Overview (4)

Born April 19, 1946 in Grappenhall, Cheshire, England, UK Birth Name Timothy James Curry Nickname The Cheshire Cat Height 5' 7¾" (1.72 m)

Mini Bio (1)

Timothy James Curry was born on April 19, 1946 in Grappenhall, Cheshire, England. His mother, Maura Patricia (Langmead), was a school secretary, and his father, James Curry, was a Methodist Royal Navy chaplain. Curry studied Drama and English at Birmingham University, from which he graduated with Combined Honors. His first professional success was in the London production of "Hair", followed by more work in the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Glasgow Civic Repertory Company, and the Royal Court Theatre where he created the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in "The Rocky Horror Show". He recreated the role in the Los Angeles and Broadway productions and starred in the screen version entitled The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Curry continued his career on the New York and London stages with starring roles in "Travesties", "Amadeus", "The Pirates of Penzance", "The Rivals", "Love for Love", "Dalliance", "The Threepenny Opera", "The Art of Success" and "My Favorite Year". He also starred in the United States tour of "Me and My Girl". He has received two Tony Award nominations for best actor and won the Royal Variety Club Award as "Stage Actor of the Year".



A composer and a singer, Tim Curry toured the United States and Europe with his own band and released four albums on A&M Records. In addition to an active movie and television career, he is a sought-after actor for CD-ROM productions. His distinctive voice can be heard on more than a dozen audio books, and in countless animated television series and videos. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Betty P. Thomas < thomasb@fmis.facmgmt.pitt.edu>

Trade Mark (4)

Often plays classy, sophisticated characters with a rather ambitious side to their nature



Often plays menacing, sadistic villains



Distinctive smooth baritone voice



Cheshire cat grin and deep hearty laugh



Trivia (39)



Has provided the voice of "Sir" who welcomed visitors to the Alien Encounter attraction in Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World. Alien Encounter was replaced after several years.

Has read several times for "The Great Writers Series" in Los Angeles, California.





Has appeared as both subject and author in the photography book "Double Exposure, Take Four" by Roddy McDowall



Was Tim Burton 's second choice for the role of the Joker in Batman (1989). He did go on to playing a crazed "clown" in Stephen King 's miniseries It (1990).



Close friends with Carly Simon and sang backing vocals on her 1979 album "Spy".

Studied Drama and English at the University of Cambridge and at Birmingham University, from which he graduated with Combined Honors.





Has earned three Tony Award nominations: the first in 1981 as Best Actor (Play) for portraying the title character Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in "Amadeus"; the second in 1993 as Best Actor (Musical) for "My Favorite Year"; and the third in 2005 for Best Actor (Musical) for his role of King Arthur in "Spamalot".

Personally paid for his cousin, Keighley Twocker frontman Michael Loftus, to have cosmetic surgery.





Already an accomplished singer, he performed a cover of the theme song to Walt Disney 's "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier".



In a Fresh Air interview in 2005, he reported meeting Princess Diana . It turned out she was such a huge fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), she told him, "Thank you for completing my education.".



Not only was he Tim Burton 's second choice for the role of the Joker, he was the producers' first choice for the role on the animated series. However, after recording four episodes, his take on the Joker was deemed as too scary for children, and thus the part was given to Mark Hamill

He was presented with an honorary citizenship of New Orleans and key to the City of New Orleans by Angela Baham, Administrative Assistant to the Chief Administrator Officer Reynard J. Rochon to Mayor Ernest Morial on October 8, 1979 following a concert in New Orleans.





Was working on an album project with Lou Adler in 1976. However, only four songs were completed. The best is a cover of The Supremes ' "Baby Love". Also recorded three albums for A&M Records: "Ready My Lips" (1978), "Fearless" (1979) and "Simplicity" (1981). Though only one charting song, "I Do the Rock", both it at "Paradise Garage" [from "Fearless"] have become cult hits, having two music videos made for MTV which were often played before showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). His best album is often praised "Fearless", and his best songs are "Birds of a Feather", "Alan", "Sloe Gin", "I Do the Rock", "S.O.S.", "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire", "Paradise Garage", "No Love on the Street", "Something Short of Paradise", "Working on My Tan", "Simplicity", "On a Roll", "Take Me I'm Yours", "Out of Pawn" and "I Put a Spell on You".



Was on the 1980 album "Sandinista!" by the English punk rock group The Clash . On track 18, "The Sound of the Sinners", he spoke as a priest, mid-song.



Suffered a major stroke in July 2012. He lost the use of his legs and now requires a wheelchair for mobility. However he is still able to speak lucidly and has done Q&A sessions at conventions. Since recovering from his stroke he has also voiced Auntie Whispers in Over the Garden Wall (2014) and played the Criminologist in The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (2016).



One of his favorite movies is the horror film Don't Look Now (1973).

Had a dog named Frank.





His agent is Marcia Hurwitz



Has played characters who could remove their heads scientifically (Dr. Pretorious on the animated series The Mask (1995)) and magically (as Caliph Kapok on the animated series Aladdin (1994)).

Attended the prestigious Kingswood School in Bath, Somerset, England from the age of 12 to 18, the school initially being founded for the children of Methodist ministers.



Made a rare public appearance on the red carpet at the 19th annual Actors Fund Tony Awards Viewing Party in Los Angeles to receive the organization's lifetime achievement award.





Was considered for the role of Jafar in Aladdin (1992).

Has English, Irish and Scottish ancestry.





Was considered for the role of Scar in The Lion King (1994).



For many years, he did not publicly acknowledge his role as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the 1990 made-for-TV movie It (1990), based on the novel by Stephen King, until a 2015 interview with Moviefone in which he called the role "a wonderful part".



Is a fan of Australian drama series Prisoner (1979), with Joan Ferguson as his favorite character.



Despite being widely known for his terrifying performance as Pennywise the Clown in It (1990), Curry has suffered a debilitating case of coulrophobia (a fear of clowns) most of his life. His contract explicitly stated that while on set, there were to be no reflective surfaces within sight of him while he was in makeup, and a makeup tech was very nearly fired for having a makeup mirror in his hand while Curry was having his makeup applied.



He was offered the chance to reprise his famous role as Pennywise in It (2017) but turned it down. He later praised Bill Skarsgård as a ''great choice'' for the role.

Has never discussed his private life in interviews.



Has had no interest in being cast in conventional "leading man" roles.





He has appeared in one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).

He was in mind for two villain roles in the late 1980s: Judge Doom and The Joker. Ultimately, both of the roles were played by someone else.



Personal Quotes (12)

I'm not a conventional leading man at all and have no wish to be.



They couldn't call it ["The Best of Tim Curry" CD] "Greatest Hits" because there weren't any.



My specialty roles are Louche, Brio and Bravura.





[with reference to climbing volcanos while filming Congo (1995)] I smoke two packs of Marlboros a day, which doesn't go well with volcanos.

["The Making of Gabriel Knight", on rapidly evolving computer technology] Any new way to infiltrate myself into your minds.



["The Making of Gabriel Knight"] Gabriel Knight is VERY, very cool. And impossibly handsome. So of course, they picked me.



[to a crowd at a Rocky Horror Picture Show convention] It's so comforting to know that there are so many people in this world sicker than I am.



I want to establish a wide range and play all kinds of parts. It's that sort of acting career I really respect. I like to turn a sharp left from whatever I've done before because that keeps me awake. That's why I want to be an actor -- I don't want to play endless variations on one character.



[on his character Dr. Frank-N-Furter] The thing about playing somebody like that is it wakes you up to all these possibilities. I mean the one thing I've been very concerned about is to not limit myself either, whether it's artistically, physically, sexually or mentally. He's been a great lesson to me, put it that way.





[on The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)] It is parody but I play it and think of it as a kind of grisly reality. Frank-N-Furter, as a variation on Frankenstein, is obsessed with image and the way that things look, but I see him and play him as a grisly, real freak.



[on how The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) has left an impact] I think one of the things it has done to audiences, particularly early in the game, and actually still now, is that it's been very kind of liberating sexually for them, and I guess it was very liberating for me too because it was a huge step to make. And certainly my agents were worried that it would kind of ruin my career and, of course, it hasn't. For me it was, I think, the most joyous time of my life. You know, I was still very young, it took me to Hollywood and to Broadway and into a kind of very peculiar immortality, and I'm very grateful for that.

Maintaining my sense of humor through rehabilitation was absolutely vital but not tough. It's just part of my DNA.

