Tim Curry

For other people named Tim Curry, seeTim Curry (disambiguation).

Tim Curry
Curry at the47th Emmy Awardsin 1995
Born	Timothy James Curry (1946-04-19)19 April 1946 Grappenhall,Cheshire,England
Alma mater	University of Birmingham
Occupations	Actor singer
Years active	1968–present

Timothy James Curry(born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the filmThe Rocky Horror Picture Show(1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973Londonand 1974Los Angelesmusical stage productions ofThe Rocky Horror Show.

Curry's other stage work includes various roles in the originalWest Endproduction ofHair,Tristan Tzarain the 1975 West End andBroadwayproductions ofTravesties,Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartin the 1980 Broadway production ofAmadeus,Alan Swann in the Broadway production ofMy Favourite Year,andKing Arthurin Broadway and West End productions ofSpamalotfrom 2005 to 2007. His theatre accolades include threeTony Awardnominations and twoLaurence Olivier Awardnominations.

Curry received further acclaim for his film and television roles, including Rooster Hannigan in thefilm adaptationofAnnie(1982), Darkness inLegend(1985),WadsworthinClue(1985),Pennywisein theminiseriesIt(1990), the Concierge inHome Alone 2: Lost in New York(1992),Cardinal RichelieuinThe Three Musketeers(1993), andLong John SilverinMuppet Treasure Island(1996). Other notable film appearances includeThe Shout(1978),Times Square(1980),The Worst Witch(1986),The Hunt for Red October(1990),Oscar(1991),Congo(1995),Charlie's Angels(2000),Scary Movie 2(2001), andKinsey(2004).

Curry is also a prolific voice actor, with roles in animation including hisEmmy Award-winning performance asCaptain HookonPeter Pan & the Pirates(1990–1991), Hexxus in the filmFernGully: The Last Rainforest(1992), King Chicken inDuckman(1994–1997), Sir Nigel Thornberry inThe Wild Thornberrys(1998–2004), andChancellor Palpatine / Darth SidiousinStar Wars: The Clone Wars(2012–2014).

As a singer, Curry has released threerock-focused studio albums:Read My Lips(1978),Fearless(1979), andSimplicity(1981).

Early life

Timothy James Curry was born on 19 April 1946 inGrappenhall, Cheshire,the son of school secretary Patricia (died June 1999) andRoyal Navychaplain James Curry. His father died ofpneumoniain 1958, when Curry was 12 years old.His elder sister, Judith, was a concert pianist who died of abrain tumourin 2001.Curry spent most of his childhood inPlymouth.After his father's death, Curry and his family moved toSouth London,where he attendedboarding schoolbefore attendingKingswood SchoolinBath, Somerset.Curry developed into a talentedboy soprano(treble).Deciding to concentrate on acting, he graduated from theUniversity of Birminghamwith a combinedBAin English and drama in 1968.

Career

Acting

Rocky Horror

Curry's first full-time role was as part of the original London cast of the musicalHairin 1968, where he metRichard O'Brien,who went on to write Curry's next full-time role, that of Dr. Frank-N-Furter inThe Rocky Horror Show(1973).Curry recalled his first encounter with the project:

I'd heard about the play because I lived onPaddington Street,offBaker Street,and there was an old gym a few doors away. I saw Richard O'Brien in the street, and he said he'd just been to the gym to see if he could find a muscleman who could sing. I said, "Why do you need him to sing?" [laughs] And he told me that his musical was going to be done, and I should talk toJim Sharman.He gave me the script, and I thought, "Boy, if this works, it's going to be a smash."

Originally, Curry rehearsed the character with a Germanaccentandperoxideblond hair, and later, with an American accent. In March 2005, in an interview withTerry GrossofNPR'sFresh Air,he explained that he decided to play Dr. Frank-N-Furter with an English accent after listening to an English woman say, "Do you have a house in town or a house in the country," and decided, "Yes, [Dr. Frank-N-Furter] should sound likethe Queen."

Curry originally thought the character was merely a laboratory doctor dressed in a white lab coat. However, at the suggestion of director Sharman, the character evolved into the diabolicalmad scientistandtransvestitewith an upper-classBelgraviaaccent. An immediate hit, a reviewer at the premiere in London in June 1973 wrote Curry gives a "garishlyBowiesqueperformance as the ambisextrous doctor. "This change carried over to the 1975 film adaptation,The Rocky Horror Picture Show,which made Curry a household name and gave him acult following.Curry continued to play the character in London, Los Angeles, and New York City until 1975.

In an interview with NPR, Curry calledRocky Horrora "rite of passage",and added that the film is" a guaranteed weekend party to which you can go with or without a date and probably find one if you don't have one, and it's also a chance for people to try on a few roles for size, you know? Figure out, help them maybe figure out their own sexuality ".

In 2016, Curry played The Criminologist in thetelevision film remakeofThe Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Theatre

Curry in New York City in 2005

Shortly after the end ofRocky Horror's run on Broadway, Curry returned to the stage withTom Stoppard'sTravesties,which ran in London and New York from 1975 to 1976.Travestieswas a Broadway hit. It won twoTony Awards(Best Performance by an Actor forJohn Woodand Best Comedy), as well as theNew York Drama Critics Circle Award(Best Play), and Curry's performance as the famousdadaistTristan Tzarareceived good reviews.

In 1981, Curry formed part of the original cast in the Broadway showAmadeus,playing the title character,Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.Curry was nominated for his firstTony Award(Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play) for this role but lost out to his co-starIan McKellen,who playedAntonio Salieri.In 1982, Curry took the part of the Pirate King in theDrury Laneproduction ofJoe Papp's version ofThe Pirates of PenzanceoppositeGeorge Cole,earning enthusiastic reviews.

In the mid-1980s, Curry performed inThe Rivalsand in several plays with theRoyal National Theatreof Great Britain, includingThe Threepenny Opera,DallianceandLove For Love.In 1988, he did the national tour ofMe and My Girlin the lead role of Bill Snibson, a role originated on Broadway byRobert Lindsayand followed byJim Dale.In 1989–90, Curry returned once again to the New York stage inThe Art of Success,and in 1993 played Alan Swann in theBroadway musicalversion ofMy Favorite Year,earning him his second Tony Award nomination, this time for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.In 2001, Curry appeared asScroogein the musical version ofA Christmas Carolthat played atMadison Square Garden.

In 2004, Curry began his role ofKing ArthurinSpamalotin Chicago. Written byMonty PythonmemberEric Idleand based onMonty Python and the Holy Grail,the show successfully moved to Broadway in February 2005. It sold more than $1 million worth of tickets in its first 24 hours.His performance brought him a third Tony nomination, again for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Curry reprised this role at thePalace Theatrein London's West End, whereSpamalotopened on 16 October 2006. His final performance came on 6 January 2007. Curry was nominated for aLaurence Olivier Awardas the Best Actor in a Musical for the role, and also won theTheatregoers' Choice Award(getting 39% of the votes cast by over 12,000 theatregoers) as Best Actor in a Musical.

From May to August 2011, Curry was scheduled to portray the Player in aTrevor Nunnstage production of Tom Stoppard'sRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Deadat theChichester Festival Theatreand then inLondon.Curry withdrew from the production on 27 May, citing ill health.From 26 to 29 April 2012, he appeared inEric Idle's playWhat About Dick?at theOrpheum Theatrein Los Angeles.Curry had originally appeared in the play back in 2007 when it was still a work in progress.

Curry's career in theatre was honoured on 7 June 2015 at theActors Fund's 19th annual Tony Awards Viewing Party, where he was awarded an Artistic Achievement Award.

Film

AfterThe Rocky Horror Picture Show,Curry began to appear in many films, acting in supporting roles, such as Robert Graves in the Britishhorror filmThe Shout,as Johnny LaGuardia inTimes Square,as Daniel Francis "Rooster" Hannigan in the 1982 film version ofAnnie,and as Jeremy Hancock in the political filmThe Ploughman's Lunch.

In 1985, Curry starred in thefantasy filmLegendas The Lord of Darkness. DirectorRidley Scottcast Curry in the film after watching him inRocky Horror,thinking he was ideal to play the role of Darkness. It took five and a half hours to apply the makeup needed for Darkness onto Curry and at the end of the day, he would spend an hour in a bath in order to liquefy the soluble spirit gum. The same year, Curry appeared in thecomedymystery filmClueas Wadsworth the butler. In August 1986, he auditioned for the Judge Doom role inWho Framed Roger Rabbit.However, Curry was rejected due to a too-frightening performance. The role went toChristopher Lloyd,his co-star inClue.

After this, Curry began to be cast in more comedy roles throughout the late 1980s and '90s such as Rev. Ray Porter inPass the Ammo,Dr. Thornton Poole inOscar,Mr. Hector the suspicious Plaza Hotel concierge inHome Alone 2: Lost in New York,Jigsaw inLoaded Weapon 1and asLong John SilverinMuppet Treasure Island.Although he featured in mostly comedies throughout the '90s, Curry did appear in some action films, such as thethrillerThe Hunt for Red Octoberas Dr. Yevgeniy Petrov, the 1993 adaptation ofThe Three MusketeersasCardinal Richelieu,in thesuperhero filmThe Shadowas Farley Claymore, and as Herkermer Homolka in the 1995 action adventureCongo.He also starred in the 1998 direct-to-video filmAddams Family Reunionplaying the role ofGomez Addams.

In the early 2000s, Curry was cast in thefilm adaptationofCharlie's Angelsin the role of Roger Corwin, and in theparody filmScary Movie 2playing Professor Oldman. Curry went on to play Thurman Rice, a supporting role in thebiographical filmKinsey.He portrayedAlexander Monroin the 2010 Britishblack comedyBurke & Hare,which was his last feature film role until his appearance in the 2024 horror filmStream.

Television

Curry started his career with small roles in television series, such as Eugene inNapoleon and Love,and guest roles inArmchair TheatreandPlay for Todayincluding as 'Glen' inDennis Potter's "Schmoedipus".

He appeared in the "Dead Dog Records" storyline of the television seriescrime dramaWiseguy,as Winston Newquay. He also had recurring roles on the short-livedscience fictiontelevision seriesEarth 2and the sitcomRude Awakening.Curry has also guest starred on other series such asThe Tracey Ullman Show,Roseanne,Tales from the Crypt(which earned him anEmmy awardnomination),The Naked Truth,Lexx,Monk,Will & Grace,Psych,Agatha Christie's PoirotandCriminal Minds.Curry also performed in many television films and miniseries, includingThree Men in a Boat,the title role inWill Shakespeare,playing the role ofBill Sikesin a television adaptation ofOliver Twist,Blue Money,The Worst Witch,Titanic,Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic,Alice,Jackie's Back,Return to Cranford,and many more. Although Curry has appeared in numerous television series throughout his career he has only had lead roles in two live-action series:Over the Top,asitcomthat he also produced, and the revival series ofFamily Affair.Both were cancelled after one season.

One of Curry's best-known television roles (and best-known roles overall) is asPennywise the Clownin the 1990horrorminiseriesStephen King's It.Aside from oneFangoriainterview in 1990, Curry never publicly acknowledged his involvement inItuntil an interview withMoviefonein 2015, where he called the role of Pennywise "a wonderful part", giving his blessing to successorWill Poulter;Poulter was set to play the character in the reboot, although ultimately dropped out.Bill Skarsgårdreplaced Poulter, and while being interviewed at Fan Expo Canada, Curry gave his approval, saying "I like [Bill] Skarsgård. I think he's very clever. It'll be interesting to see what sort of clown face he puts on. because it's not an obvious clown face at all.[..] So I'm fascinated to see it."

Voice acting

Curry has appeared in many animated television series and films, starting with the performance of theSerpentandJudas IscariotinThe Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible.Curry won aDaytime Emmy Awardfor his performance asCaptain Hookin theFoxanimated seriesPeter Pan and the Pirates.His longest-running animated role was as Nigel Thornberry inThe Wild Thornberrys,which ran for five seasons onNickelodeon.

Curry was mainly known for villainous roles in animated series such as Konk inThe Pirates of Dark Water,MAL inCaptain Planet and the Planeteers(who was originally voiced byDavid Rappaport)), Skullmaster inMighty Max,the Evil Manta inThe Little Mermaid,Dr. Anton Sevarius inGargoyles,Kilokahn inSuperhuman Samurai Syber-Squad,'King' Chicken inDuckman,Taurus Bullba inDarkwing Duck,Lord Dragaunus inThe Mighty Ducks,various charactersDinosaurs,Professor Finbarr Calamitous inThe Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,Slagar the Cruel inRedwall,Doctor Morocco inTransformers: Rescue Bots(until the role was recast toGreg Ellisin season two),G. Gordon GodfreyinYoung Justice(until the role was recast toJames Arnold Taylor), The Sorcerer inRandy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja(until the role was recast toBen Cross), and Auntie Whispers inOver the Garden Wall.He also became the voice ofChancellor Palpatine/Darth SidiousinStar Wars: The Clone Warsupon the death ofIan Abercrombie.

Curry also appeared in a number of animated films such asFernGully: The Last Rainforest,The Pebble and the Penguin,Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas,Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost,Barbie in the Nutcracker,The Cat Returns,Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties,and many more. He has also lent his voice to numerousvideo games,such as playing the titular character inGabriel Knight: Sins of the FathersandGabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned,Toonstruck,Sacrifice,Brütal LegendandDragon Age: Origins.Acutsceneof Curry inRed Alert 3,portraying Soviet Premier Cherdenko, has goneviralas ameme.

Curry's audiobook work includesLemony Snicket'sA Series of Unfortunate Events,Geraldine McCaughrean'sPeter Pan in Scarlet,Charles Dickens'A Christmas Carol,Bram Stoker'sDraculaand theAbhorsentrilogy byGarth Nix.Curry has done voice over for various advertisements for products and companies such asSmirnoff,CravendaleandParamount Network.

Music

Aside from his performances on various soundtrack records, Curry has had some success as a solo musical artist. Curry received classical vocal training as a boy. He has mentioned that his musical influences included jazz vocalists such asBillie HolidayandLouis Armstrongand he idolisedthe Beatlesandthe Rolling Stonesas a teenager. In 1978,A&M Recordsreleased Curry's debut solo albumRead My Lips.The album featured an eclectic range of songs (mostlycovers) performed in diverse genres. Highlights of the album are areggaeversion of the Beatles' song "I Will",a rendition of" Wake Nicodemus "featuring the Pipes and Drums of the48th Highlanders of Canada,and a bar-room ballad, "Alan", composed byCanadiansinger-songwriter Tony Kosinec. In 1979 he scored a minor hit single with "I Do the Rock". The following year, Curry released his second and most successful albumFearless.TheLPwas more rock-oriented thanRead My Lipsand mostly featured original songs rather than cover versions. The album included Curry's only USBillboard Hot 100charting song: "I Do the Rock".

Curry's third and final album,Simplicity,was released in 1981, again by A&M Records.This record, which did not sell as well as the previous offerings, combined both original songs and cover versions. Still, it was the only Curry recording to hit the charts in Canada, reaching No. 45 on the album chart.The writing, production, and musician roster for Curry's solo albums included an impressive list of collaborators, includingBob Ezrin,Dick Wagner,andDavid Sanborn.

In 1989, A&M releasedThe Best of Tim Curryon CD and cassette, featuring songs from his albums (including a live version of "Alan" ) and a previously unreleased song, a live cover version ofBob Dylan's "Simple Twist of Fate". Curry touredNorth Americaand some European countries with his band between 1978 and 1980. In 1990, Curry performed as the Prosecutor inRoger Waters' production ofThe Wall – Live in Berlin.Although Curry's first album was released in 1978, he had previously recorded a nine-track album forLou Adler's Ode Records in 1976. However, the album remained unreleased in its entirety until February 2010, when it was made available as a legal download entitled...From the Vaults(though four tracks from these sessions had been released on a 1990Rocky Horrorbox set). The album, produced by Adler, included Curry's rendition ofThe Supremes' hit "Baby Love".

Personal life

From the mid-1970s onward, Curry was friends withFreddie Mercuryafter theQueensinger had seen Curry in both the London stage production ofThe Rocky Horror Showand its 1975 film version. A keenhorticulturalist,Curry later told the UK edition ofHouse & Gardenmagazine about designing Mercury's garden: "Freddie came back from a tour and said, 'The garden, dear, it's dead.' I said, 'What? Did you water it?' And Freddie said, 'Water it, dear?'"Both Curry and Mercury were also close friends withPeter Straker,with Straker starring with Curry in the London production ofHair.

Curry has used a wheelchair since having a majorstrokein July 2012.As a result, he has shifted his work mostly tovoice acting,although he has continued to perform as a singer and make appearances atfan conventions.He has never married and has no children.

In October 2020, Curry reprised his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in a live table reading ofThe Rocky Horror Picture Showin support of theDemocratic Party of Wisconsinto raise funds forJoe Biden's presidential campaign.

Filmography

Main article:Tim Curry performances

Discography

Albums

• Read My Lips(1978)
• Fearless(1979)
• Simplicity(1981)
• The Best of Tim Curry(1985;compilation album)
• From the Vaults(recorded 1976, released 2010)

Soundtracks and cast recordings

• The Rocky Horror Show(Original London cast) (1973)
• The Rocky Horror Show(OriginalRoxycast) (1974)
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show(1975)
• Annie(1982)
• Ferngully: The Last Rainforest(1992)
• My Favorite Year(OriginalBroadwaycast) (1993)
• The Pebble and the Penguin(1995)
• Muppet Treasure Island(1996)
• Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas(1997)
• Spamalot(Original Broadway cast) (2005)
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again(2016)

Others

• Carly Simon –Spy(1979) – Backing vocals for "Vengeance"and" Pure Sin "
• Roger Waters –The Wall: Live in Berlin(1990) – Live recording of "The Trial"
• Little Tramp(1992) – Concept album for musical
• Disney's Music From the Park(1996) – "The Ballad of Davy Crockett"

Awards and nominations

Year	Title	Award	Category	Result
1975	The Rocky Horror Show	Drama Desk Award	Best Actor in a Musical	Nominated
1981	Amadeus		Best Actor in a Play	Nominated
		Tony Award		Nominated
1982	The Pirates of Penzance	Royal Variety Club Award	Stage Actor of the Year	Won
		Laurence Olivier Award	Best Actor in a Musical	Nominated
1991	Peter Pan and the Pirates	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series	Won
1993	My Favorite Year	Tony Award	Best Actor in a Musical	Nominated
	Passed Away	American Comedy Award	Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture	Nominated
1994	Tales from the Crypt	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series	Nominated
1995		CableACE Award	Best Actor in a Dramatic Series	Nominated
	Mighty Max	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program	Nominated
1996	Congo	Razzie Award	Worst Supporting Actor	Nominated
1998	Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas	Annie Award	Voice Acting in a Feature Production	Nominated
2002	The Bad Beginning	Grammy Award	Best Spoken Word Album for Children	Nominated
2005	Spamalot	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Actor in a Musical	Nominated
		Tony Award	Best Actor in a Musical	Nominated
2007		Laurence Olivier Award		Nominated
		WhatsOnStage Award		Won
2010	Brütal Legend	NAVGTR Award	Supporting Performance in a Comedy	Nominated
	Dragon Age: Origins		Supporting Performance in a Drama	Nominated
2015	—	Actors Fund of America Artistic Achievement Award	—	Awarded

External links

• Tim CurryatIMDb
• Tim Curryat theInternet Broadway Database
• Tim Curryat theInternet Off-Broadway Database
• Tim Curryat theTCM Movie Database
• Tim Curryat theBritish Film Institute
• Tim CurryatAllMusic
• Tim CurryatAnime News Network's encyclopedia
• Tim Curryat theBFI'sScreenonline
• Tim CurryatRotten Tomatoes
• Tim CurryatAllMovie
• Tim CurryatEmmys.com
• Tim Currydiscography atDiscogs