Renowned film and television icon Tim Curry has passed away at the age of 80.
Tim Curry, celebrated for his unforgettable portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the cult phenomenon The Rocky Horror Picture Show, died peacefully at his Los Angeles residence, as confirmed by his manager today.
Curry had been grappling with significant health challenges for over a decade. Authorities have confirmed that no foul play is suspected in his passing.
Following his career-defining role in 1973, Curry further cemented his legacy by starring in the 1992 film Home Alone 2 as Mr. Hector, the sharply observant concierge of New York’s Plaza Hotel.
From 2004 to 2007, Curry captivated audiences with his portrayal of King Arthur in the Monty Python musical Spamalot, performing on stage in Chicago, on Broadway, and in London’s West End.
Some of his stage credits include What About Dick? My Favorite Year and Travesties, among others.
In 2015, he was honoured with The Actors Fund Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tony Awards Viewing Party in Los Angeles.
Curry opened up about his wellbeing last year during a special screening marking The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s 50th anniversary.
Tim Curry was best known for playing Dr Frank-N-Furter in the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The 80-year-old also played the concierge in Home Alone 2
Curry in 2016 attending the red carpet premiere of The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Lets Do the Time Warp Again’ at The Roxy in West Hollywood, California
Speaking to the audience at LA’s Academy Museum, he said: ‘I still can’t walk, which is why I’m in this silly chair, and that’s very limiting.
‘So, I won’t be singing and I won’t be dancing very soon. I still have real problems with my left leg.’
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Since the stroke, which he suffered aged 66, the legendary actor remained largely out of the public eye.
Born Timothy James Curry in Cheshire, England, in 1946, Curry was the younger child of Patricia, a school secretary, and James, a Royal Navy chaplain. He had an older sister, Judith – a concert pianist, who died in 2001.
Curry grew up in Plymouth and went to boarding school. Then, in 1958, when he was just 12 years old, he lost his father to pneumonia.
The tragedy had a profound impact on his childhood.
Ten years later, the actor watched Judi Dench onstage as Sally Bowles in Cabaret at London’s Palace Theatre, a moment that cemented his ambition to become an actor.
For many years, he rarely discussed his famous appearance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, fearing he would be typecast.
He previously recalled the opening night during the show’s Broadway debut as ‘very exciting’ but said the critics were far too harsh.
Between 2004 and 2007, Curry played King Arthur in the Monty Python musical Spamalot on stage in Chicago, Broadway and the West End
The actor in costume during the filming of the television mini-series Will Shakespeare at the ATV studios in Elstree, Hertfordshire, in June 1976
‘I had to go on the Today Show the next day and they read the reviews, which were appalling,’ he explained. ‘That brought me down. It was very cruel.’
The reviews described his performance as ‘a mixture of Joan Crawford and Burt Lancaster’ and ‘Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Marc Bolan all in one’
In 2011, Curry was scheduled to appear in Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, but he withdrew from the production at the last minute citing ill health.