# Tim Curry has died at 80 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [August 26, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573 "2026-08-26T15:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/61 "2026-08-26T18:48:24Z")
I’m another one who saw _RHPS_ in theaters in its heyday and drank in the audience participation experience like cheap wine. Wonderful memories. Frank’s grand entrance is, IMO, THE best entrance in the history of cinema. We had a thread about this a while ago. My daughters met Tim Curry in _Psych_ and _Home Alone II_. Their perception of him was completely different from mine and their dad’s. This led to a discussion -“You think you know Tim Curry? Not till you’ve seen this..”. and we streamed _RHSP_ on the spot. They were dumbfounded. Impressed, somewhat horrified (“my parents did what?”) and came away with a what-did-I-just-see vibe. But also an enhanced appreciation for the magnificent performer that he was. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/62 "2026-08-26T18:57:45Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > My daughters met Tim Curry in _Psych_ and _Home Alone II_. Their perception of him was completely different from mine and their dad’s. Much like the generation that first saw George Carlin as Mr. Conductor on _Shining Time Station_. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/63 "2026-08-26T19:52:18Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I saw _Spamalot_ on Broadway. Unfortunately it was a performance that Tim Curry had to take off and we saw the understudy. Had to be happy with seeing David Hyde Pierce, Hank Azaria and Sara Ramirez. I missed him in Spamalot by a month in NYC! Also odd timing - I’ve been listening to the “soundtrack” with him a bunch lately because I see the touring Spamalot soon. Can’t wait! ---
**Author:** ![Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/64 "2026-08-26T19:53:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The first and only time I ever saw Rocky Horror in the theaters was in 1986 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Me too, but in '96. The first movie I saw Curry in was…Times Square! I still love that movie. I got to see it again at a late night showing in a local indie theater a few years ago, they showed I Do the Rock as a pre-show warm up. I also remember him being on SNL but I had no idea who was at the time. RIP, Tim. You were one of a kind. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/65 "2026-08-26T19:53:54Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > He was one of the Dale the Whales. Grammatically, wouldn’t that be Dales the Whale? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/66 "2026-08-26T20:10:15Z")
I would pay for a professionally recorded version of Spamalot. If Curry is in it, even better. Does anyone know if a full stage performance is available anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/67 "2026-08-26T20:10:59Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’ve read multiple times that you can tell a lot about a person by what their first experience with Tim Curry was. _Annie_ for me. [![](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/159819469/photo/tim-curry-in-annie.jpg?s=2048x2048&w=gi&k=20&c=bwcXQDuyvveCa9nvJ1GCUqpBBhZo6WuI-epBzNk6HYA=) ](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/159819469/photo/tim-curry-in-annie.jpg?s=2048x2048&w=gi&k=20&c=bwcXQDuyvveCa9nvJ1GCUqpBBhZo6WuI-epBzNk6HYA=) _Clue_ was three years later. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/68 "2026-08-26T20:27:47Z")
> [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > The first and only time I ever saw Rocky Horror in the theaters was in 1986 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. > > Me too, but in '96. I probably saw it in that theater around the same time as **Dewey\_Finn**. I also saw it in a few other random venues but the Full Body Cast was a great show. TIL they moved to a AMC Boston Common in 2012 and continued their run. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/69 "2026-08-26T20:32:12Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > I did not know until recently that Curry put out three albums. Check out Fearless. Fantastic songs on that album that he pours his voice over. My Tim Curry experience: Shortly after he released Fearless, he went on tour. I saw him early 80s at the Agora Ballroom in Dallas. After the show I headed towards the backstage area. I half jokingly told the security guard that I was with Pace Security and I was meeting Tim in Houston next week and had to talk to him. Shockingly, he waved me in. The backstage area was a crazy place. Great eats and lots of booze. I chatted with them all, especially the bass player who had smuggled a magnificent bottle of tequila from Mexico recently. We had a few shots. There was an after-party at a private residence following that. We all headed over and continued to party. Tim left soon enough but the rest of us partied on. I don’t remember much after that but it was a wild night. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/70 "2026-08-26T20:33:09Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/U_U59u69tys/maxresdefault.jpg "Tim Curry as Premier Cherdenko - Space!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_U59u69tys) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/71 "2026-08-26T20:40:31Z")
One of Curry’s roles that hasn’t been mentioned was Winston Newquay, a recurring guest role in the second season of _Wiseguy_. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/72 "2026-08-26T20:49:28Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > Frank’s grand entrance is, IMO, THE best entrance in the history of cinema I went to many midnight shows of RHPS when I was in college. Then I took a 30 year break from it before watching it again a few times in the last year. Without any irony or camp necessary, _Sweet Transvestite_ and Curry’s entrance is easily one of the greatest numbers in musical cinema history. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JWoYy4Ah81s/maxresdefault.jpg "The Rocky Horror Picture Show "Sweet Transvestite" (1975) - (4K)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWoYy4Ah81s) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/73 "2026-08-26T22:21:58Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > _Annie_ for me. Same here. I think the **Annie** soundtrack was the first cassette I ever owned. I also have sentimental feelings for **Congo** with Ernie Hudson and Tim Curry having a lot of fun chewing the scenery! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/74 "2026-08-26T22:30:29Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I feel like only Michael Cane did it better. Maybe John Denver, but maybe he was really a Muppet. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/75 "2026-08-26T22:51:40Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’ve read multiple times that you can tell a lot about a person by what their first experience with Tim Curry was. > [@Polls only: No discussion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/4074): > > What’s the first thing you think of when you think of Tim Curry? [poll](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/4074) > [@Catamount](#): > > I even took notes so I knew which ending was the correct one.\* The correct ending is the way it’s commonly seen now: with all three endings (the one you mentioned being the last, “real” one). I believe that _Clue_ would have been more successful originally if it had been shown that way in theaters, instead of with the gimmick of only showing one. It makes for a far more satisfying viewing experience that way. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/76 "2026-08-26T23:05:04Z")
My first film with Tim Curry was Legend, although I had no idea at the time who he was – I never saw Rocky Horror. His ability to generate sympathy for the character through all those prosthetics was, I thought, an acting tour-de-force. His scenes were what rescued the film from its gooey center. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/77 "2026-08-27T03:33:52Z")
Before today I had never noticed the “pinkie finger to corner of mouth” thing Tim Curry did as Dr Frank’n’furter and realised it may be the origin of Dr Evil’s similar gesture. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/78 "2026-08-27T04:02:57Z")
I went to many showings of RHPS back in the day. Pretty much weekly, actually. And that was how I knew Tim Curry. Which made it so delightful when I saw him show up in other movies in roles that were as far away from Dr. Frank N. Furter as it was possible to get. Great in _Home Alone 2_ (“Your cheese pizza, sir”), and in _Clue_. Always enjoyed your work, Tim. Rest well. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/79 "2026-08-27T13:31:16Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > Supernova (part of the 4 movie first season of Lexx as an abandoned virtual self-obsessed poet), Lexx was so wonderfully weird that Curry was a perfect match for it, and he does not disappoint. Fun fact: Curry was also the original Mozart in the Broadway show of Peter Shaffer’s _Amadeus_. Oh, to have been able to see that… ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573/80 "2026-08-27T13:56:24Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I feel like only Michael Cane did it better. The meme I’ve seen: Michael Caine was successful acting with the Muppets because he treated the Muppets as fellow actors. Tim Curry was successful at it because he treated himself as a fellow Muppet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-curry-has-died-at-80/1032573.md?page=5)