RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Forbes — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 26 sources
Hollywood & Entertainment Tim Curry Originally Felt ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Would Limit His Acting Prospects By Tim Lammers ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover Hollywood and entertainment. Follow Author Aug 26, 2026, 02:07pm EDT Aug 26, 2026, 04:08pm EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary Prolific actor Tim Curry has died at 80, leaving an indelible mark on film and television. Best known for iconic roles like Dr. Frank-N-Furter in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and Pennywise in Stephen King’s "IT" miniseries, Curry died at his Toluca Lake home. His cause of death was not disclosed, but he had faced health challenges since a debilitating 2012 stroke, which he recalled at a 2025 "Rocky Horror" screening, noting his inability to walk. Despite initial fears that Frank-N-Furter would typecast him, a director famously told him, "If you can play Frank-N-Furter, you can play anything," proving true as Curry amassed over 240 projects. He described Pennywise as "a smile gone bad," highlighting the character's mental cruelty. His diverse career also included "Clue," "Annie," and "Home Alone 2."
Prolific actor Tim Curry died on Tuesday at age 80, leaving behind a legacy of memorable roles including Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the cult movie classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the TV miniseries version of Stephen King’s IT.
Curry died at his home in Toluca Lake, Calif., his manager told Variety . Curry’s cause of death was not revealed, but the actor has been dealing with health challenges since suffering a debilitating stroke in 2012.
During a 50th anniversary screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Academy Museum in September 2025, Curry recalled details about the life-changing event for the crowd.
“I was having a massage at the time and I didn’t even actually notice anything, but the guy who was doing the massage said, ‘I’m worried about you, I want to call an ambulance.’ And he did, and I said, ‘That’s so silly,’” Curry told the audience (via The Hollywood Reporter ). “I still can’t walk, which is why I’m in this silly chair, and that’s very limiting. So I won’t be singing and I won’t be dancing very soon. I still have real problems with my left leg.”
During the Academy Museum’s 2025 screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show , Curry admitted that he thought his iconic turn as Dr. Frank-N-Furter was going to hinder the prospects of appearing in other projects after the 1975 film. That same year, when Curry was contacted by Stephen Frears to star in his TV movie Three Men in a Boat , the actor learned instead how helpful the film was to the director.
“I said, ‘What makes you think that I can play a Victorian bank clerk?’ and he said, ‘If you can play Frank-N-Furter, you can play anything,’” Curry recalled (via THR ).
And time proved Frears’ observation right. Between his on-camera and voice acting work, Curry amassed more than 240 projects over his 50-plus years in film, television and video games.
Fifteen years after the release of The Rocky Horror Picture Show , Curry found himself in the world of celebrated horror author Stephen King , where he played the menacing clown, Pennywise, in a two-part miniseries based on the writer’s bestselling novel IT .
Former Fangoria reporter Steve Newton interviewed Curry on the set while the prolific action was filming the 1990 miniseries, which the writer repurposed for his Ear of Newt blog in 2014.
Describing who would go on to become one of King’s scariest creations, Curry told Newton, “I off quite a few people here and there one way or another. But Pennywise turns out not to be that physical, actually — it’s mostly mental cruelty. What’s fun about him is that a clown is traditionally a very cozy, comforting kind of cheery image, and Pennywise is none of these things. I think of him all the time as a smile gone bad — that’s my image for him.”
Curry, of course, appeared in a variety of other notable films over his career, including Clue , Annie, Muppet Treasure Island and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York .
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.