Tim Curry, Star of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ Dies at 80

Tim Curry, the classically trained British actor and singer best known for playing the flamboyant Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the legendary midnight movie classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show has died at 80. According to TMZ, the Emmy-winning star of stage and screen (who suffered a major stroke in 2012) died on Tuesday night (Aug. 25) at his Los Angeles home, with no known cause of death at press time. Curry’s passing was confirmed to Billboard by Grand Central Publishing, which published his memoir, Vagabond: A Memoir, in 2025.

After gaining notice as part of the original cast of the British production of the musical Hair in 1968, Curry rose to international stardom in the role that would come to define his half-century career as the lascivious, lingerie-wearing Frank-N-Furter in the original stage production of The Rocky Horror Show, a b-movie send-up that chronicles the misadventures of a naive couple who take refuge from a storm in the home of mad scientist Furter.

Billboard‘s April, 13, 1974 review of The Rocky Horror Show stage production touted the show for its “outrageously decadent humor” and recognized Tim Curry as “a major talent discovery” for his campy portrayal of the gender-bending mad scientist: “How many male performers could go through an entire play costumed in a Marlene Dietrich chorus girl outfit and still come across with Mick Jagger macho?,” the review asked.

Though he would go on to perform in dozens of other plays and movies, it was his role in Rocky Horror that made Curry an international star, with audiences transfixed by his show-stopping, bump-and-grind introductory number, “Sweet Transvestite,” as well as the cabaret-like “I Can Make You a Man” and the emotional ballad “I’m Going Home,” among others. He famously reprised the role in the musical film adaptation in 1975, with that movie becoming a staple of interactive midnight screenings in which fans dressed up as his character (and others), and came armed with props mimicking the action on screen.

Timothy James Curry was born on April 19, 1946 in Grappenhall, Cheshire England and showed musical talent early on, graduating with a degree in English and drama from the University of Birmingham in 1968.

Following his breakout role in the Rocky Horror stage musical, Curry appeared in a string of stage plays and TV projects, including a lauded performance as William Shakespeare in the six-part 1978 British Will Shakespeare mini-series. HIs film career also took off, landing him roles in another cult classic, Times Square, as well as a scene-stealing turn as “Rooster” in the 1982 film adaptation of Annie.

He scored another classic role in 1985 in the Ridley Scott fantasy film Legend as the Lord of Darkness, and another that year as Wadsworth the butler in the film adaptation of the board game Clue.

Curry earned a Best Lead Actor Tony nomination in 1980 for his titular role in Amadeus and spent much of the next two decades bouncing between Broadway and London’s West End in a series of starring roles in The Threepenny Opera, The Art of Success, My Favorite Year (for which he earned his second Tony nomination) and as Scrooge in the 2001 musical A Christmas Carol.

Audiences ate up his role as the hauty, suspicious Plaza Hotel concierge Mr. Hector in Home Alone 2, which allowed the classically trained actor to indulge his silly, prat-fall-heavy, face-pulling less serious side. His range was proven via his horrifying role as the murderous Mr. Jigsaw in the horror parody Loaded Weapon 1, as well as his droll turn as Gomez Addams in Addams Family Reunion in 1998.

After moving the U.S., Curry began a run of television roles, including his Emmy-nominated portrayal of Winston Newquay in the triple role on the 1983 anthology series Tales From the Crypt, as well as a return to horror as Pennywise the Clown in the 1990 miniseries Stephen King’s It.

In addition to his long list of stage, screen and television roles, Curry appeared on the Rocky Horror soundtrack — which reached No. 49 on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1978 — and released his debut album, a collection of mostly covers, on A&M Records in 1978, Read My Lips. His second LP, 1979’s more rocking collection of originals, Fearless, reached No. 53 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the minor hit “I Do The Rock,” which topped out at No. 96 on the Billboard Hot 100. Curry’s third album, 1981’s Simplicity, peaked at No. 112 on the Billboard 200. Curry was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002 for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for his reading of A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning.

Curry suffered a stroke in 2012 and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He released his memoir, Vagabond, in 2025.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.