Remembering Tim Curry: A look at the Pennywise star’s unforgettable screen roles

The Rocky Horror Show actor Tim Curry reportedly passed away at 80. A cause of death has not yet been confirmed. He was struggling with major health problems for over ten years, and in 2012 he also suffered a stroke. The actor began his career in London's West End theater in 1974, where he first played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Rocky Horror.

His theater work, Amadeus, stayed forever in the hearts of his fans, where he played the life of the classical composer and musician, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Tim had previously worked in a memorable miniseries named It and in a 2-hour comedy film called Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He also played the role of the legendary English playwright and poet William Shakespeare in a TV series named Will Shakespeare.

Continue reading more about Tim Curry's most memorable screen roles.

Tim Curry's most popular movies and TV shows of all time

1. Jim Sharman's The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Image via Prime Video)

It is Tim Curry's debut live-action role in the feature film sector. Here, he played the role of a mad scientist and alien, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, from a planet named Transs*xual. The story is about a young couple, Brad Majors and Janet Weiss, who were marooned near a castle after their car breaks down in the rain.

Inside the castle, they find strangers dressed in elaborate costumes holding a party. Soon after, the couple meets the master of the castle, Dr. Frank, who invites them to stay for the night.

2. Stephen King's It

In this psychological horror TV series, Tim Curry appeared as the dancing evil clown form of a predatory creature named Pennywise, or Robert Gray. The miniseries was directed by Tommy Lee Wallace and adapted by Lawrence D. Cohen.

Beneath the clown disguise, Pennywise looks like an ancient being who came from an alternate dimension known as the Macroverse. Its real physical form on Earth looks like a giant spider, while its core essence is made up of destructive cosmic lights called Deadlights.

3. Will Shakespeare

In this TV show, Tim Curry played the most legendary poet and playwright, William Shakespeare. The series was broadcast in six episodes, where each part focused on Shakespeare's playwriting concept.

Since there are only a few confirmed details about the poet's life, Mortimer expanded the stories and details of legends connected to him. These included the idea of an apprenticeship with Christopher Marlowe and a possible homoromantic relationship with the Earl of Southampton.

4. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Here, Tim Curry played the suspicious and snoopy concierge, Mr. Hector, who watches over an 8-year-old boy named Kevin McCallister after he checks into the Plaza Hotel. According to Parade, Curry recalled being asked by Ivana about the hotel's interior design. He revealed,

"She knocked on my door and said, ‘Are you happy in your room? Do you like the way it looks?"

In the film, Hector tries to prove Kevin is a child by using a stolen adult credit card. During the movie's final moment, he corners Kevin with the hotel security team, which leads to a frantic chase through the lobby before Kevin manages to escape.

5. Three Men in a Boat

Curry also played a narrator named Jerome in the film Three Men in a Boat. The narrator explains that the book first appeared in Home Chimes, where the editor removed the serious travelogue sections. He then shares that Carl Hentschel was wrongly accused of being German during World War I, though he was actually Polish.