WTF Happened to Tim Curry?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSBUz8MS6yo

Tim Curry is a familiar and much-loved face if you’re a child of the eighties or nineties. First breaking out playing Dr. Frank N. Furter in the musical stage show The Rocky Horror Show, when it transitioned to the big screen, Curry was a natural to reprise his role. The resulting film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, was only a mild success, but a crazy cult sprang up around the movie that’s earned it a place in history. As it stands, it’s arguably the biggest cult film of all time, and it holds a record for the longest theatrical run of any movie, with it continually in theatrical release since its 1975 debut. Halloween revivals of the movie are a beloved tradition, and the film would not have it's staying power were it not for Curry’s showstopping turn.

It kicked off an interesting career for Curry, with him initially specializing in villains. He made an unforgettable Darkness in Ridley Scott’s Legend and Rooster in John Huston’s Annie. He also began making significant in-roads in comedy, playing the slick butler Wadsworth in the beloved Clue. In the nineties, he began to specialize as a character actor in movies like The Hunt for Red October, Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, Muppet Treasure Island (as Long John Silver) and more. Yet, it’s there’s a role he’s remembered for other than Frank N. Furter; it’s Pennywise the Clown in the iconic TV movie version of IT. His Pennywise haunted many children's dreams, including most of us here at JoBlo.

In recent years, the beloved star has been sidelined by a major stroke which has confined him to voice acting. In this episode of WTF Happened to this Celebrity (written by Brad Hamerly, produced and narrated by Taylor James Johnson and edited by Kier Gomes) we examine Curry’s life and legacy.

What’s your favorite Tim Curry role?