The actor survived a stroke in 2012 that left him requiring the use of a wheelchair and limited his work mostly to voice acting and guest appearances at fan events.
Born in Cheshire, England, Curry began his career on the London stage in the 1970s, performing in the original West End production of Hair. He later appeared on Broadway in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties and in Amadeus. For the latter, he received a Tony nomination for best actor in a play.
Curry was probably best known for playing mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the cult musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The actor originated the character on the West End stage in the early 1970s before reprising the role for the 1975 film adaptation. Thanks in large part to midnight showings, the film has the longest-running theatrical release in history.
Curry’s talent for playing campy villains, coupled with his recognizable baritone voice, landed him a series of memorable roles throughout the 1980s, including as the butler Wadsworth in Clue, the Lord of Darkness in the fantasy film Willow and the shape-shifting clown Pennywise in the TV miniseries It, adapted from Stephen King’s novel.
The actor starred in a string of Hollywood films throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with major roles in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, The Three Musketeers, The Hunt for Red October and Charlie’s Angels. He made frequent guest appearances on TV shows as well, including Roseanne, Will & Grace and Monk.
Curry was also a prolific voice actor, winning a Daytime Emmy for his performance as Captain Hook in the animated series Peter Pan and the Pirates. He voiced Nigel Thornberry on the Nickelodeon series The Wild Thornberrys, and appeared in the films FernGully: The Last Rainforest and The Rugrats Movie.
An accomplished singer, Curry appeared on various movie soundtracks and released three solo albums. His 1979 single “I Do the Rock” charted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
In 2004, Curry returned to Broadway, originating the role of King Arthur in Spamalot, the hit comedy musical written by Monty Python member Eric Idle and based on the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The performance earned him a Tony nomination for best performance by a leading actor in a musical.
Three years after his stroke, Curry made a rare public appearance to accept the Actors Fund’s lifetime achievement award and reflected on his use of humor amid his recovery.
“It’s not tough to maintain,” he told Los Angeles Magazine about his sense of humor. “It is just part of my DNA.”
Curry also reflected on his iconic role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. “It’s neither a blessing nor a curse. I was lucky to get it,” he told the magazine.
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