Tim Curry, ‘Rocky Horror’ and ‘It’ Star, Dies at 80
Tim Curry, the celebrated English actor whose unforgettable performances in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue and the TV miniseries It turned him into a beloved cult icon, has died at the age of 80.
Curry died peacefully at his home in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles, on Tuesday, according to a statement from publicist Sean Katz on behalf of Curry’s longtime manager and friend, Marcia Hurwitz.
“Though widely known for his inimitable, flamboyant characters and colorful stage performances,” the statement said, Curry’s greatest legacy to those who knew him was his “curious, expansive mind” and “generous, gentle heart.”
The Los Angeles Police Department said officers responded to a death investigation involving a man in his 80s at the actor’s address shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday. The Los Angeles Fire Department also confirmed that emergency crews responded to a medical incident at the same location earlier that evening. Curry was pronounced dead at the scene.
An immediate cause of death was not disclosed. Curry suffered a major stroke in 2012 and experienced health problems in the years that followed.
A Career Filled With Unforgettable Characters
Curry became one of Hollywood’s most distinctive character actors, frequently playing arrogant British figures, sinister villains and eccentric sidekicks.
His breakthrough came with the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. His flamboyant performance quickly became one of the film’s defining elements and cemented his status as a pop-culture icon.
A decade later, Curry took on another memorable villain as the Lord of Darkness in the 1985 fantasy film Legend. Beneath the elaborate makeup, horns and red face, it was Curry’s understated and chilling delivery that made the character so memorable.
He also terrified a generation as Pennywise the demonic clown in the 1990 television miniseries It, based on Stephen King’s horror novel.
Despite playing some of cinema and television’s most frightening and outrageous characters, Curry maintained a remarkably detached attitude toward his roles.
Speaking about Pennywise, he once described the character as completely irredeemable and without charm.
Curry also acknowledged that Frank-N-Furter was such an outrageous character that he deliberately kept a low profile in his personal life so audiences would understand that the role was separate from who he was.
From England to Hollywood
Timothy James Curry was born on April 19, 1946, in Grappenhall, England, roughly 30 miles inland from Liverpool.
His father served as a chaplain in the Royal Navy, and Curry spent part of his childhood living in different cities around the world. After his father suffered a stroke, the family settled in Plymouth on England’s south coast.
Curry was just 12 when his father died, a loss that deeply affected him.
He would go on to build a remarkable career across film, television and theater, becoming one of the most recognizable and versatile character actors of his generation.
From Frank-N-Furter and Pennywise to the Lord of Darkness, Curry created characters that remained unforgettable long after the credits rolled.