Remembering Tim Curry, the actor who could disappear into almost any role

Tim Curry, centre, with Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). (20th Century Fox) Remembering Tim Curry, the actor who could disappear into almost any role Published: September 1, 2026 12.30pm EDT Share article Print article Rocky Horror fans everywhere have been celebrating the life and work of actor and cult cinema icon Tim Curry, who passed away at the age of 80 at his home in Los Angeles. Curry brought distinctive charisma, energy and dramatic flair to countless films, including Annie (1982), Clue (1985), Legend (1985) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). Children of the 1990s may remember him as the murderous, wisecracking clown Pennywise in the TV adaptation of Stephen King’s It (1990). Curry was also a familiar face on Broadway and London’s West End, where he starred in many productions, including Amadeus (1979) and Spamalot (2005). An illustrious, nearly six-decade career notwithstanding, Curry remained best known for his 1975 screen debut as The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the mischievous, magnetic, stiletto- and corset-clad mad scientist who seduces the straight-laced Brad and Janet (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon) on a fateful, stormy night. This is the image that Curry’s name has always conjured for me. Like several generations before me, singing along to Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s “Sweet Transvestite” at midnight Rocky Horror screenings has been somewhat of a tradition. Rocky Horror would also come to have a greater impact on my academic and professional life later on. Yet reflecting on the broader strokes of Curry’s career after news of his passing, I am reminded of the significance that even his lesser-known roles had played in my own life. Tim Curry performs a number from the musical ‘Spamalot’ during the Broadway premiere in 2005, in New York. (AP Photo/Stuart Ramson) The many faces of Tim Curry Kids are often captivated by Dickensian-style orphan tales, an obsession Annie cemented for me early on. Witches and magic were another fixation, and I’d direct anyone looking for a hit of ‘80s nostalgia to Curry’s musical number as The Grand Wizard in The Worst Witch (1986). These are the performances I connected to most. But reading through Curry’s extensive resumé, it would be difficult to overstate the number of “Oh, that was him too?” exclamations that occurred along the way. Curry voiced several cartoons I watched regularly, including FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)…