By Will Dunham
Aug 26 (Reuters) – 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 the age of 80, his manager said on Wednesday.
A cause of death was not immediately given, but Curry had been in ill health for some time. He died peacefully on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, his manager said.
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.
“I’m not much of a man by the light of day. But by night I’m one hell of a lover. I’m just a sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania,” Curry sang in one scene as he strutted around with garish eye shadow and lipstick, in a skimpy black outfit complete with black stockings and garter belt.
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 VILLAINS
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 interaction with jealous rival 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 Razzy 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 as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
The movie was not an instant hit but won a cult following in 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.
(Reporting by Will Dunham; additional reporting by Rosalba O’Brien and Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Bill Trott and Olivier Holmey)
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