Actor and singer Tim Curry, star of Rocky Horror and It, dies at 80

Career origins and stage breakthrough

Born in Cheshire on 19 April 1946, Curry was the son of a Royal Navy chaplain and spent his childhood in Hong Kong and Plymouth before graduating with an English and drama degree from the University of Birmingham. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company early in his career and secured a part in the 1968 London staging of the musical Hair, where he met writer Richard O'Brien. In June 1973, Curry originated the role of Dr Frank-N-Furter in O'Brien's glam rock production The Rocky Horror Show at London's Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. The 60-seat production transferred to the 600-seat King's Road Theatre for a six-year run, followed by a 1975 Broadway transfer. Curry developed the character's distinct voice by adopting a posh Belgravia accent after hearing a woman speaking on a London bus.

Screen presence from cult cinema to television

Curry reprised his role in the 1975 film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, directed by Jim Sharman and co-starring Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick. The feature struggled upon initial release before growing into a durable midnight-movie fixture known for audience participation and shadow casts. Over a filmography spanning more than 230 screen productions, Curry established a reputation for larger-than-life character work and villainy across multiple genres. In 1985, he appeared as Darkness in Ridley Scott's fantasy film Legend and as the butler Wadsworth in the murder-mystery comedy Clue. Five years later, he portrayed the child-hunting entity Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the 1990 television miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's novel It, followed by Long John Silver in the 1996 film Muppet Treasure Island.

Later theatre work and voice acting

Curry maintained a prolific theatre schedule alongside his film roles, appearing in over 30 stage plays throughout his life. He received Laurence Olivier Award nominations for his performance as the Pirate King in a 1982 staging of The Pirates of Penzance at Drury Lane and as King Arthur in the 2005 to 2007 production of Spamalot. On Broadway, he collected three Tony Award nominations for roles in Amadeus, My Favorite Year, and Spamalot. His voice acting credits brought additional honours, including a Daytime Emmy Award for playing Captain Hook in Peter Pan and the Pirates and a Grammy Award nomination for narrating the audiobook of A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning. In 2012, Curry suffered a severe stroke that restricted his mobility and required him to use a wheelchair for public appearances.

Tributes from colleagues and Broadway

Longtime manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz announced that Curry died on 26 August 2026 at his home in Los Angeles. Former co-stars and stage performers published tributes following the announcement. Sarandon posted an online remembrance honouring their collaboration on The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Even in a wheelchair, he continued to be so kind and generous to his fans. Thank you, Tim, for meaning so much to so many people. I love you, S.

Actor Luke Evans, who concluded a seven-month Broadway run as Frank-N-Furter, reunited with current performer Paul Soileau and incoming lead Jake Shears to sing "I'm Going Home" during a curtain call tribute. Evans cited Curry as a defining personal influence who established an inimitable standard for subsequent performers in the role.

There will only ever be one Tim Curry. Everyone else can only do their best to capture some of the magic of that role, which I have just played for seven months.