Tim Curry, the British actor of stage and screen who is probably best known for his role in the filmed version of the cult classic, rock musical, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", has passed away on August 26th. The actor had suffered from a debilitating stroke in 2012 which left him with severe mobility issues and requiring a wheelchair. No cause of death has been revealed to date. He was eighty.
Curry began his career on the stage, making his acting debut in a London production of "Hair" in 1968. During that time, he met fellow cast member, Richard O'Brien who would go on to later write his own stage musical. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", O'Brien's wild tribute tohis love of sci-fi and horror B-movies, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 1973 and the popular show moved to larger venues in London before closing in 1980. Originating the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Curry brought a humorously posh style to the mad, transvestite scientist.
The musical did transfer to Broadway in 1975 but was not as warmly embraced in America at that time, closing after only forty-five performances. A movie version of "Rocky Horror" was assembled at the same time with Curry, O' Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell and director, Jim Sharman all reprising their parts from the original London production. "Rocky Horror", the movie, didn't fare much better on its initial release in theaters but gradually gained popularity on the midnight movie circuit. Audiences would begin interacting live with the film at the Waverly Theater in New York City in 1976.
Curry would make other notable appearances in films: co-starring in John Huston's 1982 film version of the Broadway musical, "Annie", Ridley Scott's 1985 fantasy film, "Legend' with Tom Cruise, and in the comedy mystery film. "Clue" which was based on the boardgame and has since gone on to become another cult movie classic. He appeared on several television series and did many voiceover roles for animated films and video games. And one of Curry's best-known television roles was as Pennywise the Clown in the 1990 horror miniseries , "Stephen King's It". Curry also recorded three studio albums and wrote a memoir, "Vagabond" that was published last year.
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