Obit: Tim Curry (1946-2026)

Subject: Obit: Tim Curry (1946-2026)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Aug 26 - 12:18 PM

What a dreadful week for losing the best of the best talent-wise in musical theater and drama. Dolly Parton yesterday, Tim "Dr Frank-N-Furter" Curry today.

Tim Curry suffered a stroke in 2012 and brain surgery affected his mobility and short-term memory.

Tim Curry, star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Stephen King’s It, dies aged 80

A prolific performer across stage, screen and TV, the actor starred in Legend, Clue and It, but will always be associated with the flamboyantly camp rock’n’roll musical in which he made his breakthrough

Tim Curry, the versatile performer of screen and stage, who made his name as the flamboyant Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, has died aged 80. Reports say Curry died at his home in Los Angeles.

Ironically, Curry’s best-known roles all required a considerable physical transformation, to the extent that he was unrecognisable in all of them. Frank-N-Furter, Rocky Horror’s deranged scientist, saw him daubed in garish makeup and wearing stockings and suspenders, for the stage show (which debuted in 1973) and the film adaptation (released in 1975). In the Ridley Scott-directed fantasy Legend (1985), he was equipped with giant horns and scarlet skin as the Lord of Darkness. And in 1990, Curry was transformed with full-face clown pancake to play Pennywise in the TV miniseries It, based on the Stephen King novel.

Alongside these show-stopping incarnations, Curry enjoyed a successful parallel career in film, TV and theatre. Born in 1946, he earned a degree in drama and English from the University of Birmingham in 1968 and embarked on a stage career. His first significant role was in the original cast for the first West End production of the controversial musical Hair, in 1968 – where he met Richard O’Brien, who would go on to cast him in his own musical, The Rocky Horror Show. Curry went on to play Tristan Tzara in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties (taking over the role from John Hurt and Robert Powell), and Mozart in the Broadway transfer of Amadeus in 1980. Later highlights included King Arthur in the Broadway run of the Monty Python musical Spamalot.

Follow the link for the rest.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tim Curry (1946-2026)
From: Helen
Date: 26 Aug 26 - 02:20 PM

Sad news. I saw a live theatre production in Australia of The Rocky Horror Show and loved it so I had to watch the film version when it was released. Tim Curry was brilliant in it - a perfect fit for the role.

I never saw the movie It, and I never knew but it doesn't surprise me that Tim Curry played Pennywise because I have heard that he was a very creepy, scary clown.

Rest in peace, Mr Curry.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tim Curry (1946-2026)
From: robomatic
Date: 26 Aug 26 - 03:56 PM

He had considerable camera photogenicity and made things watchable that might not have been so without his presence.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tim Curry (1946-2026)
From: rich-joy
Date: 26 Aug 26 - 06:55 PM

Vale Tim.

Another splendid "Boy of '46" leaves the stage.
Those first BBoomers really were something special.
Along with the girls, they really need their own commemorative show!!!

R-J

Subject: RE: Obit: Tim Curry (1946-2026)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Aug 26 - 08:35 PM

Dolly is a logical addition to the Mudcat obit threads. Music was her primary vocation, so much other, including acting and producing came along later. Tim was obviously best known for his musical role in Rocky Horror Picture Show, but I think his strengths were in his versatility as an actor. His landing in a beloved cult picture helped boost his standing in many ways.

He was very busy and in addition to on-screen roles did a lot of narration and voice acting. How many of those roles were musical? I did a search of the Internet Broadway Database for that information: Tim Curry was in the Broadway original Rocky Horror Show, and in musicals My Favorite Year and Spamalot. He was in an early touring show of Me and My Girl.

Do we know of other performances that were just musical beyond stage and screen?

Subject: RE: Obit: Tim Curry (1946-2026)
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Aug 26 - 06:25 AM

After his stroke people expected his demise with dreadful anticipa




tion.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tim Curry (1946-2026)
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 27 Aug 26 - 06:31 AM

Minor aside: Tim Curry also played Gomez in the otherwise-awful Addams Family Reunion.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tim Curry (1946-2026)
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 28 Aug 26 - 06:18 PM

Tim Curry sang on record as well as on stage and screen; he released three albums on A&M Records in the late '70s/early '80s.
https://www.discogs.com/artist/310135-Tim-Curry

Subject: RE: Obit: Tim Curry (1946-2026)
From: GUEST,Georgina Boyes
Date: 29 Aug 26 - 04:33 AM

Tim Curry also gave a notable performance (and sang) as the rock star "Stevie Streeter" in "Rock Follies" on ITV. The series was very daring in its time (mid-1970's) - not the sort of story-lines the BBC would have aired then and all the better for it. Lots of good songs too.