Tim Curry, Frank-N-Furter of Rocky Horror, Dies at 80

Tim Curry, the English actor who created and immortalized Frank-N-Furter, the pansexual alien scientist of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, died on August 2 at his home in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles. He was 80. No cause of death was given. Over five decades, Mr. Curry moved fluidly between comedy, horror, drama, and music, performing on Broadway, in films, and in video games. He received three Tony nominations and was perhaps equally famous to younger audiences for a single performance art moment in a 2008 video game that became a legendary internet meme. Born in Warrington, England, in 1946, Mr. Curry's first acting job after university was in the original London production of Hair in 1968. Five years later, composer Richard O'Brien asked him to audition for his new musical. Mr. Curry was cast as Dr. Frank-N-Furter and first performed the role on stage in the upstairs theatre at London's Royal Court in 1973. The Rocky Horror Picture Show film followed in 1975, starring Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick alongside Mr. Curry. The film holds the record for the longest-running theatrical release in film history, per BBC reporting. In a CBS Sunday Morning interview last October, Mr. Curry reflected on the role's enduring power: "It gave a lot of teenagers permission to be different, and I'm very happy that he did have that power." He also said of his enigmatic public presence: "I think it's important. I encourage it." Mr. Curry's film and television career spanned horror, comedy, and musical theater. He also appeared in Clue (1985), Legend (1985), Congo (1995), The Hunt for Red October, and Home Alone 2. On Broadway, Mr. Curry received his first Tony nomination for playing Mozart in the original 1981 production of Amadeus. He earned further Tony nominations for My Favorite Year (1993) and for playing King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot (2005). Mr. Curry suffered a major stroke in 2012 and required the use of a wheelchair afterward. After his stroke, according to BBC reporting, he concentrated on voice acting and continued to appear at film conventions. In 2008, he performed in the video game Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, delivering the line "I'm going to escape, to the one place that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism... space!" as Soviet Premier Anatoly Cherdenko. That clip has accumulated more than 10 million views on YouTube, making it a legendary moment in internet culture. Mr. Curry published his memoir, Vagabond, last year. In his final CBS Sunday Morning interview, he reflected on mortality without fear. When asked about death, he said: "I try to avoid it, as I think we all do! But I suspect that in the end, I will welcome it." He added: "I think it may be very comforting to go bye-bye, and I want to earn it!" Actors and collaborators offered tributes. Welsh actor Luke Evans, who played Frank-N-Furter in a Broadway revival, called Mr. Curry "a force, a bright fierce flame, an exquisite charm." Evans wrote: "Being compared to you has been one of the greatest compliments I've ever received, even though it's a comparison no one could ever hope to live up to." Carol Burnett wrote on social media that "nobody could play lovable villains better than he could." Rob Schneider, who played the bellboy to Mr. Curry's hotel clerk in Home Alone 2, wrote: "The sensational character actor, Tim Curry has left the stage. A truly gifted performer of stage and screen, his one eyebrow could say more than most actors' entire bodies." Actor Michael McKean said his last conversation with Mr. Curry was about "life and love and laughter." The official Rocky Horror Picture Show Broadway account thanked him for "giving the world a little more freedom, a little more fearlessness, and through the tears in our eyes, the courage to BE IT."