"Tim" the Curry Guy

Actor and singer Timothy James Curry was born in London, England on April 19, 1946. His role as Dr. Watson helped him gain fame. He played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 film adaptation of The Rocky Horror Show, a role he had created on stage in the London and Los Angeles productions of the musical in 1973 and 1974.

Other stage roles for which Curry is known include: various roles in the original West End production of Hair; Tristan Tzara in the West End and Broadway productions of Travesties (1975); Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the 1980 Broadway production of Amadeus; Alan Swann in the Broadway production of My Favourite Year; and many others. the role of King Arthur in the 2005–2007 Broadway and London productions of Spamalot There have been three Tony Award nominations for him, and two Laurence Olivier Award nominations for his theater work. [1]

Curry received further acclaim for his film and television roles, including Rooster Hannigan in the film adaptation of Annie (1982), Darkness in Legend (1985), Wadsworth in Clue (1985), Pennywise in the miniseries It (1990), the Concierge in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers (1993), and Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island (1996) He has also gained acclaim for his voice acting roles, including his Daytime Emmy Award-winning performance as Captain Hook on Peter Pan & the Pirates (1990–1991), Hexxus in FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Sir Nigel Thornberry on The Wild Thornberrys (1998–2004), and Chancellor Palpatine / Darth Sidious on Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2012–2014)

Read My Lips (1978), Fearless (1979), and Simplicity (1981) are Curry's three studio albums as a singer, all of which feature rock music.

Early life [ edit ]

Timothy James Curry was born on April 19, 1946,[a][2] in Grappenhall, Cheshire, to Patricia (a school secretary who passed away in June 1999) and James (a chaplain in the Royal Navy). In 1958, when Curry was only 12, his father passed away from pneumonia. Judith, his older sister, was a concert pianist who tragically passed away in 2001 from a brain tumor. [3] Most of Curry's formative years were spent in Plymouth. He attended boarding school in South London after his father died, then transferred to Kingswood School in Bath, Somerset. He matured into a gifted treble soprano (boy's soprano). At the University of Birmingham, he earned a BA in English and drama in 1968 before deciding to pursue acting full-time. [6]

Career [ edit ]

Acting [ edit ]

The Rocky Horror Picture Show [ edit ]

In 1968, Curry made his professional acting debut in the London production of the musical Hair, where he met Richard O'Brien,[7] who would later pen Curry's next professional role, Dr. This is Frank-N-Furter from the 1973 film The Rocky Horror Show. [8] Curry reflected on his initial exposure to the undertaking:

A few doors down from my apartment on Paddington Street, just off Baker Street, was an abandoned gym where people were talking about this new play. Richard O'Brien, whom I encountered on the sidewalk, mentioned that he had recently visited the gym in search of a hulking tenor. What I meant was, "Why do you need him to sing for you?" After much hilarity, he informed me that his musical was nearing completion and that I should contact Jim Sharman. The script he handed me made me think, "Man, if this works, it's going to be a smash." "[9]

Curry practiced the role with a German accent and peroxide blond hair at first, and then switched to an American one. In an interview with NPR's Terry Gross from March 2005, he discusses his choice to play Dr. After hearing a British woman ask, "Do you have a house in town or a house in the country?," Frank-N-Furter decided to adopt an English accent and responded, "Yes, [Dr. The voice of Frank-N-Furter should be regal. [10]

At first, Curry mistook the character for a typical scientist in a white lab coat. However, director Sharman suggested a change that turned the character into a transvestite mad scientist with a posh Belgravia accent. Curry's "garishly Bowiesque performance as the ambidextrous doctor" earned rave reviews at the show's June 1973 London premiere. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the 1975 film adaptation,[11] made Curry a household name and gained him a cult following due to this alteration. He kept on playing the part in New York, Los Angeles, and London until 1975.

Curry described Rocky Horror as a "rite of passage" in an interview with NPR and described the film as "a guaranteed weekend party to which you can go with or without a date and probably find one if you don't have one." as well as a chance to see how one looks in different roles, of course See if you can help them figure out their sexuality, or at least get closer to doing so. [10]

In the 2016 televised reimagining of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Curry played the role of The Criminologist. [13]

Theatre [ edit ]

New York City, 2005, with Curry

Not long after Rocky Horror Picture Show's credits rolled ' s run on Broadway, Curry made his stage return in 1975 and 1976 in London and New York with Tom Stoppard's Travesties. One of the most successful shows on Broadway was Travesties. Two Tony Awards (Best Actor for John Wood and Best Comedy) and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award (Best Play) were given to the production, and reviews of Curry's turn as famous dadaist Tristan Tzara were positive. [14]

While a member of the original Broadway cast of Amadeus in 1981, Curry portrayed the title character, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. For this performance, he was nominated for his first Tony Award (Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play), but he ended up losing to his co-star Ian McKellen, who played Antonio Salieri. In 1982, Curry starred opposite George Cole as the Pirate King in a Drury Lane production of Joe Papp's The Pirates of Penzance. Affirmed Use of Citation Needed

During the mid-1980s, Curry was a part of several productions at the Royal National Theatre in London, including The Threepenny Opera, Dalliance, and Love For Love. Bill Snibson, played on Broadway by Robert Lindsay and later by Jim Dale, was the lead role he played on the national tour of Me and My Girl in 1988. Returning to the New York stage in 1989–1990 with The Art of Success, Curry went on to earn his second Tony Award nomination, this time for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, for his portrayal of Alan Swann in the 1993 musical adaptation of My Favorite Year. He played Ebenezer Scrooge in the 2001 Madison Square Garden production of the musical A Christmas Carol.

For the Chicago production of Spamalot, which opened in 2004, Curry has been playing King Arthur since 2004. The show, which was based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail and written by Monty Python member Eric Idle, premiered on Broadway in February 2005 to great acclaim. First-day ticket sales topped $1 million. He received his third nomination for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for this role. On October 16, 2006, Spamalot premiered at the Palace Theatre in London's West End, with Curry reprising her role. On January 6, 2007, he performed for the last time. He received a Theatregoers' Choice Award as Best Actor in a Musical, and he was also nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The Theatregoers' Choice Award was decided by the votes of more than 12,000 theatergoers. [17]

A Trevor Nunn production of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was set to run at the Chichester Festival Theatre in May 2011 and then move to London's West End in August 2011. During that time, Curry was slated to play the role of the Player. On May 27th, he gave up his role in the production, saying that he was sick. At the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles (April 26th–April 29th, 2012), Tim Curry starred as Dick! in Eric Idle's play What About Dick? He had first appeared in the play in 2007 when it was still in development, so [19] he had already been a part of it once. [20]

During the 19th annual Tony Awards Viewing Party hosted by the Actors Fund on June 7, 2015, Curry was presented with an Artistic Achievement Award in recognition of his extensive career in the theater. [21]

Film [ edit ]

After The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Curry began to appear in many films, acting in supporting roles, such as Robert Graves in the British horror film The Shout, as Johnny LaGuardia in Times Square, as Daniel Francis "Rooster" Hannigan in the 1982 film version of Annie, and as Jeremy Hancock in the political film The Ploughman's Lunch [22]

Curry's first major role was as the evil Lord of Darkness in the 1985 fantasy film Legend. After seeing him in Rocky Horror, director Ridley Scott knew he had to have Curry play Darkness in his film. Darkness makeup took Curry five and a half hours to apply, and at the end of the day, he had to soak in the tub for an hour to dissolve the soluble spirit gum. In the same year, he had a supporting role as butler Wadsworth in the comedy-mystery film Clue.

Throughout the rest of the '80s and '90s, Curry was increasingly cast in comedic roles like Rev. It was popularized by Ray Porter in his book Pass the Ammo, Dr. Oscar, Mr. Poole's Thornton Poole The shady concierge Hector at the Plaza Hotel in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," Jigsaw in "Loaded Weapon 1," and Long John Silver in "The Muppet Treasure Island" Throughout the '90s, he was mostly seen in comedies, but he did have a small role in the action thriller The Hunt for Red October as Dr. Yevgeniy Petrov has appeared in a number of films, including The Shadow (1992) as Farley Claymore, Congo (1995) as Herkermer Homolka, and the 1993 adaptation of The Three Musketeers as Cardinal Richelieu. [23] He also played Gomez Addams in the 1998 VHS movie Addams Family Reunion.

Curry's acting career took off in the early 2000s, with roles in both the film adaptation of Charlie's Angels and the parody film Scary Movie 2 (in which he played the role of Professor Oldman). After that, Curry got cast as Thurman Rice in the biopic Kinsey. Curry has spent the majority of his career doing voice work for cartoons and cartoon series. His most recent film appearance was as Alexander Monro in the British black comedy Burke & Hare. [24]

Television [ edit ]

Beginning his career in television, Curry appeared as a guest star on shows like Armchair Theatre and Play for Today, as well as in small roles on shows like Napoleon and Love (as Eugene) and Dennis Potter's "Schmoedipus."

Curry played Winston Newquay in the "Dead Dog Records" episode of the crime drama series Wiseguy. Also, he was in several episodes of both the sci-fi show Earth 2 and the comedy show Rude Awakening, both of which lasted only a season or two.

The Tracey Ullman Show, Roseanne, Tales from the Crypt (for which he was nominated for an Emmy), The Naked Truth, Lexx, Monk, Will & Grace, Psych, Agatha Christie's Poirot, and Criminal Minds are just some of the other shows he has appeared on as a guest star.

Curry also performed in many television films and miniseries, including Three Men in a Boat, the titular role in Will Shakespeare, playing the role of Bill Sikes in a television adaptation of Oliver Twist, Blue Money, The Worst Witch, Titanic, Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic, Alice, Jackie's Back, Return to Cranford, and many more

Curry has had a long and successful career in television, appearing in dozens of shows. However, only two live-action series—the sitcom Over the Top, which he also produced, and the revival series Family Affair—have featured him in a leading role. After only one season, both were axed.

As Pennywise the Clown in the 1990 Stephen King horror miniseries It, Tim Curry gained widespread fame. Before an interview with Moviefone in 2015, in which he praised his successor Will Poulter and called the role of Pennywise "a wonderful part," Curry had never publicly acknowledged his involvement in It outside of a single Fangoria interview in 1990. Poulter was cast as Pennywise in the reboot. even though they eventually gave up and stopped trying During an interview at Fan Expo Canada, Curry said of Poulter's replacement, Bill Skarsgrd, "I like [Bill] Skarsgrd." I find him to be a very astute individual. It will be entertaining to observe his choice of clown mask. since it doesn't resemble a typical clown's face [ So, naturally, I can't wait to check it out! "[26]

Performers of the Voice Act [ edit ]

To name just a few, Curry has voiced the Serpent in The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible and has appeared in numerous other animated TV shows and movies. Curry's portrayal of Captain Hook on the Fox animated series Peter Pan and the Pirates earned him a Daytime Emmy. After five seasons of Nickelodeon's The Wild Thornberrys, his role as Nigel Thornberry became his network's longest-running animated one.

Curry was mainly known for villainous roles in animated series such as Konk in The Pirates of Dark Water, MAL in Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Skullmaster in Mighty Max, the Evil Manta in The Little Mermaid, Dr Anton Sevarius in Gargoyles, Kilokahn in Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, 'King' Chicken in Duckman, Taurus Bullba in Darkwing Duck, Lord Dragaunus in The Mighty Ducks, as various characters Dinosaurs Professor Finbarr Calamitous from Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Slagar the Cruel from Redwall, Doctor Morocco from Transformers: Rescue Bots, G. Gordon Godfrey from Young Justice, the Sorcerer from Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, and Auntie Whispers from Over the Garden Wall are all examples of such villains. After Ian Abercrombie's passing, he also took over as the voice of Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

He also appeared in a number of animated films such as FernGully: The Last Rainforest, The Pebble and the Penguin, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost, Barbie in the Nutcracker, The Cat Returns, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, Dagon Troll World Chronicles, and many more

In addition to his acting career, Curry has lent his voice to a number of video games, including those in which he voiced the main character. These games include Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned, Toonstruck, Sacrifice, Brütal Legend, and Dragon Age: Origins. Curry's performance as Soviet Premier Chedenko in a Red Alert 3 cutscene is now a widely-shared meme. [27]

Among the many audiobooks he has narrated are those by Lemony Snicket, Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Bram Stoker, and Garth Nix (the Abhorsen trilogy). [28]

As a voice actor, Curry has worked with companies like Smirnoff, Cravendale, and Paramount Network. [29][30]

Music [ edit ]

Besides his contributions to soundtrack albums, Curry has also found success as a solo performer. As a young boy, Curry studied classical singing. Jazz singers like Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong were among his early musical inspirations, and as a teen he was a huge fan of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Curry's first solo album, Read My Lips, was released by A&M Records that same year, 1978. [31] The album included a wide variety of songs (mostly covers) sung in a number of different styles. The album's highlights include a reggae cover of the Beatles' "I Will," a version of "Wake Nicodemus" featuring the Pipes and Drums of the 48th Highlanders of Canada, and a bar-room ballad, "Alan," written by Canadian singer-songwriter Tony Kosinec. In 1979, he had a smash hit with "I do the Rock."

Curry's second and most commercially successful album, Fearless, was released the year after. Rockier than Read My Lips, the album mainly consisted of originals rather than covers. The album featured "I Do the Rock" and "Paradise Garage," Curry's only songs to reach number one in the US.

Simplicity, Curry's third and final studio album, was issued by A&M Records once again in 1981. [31] This album featured both original compositions and cover versions, but it sold less than their prior releases. But despite its success, it was Curry's only charting album in Canada. 45 on Billboard's Albums Chart [32] Bob Ezrin, Dick Wagner, and David Sanborn were among the many notable musicians who contributed to the writing, production, and musician roster of Curry's solo albums.

A&M released The Best of Tim Curry on CD and cassette in 1989; it featured songs from his albums (including a live version of "Alan") and a previously unreleased song, a cover of Bob Dylan's "Simple Twist of Fate" performed live.

Between 1978 and 1980, Curry and his band went on a North American and European tour.

In Roger Waters' The Wall - Live in Berlin (1990), Curry played the role of the Prosecutor. [33]

However, in 1976, Curry had already recorded a nine-song album for Lou Adler's Ode Records. It wasn't until February 2010 that the entire album was made available for legal download under the title. Even though four songs from these sessions had previously been released on a Rocky Horror box set in 1990, this album is from the vaults. Adler produced an album that featured Curry's cover of "Baby Love" by The Supremes.

Relationships in one's private life [ edit ]

Since suffering a stroke in July 2012, Curry has been confined to a wheelchair. Therefore, he has primarily focused on voice acting [34], though he still occasionally performs as a singer and makes guest appearances at conventions. [35]

To play Dr. McFadden once again, Tim Curry will return to the role in October of 2020. At a fundraiser for Joe Biden's presidential campaign, Frank-N-Furter will play the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in a live table reading of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. [36]

Filmography [ edit ]

Discography [ edit ]

Albums

Cast albums and musical scores

Others

In recognition of: Honors and Awards [ edit ]

Notes [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

Hyperlinks to other sites [ edit ]