R.I.P. Tim Curry, Rocky Horror Picture Show Actor Dead at 80

Tim Curry, the English actor most widely known for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has died. He was 80 years old. Timothy James Curry was born on April 19th, 1946 in Grappenhall, Cheshire. Growing up, Curry and his family lived in Plymouth, London, and Bath, and he began exhibiting a talent for singing. Having decided to focus on acting, he studied English and drama at the University of Birmingham, and graduated in 1968. Also in 1968, Curry landed his first major acting role in the original London cast of the musical Hair. During that production, Curry met Richard O’Brien, the writer of The Rocky Horror Show musical. O’Brien would go on to cast Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a diabolical, cross-dressing mad scientist with a posh English accent, a role that the actor would reprise in the cult 1975 film adaptation. Rocky Horror would be his first breakout success. Curry appeared onstage consistently in the 1970s and ’80s, starring in productions of Titus Andronicus, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Travesties, and over a dozen more. After a hiatus from stage roles during most of the ’90s, he portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in a 2001 production of ...