Tim Curry, the baritone-voiced British actor who rose to international fame as the singing, lingerie-clad “sweet transvestite” in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has died aged 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 at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, his manager said.
Curry appeared in numerous films, often playing flamboyant villains. He was nominated three times for a Tony Award for his Broadway roles and also performed voice work in numerous animated films and television shows.
However, his best-known role was Dr Frank N. Furter, which came in his film debut, the outrageous and crowd-pleasing horror-comedy musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show, co-starring Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick.
In one scene, Curry sang while strutting around in garish eye shadow and lipstick, wearing a skimpy black outfit complete with stockings and a garter belt.
In a 1975 television interview, Curry acknowledged the risk of having his career defined by such an outlandish role – a concern that proved prescient.
“When I read it, I just thought it was very, very witty and funny,” Curry said, although he admitted 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.
Over-the-top villains
Curry did much of his best work on stage.
He was nominated for a Tony Award, Broadway’s top honour, in 1981 for his role as Mozart in Amadeus, a tale of the great composer’s relationship with his jealous rival, Salieri.
Curry was also nominated for a Tony in 1993 for My Favourite Year and in 2005 for his role as King Arthur in the zany musical Monty Python’s Spamalot.
Possessing a rich baritone voice, Curry was also in demand as a voice actor for animated films and television shows.
He won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991 for his voice work on the animated series Peter Pan & the Pirates.
With his sinister grin and menacing laugh, Curry was frequently cast as a villain in Hollywood films, sometimes with comic overtones that allowed him to deliver the over-the-top performances for which he was renowned.
“I do love those roles – they’re always the best written,” Curry told interviewer Andrew Kay in 2011.
He conceded that some of his films were mediocre, singling out the 1995 film Congo, a tale involving 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 19 April 1946.
His father, a Royal Navy chaplain, died when Curry was 12. His mother was a school secretary.
Curry studied drama at Birmingham University.
In 1973, he landed the role of Dr Frank N. Furter in the original London stage production of The Rocky Horror Show.
He performed the play in New York and Los Angeles before it was adapted into a film and renamed The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The film was not an instant hit but developed a cult following through midnight screenings in New York City and elsewhere, with audiences 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 he had suffered a stroke but was recovering “in great humour”. From then on, he used a wheelchair and reduced his workload.
In 2024, however, he returned 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 singer, Curry also performed with his own rock band and released several albums.