Legendary stage and screen actor Tim Curry died on Tuesday, Aug. 25. He was 80.
Curryâs rep, Sean Katz, confirmed the actor passed âpeacefullyâ to USA Today.
âThough widely known for his inimitable, flamboyant characters and colorful stage performances, his greatest legacies to those who knew him were his curious, expansive mind and generous, gentle heart, both of which remained open and filled with anticipation until his final breath,â the statement read.
In 2012, Curry suffered a major stroke that left him partially paralyzed. Last year, the actor attended a 50th anniversary screening of âThe Rocky Horror Picture Showâ in Los Angeles, where he gave an update on his health.
âI still canât walk, which is why Iâm in this silly chair, and thatâs very limiting,â he said, referring to his wheelchair. âI wonât be singing and I wonât be dancing very soon. I still have real problems with my left leg.â
Though Curryâs career started on the stage, he became known for two eccentric roles: Dr. Frank-N-Furter in âThe Rocky Horror Picture Showâ and Pennywise the Dancing Clown in âIT.â
His list of film and television credits is long, but hereâs where you can start streaming some of Curryâs best movies to celebrate his incredible life.
Curryâs feature film debut was in the role that would come to be most closely associated with him: Dr. Frank-N-Furter in âThe Rocky Horror Picture Show.â He originated the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter on Londonâs West End in 1973 and reprised the role on Broadway in 1975 just before the film was released.
âRocky Horrorâ is a tribute to old-school science fiction and horror B movies that follows a newly engaged couple seeking shelter in a mysterious castle owned by Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a mad scientist and alien transvestite from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania, who creates a living muscle man named Rocky.
Stream âThe Rocky Horror Picture Showâ on: BroadwayHD (free trial), Prime Video (buy or rent)
Just a few years later, Curry starred in another musical. This time he took on the role of Rooster Hannigan in 1982âs âAnnie,â the first film adaptation of the stage musical about an orphan who is taken in by Americaâs richest billionaire. As the sociopathic con-artist younger brother of Carol Burnettâs Miss Hannigan, he belted out âEasy Streetâ with Bernadette Peters.
Stream âAnnieâ on: Prime Video (buy or rent)
In 1985, Curry starred in another film that would go on to have a cult following: âClue.â Set in 1954, the film, based on the board game of the same name, follows six strangers who gather at a secluded mansion where a series of murders unfolds, forcing them to determine the identity of the killer among them. Curry plays Wadsworth, the butler.
Stream âClueâ on: MGM+ (try it free), Paramount+ (try it free), Prime Video (buy or rent)
Another one of Curryâs best-known roles is Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the two-part TV adaptation of Stephen Kingâs âIT.â The villainous Pennywise is at the center of the story of âITâ as it transforms itself into its preyâs worst fears, exploiting the phobias of its victims.
âITâ takes place over 30 years and follows the Losers Club, a group of outcast kids who discover Pennywise and vow to kill him by any means necessary. It begins when the Losers first confront Pennywise as children in 1960, and concludes when they return as adults in 1990 to defeat him a second time after he resurfaces.
Stream âITâ on: HBO Max, Prime Video (buy or rent)
Curry joined the âHome Aloneâ universe for the 1992 sequel âLost in New York,â which follows Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) as he boards the wrong plane and ends up in New York over the Christmas holiday. Curry plays the concierge at the Plaza Hotel, who is immediately skeptical of Kevin, doubting that a young child could check into a luxury hotel alone using his fatherâs credit card.
Stream âHome Alone 2: Lost in New Yorkâ on: Disney+, Prime Video (buy or rent)
Adapted from the 1883 novel âTreasure Islandâ by Robert Louis Stevenson, âMuppet Treasure Islandâ features a few human actors, while all of the supporting roles are played by Muppets; Curry starred as Long John Silver.
âFew humans have earned the title of honorary Muppet more than the legendary Tim Curry,â The Muppets said in a statement released on Instagram today. âAs a performer he was unparalleled â witty, charming, unnerving, and deeply funny. We will always consider it one of our greatest treasures to have been part of Long John Silverâs crew.âÂ
Stream âMuppet Treasure Islandâ on: Disney+, Prime Video (buy or rent)
In addition to live action work, Curry did a lot of voice acting as well. The voice role he played the longest was the eccentric, enthusiastic, and cheerful Nigel Thornberry, the patriarch of âThe Wild Thornberrys.â He voiced Nigel in 91 episodes of the series and reprised the role in two feature films.
Stream âThe Wild Thornberrysâ on: Paramount+ (try it free),
One of Curryâs final on-screen appearances came in a 2025 documentary about âThe Rocky Horror Picture Show.â Directed by Linus OâBrien, the son of âRocky Horrorâ writer Richard OâBrien, the doc charts the musicalâs evolution from the London stage to the big screen and examines its long legacy.
Stream âStrange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horrorâ on: Prime Video (buy or rent)
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