Tim Curry, an English actor best known for playing the flamboyant Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 film musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has died at 80. His longtime manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz confirmed he passed away peacefully at his home in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles on August 25.
Curry originated the role of the "sweet transvestite" scientist on stage in 1973 at London's Royal Court Theatre, having been cast by fellow actor Richard O'Brien for his new musical. The subsequent film adaptation, released in 1975 and also starring Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick, was not an immediate box office success but became a cult favourite and holds the record for the longest-running theatrical release in film history.
Born in Warrington in 1946, Curry's career spanned five decades across comedy, horror, drama, and music. Before Rocky Horror, his first acting job after university was in the original 1968 London production of Hair. He went on to receive three Tony nominations, including for the original Broadway production of Amadeus in 1981 and for King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot in 2005. His film roles included Pennywise in the 1990 television version of Stephen King's It, Miss Hannigan's brother in Annie, and appearances in The Hunt for Red October, Home Alone 2, and Clue.
In 2012, Curry suffered a debilitating stroke but continued working in voice acting and appeared at film conventions. His memoir, Vagabond, was published last year. A statement from his representatives said that "few actors can claim to have left as many distinct fingerprints on pop culture" and that his greatest legacies were his "curious, expansive mind and generous, gentle heart."
