Tim Curry, legendary actor known for ‘Rocky Horror’ and ‘It,’ dies at 80

Tim Curry, the legendary actor best known for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has died at the age of 80, according to several media reports.

Curry died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to his longtime manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz. No cause was disclosed.

Curry’s career spanned more than five decades across film, television, stage, animation, and music. But it was his breakout role as Dr. Frank‑N‑Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show — a performance equal parts camp, danger, and brilliance — that cemented him as a cultural icon.

The 1975 film became a midnight‑movie phenomenon, and Curry’s portrayal remains one of the most recognizable characters in modern pop culture.

“I like playing the more curious corners of the human mind and human behavior, partly because they’re a tad more interesting,” Curry told The Associated Press in 1993.

In 1990, he terrified a generation as Pennywise the Clown in the television adaptation of Stephen King’s It, delivering a performance that became a benchmark for horror villains. He brought equal intensity to roles in Clue, Legend, Annie, The Hunt for Red October, and Home Alone 2.

Curry was also a prolific voice actor, lending his tone to animated series including FernGully, The Wild Thornberrys, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Batman: The Animated Series.

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Later years and health issues

In 2012, Curry suffered a major stroke that required brain surgery and limited his mobility, but he continued to make public appearances, participate in reunions, and lend his voice to select projects, such as to animated series, video games, and special projects, notably The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius: Jet Fusion and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

In October 2020, Curry reprised his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in a live table reading of The Rocky Horror Picture Show to raise funds for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign.

In his 2025 memoir, “Vagabond,” Curry warned readers that while there were scraps of his nature in his characters, he was none of them.

“The distinctions between who I really am and who I’ve pretended to be as an actor have proven to be a source of great disappointment to some audiences. It has not caused me much personal distress beyond the periodic necessity to deter stalkers,” he wrote.

He was born April 19, 1946, in rural Grappenhall, Cheshire. Curry never married and had no children.

With files from The Associated Press