The iconic Tim Curry dies at 80

The world of cinema is in mourning after the death of the legendary English actor was announced. Tim Curry at 80 years old.

The official cause of death was not reported, although Curry had suffered from various health problems after suffering a serious stroke in 2012. His representative, Marcia Hurwitz, confirmed that Curry died peacefully at his home in Toluca Lake, in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, CA., to various media.

Born on April 19, 1948 in rural Grappenhall, Cheshire, the Curry family moved to south London in 1958, following the death of his father. Gifted with a talent for singing and acting from a young age, Tim graduated from the University of Birmingham with a double degree in English and Drama.

His rise to fame would come in the 70s, with his extraordinary performance as the extravagant and evil Dr. Frank N. Further, “the sweet transvestite of transsexual Transylvania” in the classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The film did not have a successful run in theaters upon its release in 1975, however, it ended up coming to life as one of the great works of cult cinema.

Throughout a versatile career that spanned more than five decades, Curry received a Daytime Emmy Award, and several Tony and Olivier Award nominations, although his career was marked by his role as the corset-clad mad scientist in the aforementioned Rocky Horror Picture Show.

In the midst of the Rocky Horror In the late '70s, Curry joined the A&M Records catalog and recorded three rock albums, including Fearless in 1979 and Simplicity in 1981.

And even though Curry would always be the face that kicked off thousands of Time Warp dances at the still-famous midnight screenings of Rocky Horror throughout the United States, he proved to be much more than a one-hit artist throughout a career spanning more than half a century.

In addition to his outstanding work in theater, Curry played wonderful roles in film, such as the con man Rooster Harrigan in the musical Annie (1982), the villain Darkness in Ridley Scott's fantasy film, Legend (1985), the incredible butler Wadsworth in the film adaptation of the game Clue (1985), which also achieved cult status. He took on dramatic roles in The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Three Musketeers (1993), Ritual (2002), including the biopic Kinsey (2004).

On television, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for voicing Captain Hook on the Fox animated series, Peter Pan and the Pirates (1990-1991) and offered a memorable performance as the clown Pennywise in the first adaptation – in miniseries format – of the horror novel IT de Stephen King (1990). Other television work included Oliver Twist (1982) and a story arc in the police series Wiseguy (1989).

Other notable film appearances include the concierge of the Plaza Hotel in Home Alone 2 (1992), the parody Loaded Weapon 1 (1993), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), McHale’s Navy (1997), Addams Family Reunion (), Charlie’s Angels (2000), Scary Movie 2 (2001).

In addition to the above, he frequently worked as a voice actor in animated films for cinema and home format, among them FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), The Pebble and the Penguin (1995), The Rugrats Movie (1998), Rugrats in Paris (2000) y The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002).

After a serious stroke left him confined to a wheelchair in 2012, Curry dedicated himself in later years to dubbing cartoons and video games.

In an emotional appearance in 2016, Curry participated as narrator in the new television version The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Againin which trans actress Laverne Cox played Frank N. Furter. Four years later, during a fundraiser in Wisconsin for Joe Biden's presidential campaign, he played Frank N. Furter in a live dramatized reading of The Rocky Horror Show.

Rest in peace, dear Tim Curry.