“Don’t dream it, be it.”
Words crooned by the deliciously provocative Dr. Frank-N-Furter, played by the late Tim Curry, who passed away at the age of 80 on Aug. 25 at his home in Los Angeles.
Over his expansive career of nearly 60 years, Curry rooted himself in the psyches of countless viewers across generations. Whether he was terrifying children as a shapeshifting clown or lending his voice to a slimy, sleazy manifestation of pollution and destruction, Curry had a rare gift: he could be genuinely menacing and completely delightful in the very same breath.
Perhaps no one summed up that appeal better than Meredith Vieira, who told Curry during a 1997 interview, “If you were the devil, I would pay to go to hell.” It’s a perfect encapsulation of the Curry effect. Even at his most wicked, audiences couldn’t get enough. With a career built on villains, butlers and everything gleefully in between, here’s a look back at some of Curry’s most memorable roles.
Dr. Frank-N-Furter, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975)
Curry’s corseted, red-lipped and fishnet-clad mad scientist from “Transsexual, Transylvania" cemented his status as a cult icon, and became a cultural touchstone for the LGBTQIA+ community.
At a time when queer and gender-nonconforming identities were rarely given center stage, let alone celebrated, Frank-N-Furter was unapologetic, seductive and impossible to look away from, offering generations of fans a rare mirror and a rallying cry wrapped in glitter and garters.
The role also helped the film’s decades-long life as a midnight-screening staple, a tradition built almost entirely around theater kids, drag performers, and shadow-cast troupes acting out the film in packed houses–a community Curry held affection for as a theater buff himself. Few performances have blurred the line between camp and courage, and left a lasting mark quite like Frank-N-Furter.
Pennywise, “It” (1990)
Curry’s performance as the shapeshifting demon in Stephen King’s “It” turned a red balloon into a lasting source of childhood anxiety and a storm drain into something people still glance at warily when they pass. Curry leaned fully into the character’s unsettling glee, finding something genuinely disturbing in Pennywise’s playfulness rather than relying on gore or jump scares to unsettle audiences. Long before Bill Skarsgård took over the role, Curry set the bar impossibly high, proving a clown could be more nightmare fuel than birthday party entertainment.
Wadsworth, “Clue” (1985)
Curry’s fast-talking, endlessly patient butler held together one of the most quotable ensemble comedies of the 1980s. Racing through three different endings with breathless precision, Wadsworth gave Curry the chance to show off his comedic timing. In the decades since the film’s debut, “Clue” has only grown more into a cult classic.
Long John Silver, “Muppet Treasure Island" (1996)
Sharing the screen with Muppets is no easy feat, but Curry made it look effortless. His pirate captain was equal parts menacing and charming, striking the same tricky balance Curry brought to so many of his roles. The role has earned Curry the coveted title of honorary Muppet since his passing due to his unparalleled status as a performer.
Nigel Thornberry, “The Wild Thornberrys” (1998-2004)
Curry’s voice work as the eccentric, big-nosed nature documentarian became a fixture of early-2000s kids’ television. “Smashing” became a catchphrase known far and wide, and it’s a testament to how far Curry’s range could stretch, from horror icon to family-friendly comic relief.
Mr. Hector, “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992)
Even in a supporting role as the officious hotel concierge tasked with keeping an eye on a wandering Kevin McCallister, Curry made every scene count. Mr. Hector was fussy, easily flustered and endlessly suspicious, the perfect straight-laced foil for a kid running loose through the Plaza Hotel. It’s a smaller part in Curry’s filmography, but it introduced an entirely new generation of holiday-movie watchers to his particular brand of comedic exasperation.
Premier Anatoly Cherdenko, “Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3” (2008)
As the theatrical, power-hungry Premier Cherdenko, Curry brought the same larger-than-life energy to motion-capture performance that he’d spent decades perfecting on screen and stage. It proved his gift for villainy translates just as well to a console as it did to a movie theater. The role gave Curry one of his most quoted lines among fans, delivered with all the melodrama he could muster: “I’m escaping to the one place that hasn’t been corrupted by capitalism: space!”
Curry’s career was never defined by playing it safe. That willingness to lean into the strange, the villainous and the absurd is exactly what made him so unforgettable, leaving behind a momentous, unforgettable career.
