OBITUARY | Tim Curry, actor famed for ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’, dead at 80

Tim Curry, the baritone-voiced British actor who pranced to movie fame as a singing, lingerie-clad “sweet transvestite” in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show , has died at the age of 80, his manager said on Wednesday.

A cause of death was not immediately given, but Curry had been in ill health for some time. He died peacefully on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, his manager said.

Curry appeared in numerous movies, often as a hammy villain, was nominated three times for a Tony Award for Broadway roles, and performed voice work in many animated films and TV shows.

But his best-known role was Dr Frank N Furter, which came in his debut film, the outrageous, crowd-pleasing horror-comedy-musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show , co-starring Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick.

“I’m not much of a man by the light of day. But by night I’m one hell of a lover. I’m just a sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania,” Curry sang in one scene as he strutted around with garish eye shadow and lipstick, in a skimpy black outfit complete with black stockings and garter belt.

In a 1975 television interview, Curry noted the risk of having his career defined by such an outlandish role ― a prescient worry, as it turned out. “When I read it, I just thought it was very, very witty and funny,” Curry said, although he confessed to some initial reluctance.

“I mean, I was hesitant in that, if it worked, it might be a difficult thing to shake off. But, really, I’ve always thought that it (a part) wasn’t worth doing unless you took a risk,” Curry said.

Among his other films were Charlie’s Angels (2000), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), The Shadow (1994), The Three Musketeers (1993), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Clue (1985), Legend (1985) and Annie (1982).

Curry did much of his best work on stage. He was nominated for a Tony, Broadway’s top honour, in 1981 for his role as Mozart in Amadeus , a tale of the great composer’s interaction with jealous rival Salieri. Curry was also nominated for a Tony in 1993 for My Favorite Year and in 2005 for his role as King Arthur in the zany Monty Python’s Spamalot .

Possessing a rich baritone voice, he was in demand as a voice actor for animated films and TV shows. He won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991 for his voice work on the animated Peter Pan & the Pirates.

With his sinister grin and menacing laugh, Curry was frequently cast in Hollywood films as a villain ― sometimes with comic overtones, which let him deliver the type of over-the-top performances for which he was famed.

“I do love those roles ― they’re always the best written,” Curry told interviewer Andrew Kay in 2011.

He conceded that some of his movies were mediocre, singling out 1995’s Congo , a tale of diamond mines and killer gorillas.

“I was really very bad in it,” Curry said. “I won a Razzy award for one of the worst performances of the year ― and I richly deserved it, too.”