've always thought that it (a part) wasn't worth doing unless you took a risk," Curry said.

Among his other films were "Charlie's Angels" (2000), "Muppet Treasure Island" (1996), "The Shadow" (1994), "The Three Musketeers" (1993), "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992), "Clue" (1985), "Legend" (1985) and "Annie" (1982).

Over-the-top villians

Curry did much of his best work on stage. He was nominated for a Tony, Broadway's top honor, in 1981 for his role as Mozart in "Amadeus," a tale of the great composer's rivalry with the jealous Salieri. Curry was also nominated for a Tony in 1993 for "My Favorite Year" and in ‌2005 for his role as King Arthur in the zany "Monty Python's Spamalot."

Possessing a rich baritone voice, he was in demand ​as a voice actor for animated films and TV shows. He won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991 for his voice work on the animated "Peter Pan & the Pirates."

With his sinister grin and menacing laugh, Curry was frequently cast in Hollywood films as a villain - sometimes with comic overtones, which let him deliver the type of over-the-top performances for which he was famed.

"I do love those roles – they're always the best written," Curry told interviewer Andrew Kay in 2011.

He conceded that some of his movies were mediocre, singling out 1995's "Congo," a tale of diamond mines and killer gorillas.

"I was really very bad in it," Curry said. "I won a Razzie award for one of the worst performances of the year – and I richly deserved it, too."

A cult following

Curry was born in the English ​village of Grappenhall, Cheshire, on April 19, 1946. His father, a Royal Navy chaplain, died when he was 12. His mother was a school secretary.

Curry studied drama at Birmingham University.

In 1973, he landed the ‌part of Dr. ‌Frank N. Furter in the original ⁠London stage version of "The Rocky Horror Show." He performed the play in New York and Los Angeles before it was made into a film, renamed "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

The movie was not an instant hit, but it won a cult following through midnight screenings in New York City and elsewhere, with audience members often dressing up as "Rocky Horror" characters.

Curry withdrew from a British stage production in 2011 due to ill health. In 2013, his agent said that he had suffered a stroke but was recovering "in great ‌humor." From then on, he used a wheelchair ​and reduced his workload. In 2024, he did, however, return to the big screen, appearing in ‌the horror film "Stream."

Curry, who lived in Los ⁠Angeles, never married and had no ​children. A composer and a singer, Curry also performed with his own rock band and released a handful of albums.

Contributing: Rosalba O'Brien

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