▶ Watch Video: Actor Tim Curry, known for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” dies at 80
Actor Tim Curry, known for his iconic performances in cult classics like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and the original screen adaptation of Stephen King’s “It,” has died, his manager confirmed. He was 80.
Born in Cheshire, England, in 1946, the British singer and actor began his career on London’s West End. He went on to receive multiple Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards, alongside additional acclaim, throughout his decades in the business.
Curry was best known for his portrayal of cross-dressing scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter in “Rocky Horror,” the 1975 musical comedy movie in which he starred alongside the likes of Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick. He reprised the role for the screen after first playing it in the stage musical “The Rocky Horror Show.”
He’s also remembered widely for his role in “It,” in which he played the villainous clown Pennywise, when King’s 1986 novel was adapted into a miniseries in 1990.
Curry reflected on the legacy left by his “Rocky Horror” stardom in an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” last October, saying his character “gave a lot of teenagers permission to be different, and I’m very happy that he did have that power.”
He also discussed his own identity in that interview, acknowledging his somewhat mysterious persona even as he built a prolific resume filled with funny, campy and generally over-the-top characters.
“I think it’s important,” he told “CBS Mornings,” of being an enigma himself. “I encourage it.”
Curry said at the time that he prioritized protecting certain parts of his real-life story from the public, adding that something critical for him “is to not encourage an identity.” At the time of the interview, he was promoting a memoir, called “Vagabond,” in which he looked back as far as his early childhood, moving from place to place as part of a military family, and his journey to worldwide fame.
Curry suffered a stroke in 2012, which left him partially paralyzed.
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