British actor Tim Curry is dead at 80.
He was best known for The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
He had earned three Tony nods and an Emmy nomination.
Tim Curry, the British actor best known for his star turn as Dr Frank-N-Furter in the cult classic musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has passed away at 80. He died at his home in Los Angeles, California, according to a statement released by his manager, Marcia Hurwitz, on Wednesday
The cause of death has not been disclosed. Curry had been dealing with several health problems since suffering a serious stroke in 2012.
Tim Curry's Iconic Roles
He earned nominations at Tony Awards three times for Broadway roles and performed voice work in several animated films and television shows. His breakthrough came as Frank-N-Furter, a cross-dressing scientist in the rock musical The Rocky Horror Show, which premiered in 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre in London.
“When I read it, I just thought it was very, very witty and funny. It seemed like something that would go,” Curry noted about the role in a 1975 TV interview in London. He added, prophetically, “I was hesitant in that, if it worked, it might be a difficult image to shake off. But really, I’ve often thought that it wasn’t worth doing unless you took a risk.”
Curry essayed the terrifying clown Pennywise in the 1990 adaptation of Stephen King's It and Mr. Hector in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. His credits include Annie, Clue, The Hunt for Red October, Muppet Treasure Island, Addams Family Reunion and Scary Movie 2.
Tributes To Tim Curry
Tributes poured in. "What I loved about him most was his heart," said Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon, who co-starred with him in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. She raved about Curry as "a funny, sexy, original". Rob Schneider, who played the bellboy to Curry's uppity hotel clerk in Home Alone 2, also praised Curry as a "sensational character actor".
"A truly gifted performer of stage and screen, his one eyebrow could say more than most actors entire bodies, I am grateful to have the rare gift of watching him work, he made you better just standing near him", Schneider added.
Last year, Curry published his memoir, Vagabond.
