British actor Tim Curry, who famously commanded attention as the seductive mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter in cult classic oddball musical \u201cThe Rocky Horror Picture Show,\u201d has died. He was 80. <\/p>\n
The Daytime Emmy-winning actor\u2019s longtime manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz confirmed that Curry died Wednesday at his home in Toluca Lake, in a statement shared with The Times. A cause of death was not revealed. The Cheshire native suffered a stroke in 2013<\/a>, impairing his ability to walk. Though he remained in a wheelchair until his death, the actor continued working through his final years. <\/p>\n \u201cThough widely known for his inimitable, flamboyant characters and colorful stage performances,\u201d the statement said of Curry, \u201chis greatest legacies to those who knew him were his curious, expansive mind and generous, gentle heart, both of which remained open and filled with anticipation until his final breath.\u201d<\/p>\n Curry is best known for originating the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the self-proclaimed \u201cSweet Transvestite\u201d and purveyor of pleasure who guides a stranded young couple \u2014 and audiences \u2014 through an unpredictable evening of sexual exploration and liberation. He debuted the offbeat experimental musical in fishnets and pearls in 1973 on the tiny stage upstairs at the Royal Court Theater in London, where it first became an underground sensation. <\/p>\n \u201cThe Rocky Horror Picture Show\u201d hit the big screen in 1975, with Susan Sarandon as Janet and Barry Bostwick as Brad. A rock \u2018n\u2019 roll take on sci-fi and horror B-movies, \u201cThe Rocky Horror Picture Show\u201d became the original midnight movie that endeared generations of audiences with its flamboyant characters, spawned interactive screenings across the country and secured its spot in the pop culture lexicon. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was part of the sexual revolution, really,\u201d Curry told The Times in 2025 upon the film\u2019s 50th anniversary. \u201cExperiment was in the air and it was palpable. I gave them permission to be who they discovered they wanted to be. I\u2019m proud of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Curry flexed his versatile acting through more than Frank-N-Furter\u2019s showy elevator debut and his vulnerable \u201cI\u2019m Going Home\u201d finale. He was also a sinister Pennywise in the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King\u2019s \u201cIt,\u201d a secretive butler named Wadsworth in \u201cClue,\u201d and the evil Lord of Darkness in \u201cLegend.\u201d A screen chameleon capable of morphing from the supernatural to the pedestrian, Curry was also known for his work as fabled pirate Long John Silver in \u201cMuppet Treasure Island\u201d and as a skeptical hotel concierge in \u201cHome Alone 2: Lost in New York.\u201d <\/p>\n He was a prolific voice actor known for the environmental classic \u201cFernGully: The Last Rainforest\u201d and TV series \u201cThe Wild Thornberries,\u201d \u201cStar Wars: The Clone Wars,\u201d \u201cOver the Garden Wall\u201d and \u201cAaahh!!! Real Monsters.\u201d<\/p>\n Timothy James Curry was born April 19, 1946, to father Jim Curry, a Navy chaplain, and mother Maura Curry. After losing his father at age 12, Curry earned a scholarship to the Kingswood School in Bath. Curry\u2019s grandfather took him to music halls, fostering his love for the art.<\/p>\n \u201cI was really taken with the great Technicolor musicals; it\u2019s the form that\u2019s closest to my heart in a way,\u201d Curry told The Times in 1992.<\/a> \u201cIt\u2019s the most comfortable synthesis of all the things I do.\u201d<\/p>\n School productions eventually led Curry to the University of Birmingham, where he studied drama and English from 1965 to 1968, according to his website. <\/p>\n Curry made his professional debut in 1968 in the original London production of \u201cHair.\u201d He had fibbed about having previous professional experience and an Equity card, but the production team thought Curry\u2019s talents were reason enough to sponsor him. After he starred in several productions including \u201cTitus Andronicus,\u201d \u201cCinderella\u201d and \u201cMidsummer Night\u2019s Dream,\u201d co-star Richard O\u2019Brien in 1973 invited the actor to audition for a new work \u2014 one that would later solidify Curry as a generational screen and stage icon.<\/p>\n With Curry anchoring as Frank-N-Furter, O\u2019Brien\u2019s \u201cRocky Horror Picture Show\u201d first came to life at the Royal Court\u2019s Theatre Upstairs. Then larger venues overseas included L.A.\u2019s Roxy Theatre. Eventually, with the support of producer Lou Adler, the show made it to the screen. The same year \u201cRocky Horror Picture Show\u201d hit cinemas in 1975, its Broadway run at the Belasco Theatre shuttered after 45 showings and negative reviews. Over the years, harsh criticism proved no match for \u201cRocky Horror Picture Show\u2019s\u201d unexpected staying power. <\/p>\n The musical had been revived numerous times in New York and London, including in 2001 with the Broadway revival earning multiple Tony Award nominations including a nomination for revival of a musical. <\/p>\n The \u201cRocky Horror Picture Show\u201d film and Curry\u2019s melodramatic Frank-N-Furter have remained cultural touchstones, spawning the popular \u201canticipation\u201d online meme<\/a> and inspiring spoofs on \u201cGlee,\u201d \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d and a beloved character (with hormone-manipulating abilities)<\/a> in the popular Japanese manga and anime \u201cOne Piece.\u201d<\/p>\n To Curry, Frank-N-Furter was more than just that \u201csweet transvestite\u201d obsessed with manufacturing the perfect man. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a fairly complex guy,\u201d he told The Times in 1974. \u201cHe just takes anything he can get. He\u2019s not fussy, really. Though I think he\u2019s something of a wham-bam-thank-you-ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n Through the late \u201870s to early aughts, Curry balanced stage commitments with screen projects and musical endeavors. His stage resum\u00e9 includes productions of Tom Stoppard\u2019s \u201cTravesties\u201d for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the title role in playwright Peter Shaffer\u2019s \u201cAmadeus\u201d (that would earn him a Tony nomination) and Joseph Papp\u2019s take on \u201cPirates of Penzance.\u201d All the while, he gained fame for roles in \u201cAnnie,\u201d \u201cClue,\u201d \u201cHome Alone 2\u201d and \u201cAddams Family Reunion.\u201d As a recording artist, Curry released three albums between 1978 and 1981: \u201cRead My Lips,\u201d \u201cFearless\u201d and \u201cSimplicity.\u201d <\/p>\n In 1988 Curry returned stateside for a U.S. tour of \u201cMe & My Girl,\u201d which he followed with a residency at the Pantages. It was then the actor decided to permanently return to Los Angeles as a resident. His move to Southern California coincided with the beginning of his Emmy-wining voice acting career, which started with a role for Hanna Barbera\u2019s animated adaptation of \u201cThe Creation.\u201d <\/p>\n Curry won his Daytime Emmy Award in 1991 for voicing Captain Hook in \u201cPeter Pan and the Pirates\u201d and earned a Grammy nomination in 2002 for the audiobook of \u201cLemony Snicket\u2019s A Series of Unfortunate Events.\u201d He performed voice roles for video games including television and film tie-ins \u201cBrutal Legend\u201d and \u201cDragon Age: Origins.\u201d<\/p>\n The British star primarily worked in voice roles after he suffered a major stroke in 2013. Since then, Curry has been in a wheelchair, with minor on-screen cameos including as the criminologist in the 2016 TV remake of \u201cRocky Horror.\u201d Still, the image of Curry\u2019s fierce Frank-N-Furter continues to pervade pop culture \u2014 even if that wasn\u2019t his original intention. <\/p>\n