Top 5 Tim Curry Performances
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Tim Curry’s 57-year career began in 1968 when he got his first big break in a stage production of Hair. The character actor icon has since performed in over 200 roles, playing everyone from Mozart in Amadeus to voicing Darth Sidious/Chancellor Palpatine for ten episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This discussion does not include the countless television guest star roles, the three music albums he released between 1978 and 1981, or his many narrator credits for audiobooks. Of course, his voice is one of the many shining qualities that stand out about him, so music and narration don’t come as a huge surprise.
Many actors have “that role” that they “own,” and no one could picture the project with any other talent. Tim Curry has several. Here’s the thing: if a project has Curry involved, stellar performance goes without saying. Choosing the top five feels impossible, but we’re going to give it a shot. We have a tie for our fifth spot on the list between Legend and the television miniseries, It.
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5. Legend and It
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Tim Curry plays Darkness in the 1985 dark fantasy film, Legend, opposite Tom Cruise and Mia Sara. Curry’s character is basically the devil. He wants to marry Princess Lily (Sara) and cast Earth into a state of perpetual night. It’s up to the hero, Jack (Cruise), to save the world and rescue his love interest, Lily.
Curry spent six hours in the makeup chair to create the onscreen presence of evil. He is physically unidentifiable, yet his trademark voice is a dead giveaway that he’s beneath the prosthetics and makeup, delivering, as always, a disturbingly believable performance.
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Stephen King fans love seeing his novels brought to life on screen. It features the iconic demon-possessed child-murdering clown, Pennywise, a notable fan favorite. Curry again sat in the makeup artist’s chair in 1990 to become Pennywise for a television miniseries. Interestingly, Curry refused to discuss this role for years after it aired, as he was disappointed with some aspects of the adaptation.
However, Curry later learned that fans loved him in the iconic role and would acknowledge the show’s place in pop culture. Regardless, he more than filled the clown shoes in this part and brought his full creepy A-game to the set.
4. FernGully
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Once again, Tim Curry lent his voice talents to a role that adult fans recognized immediately in the 1992 animated film FernGully: The Last Rainforest, in which he plays the pollution monster, Hexxus. One of the highlights is a tune he sings in the movie, titled “Toxic Love,” showcasing not just his musical range but a level of commitment that sold this character as the antagonist while simultaneously engaging fans to want to hear it again and again, because yes…it was that good! Check out the video below to hear for yourself!
3. Muppet Treasure Island
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When asked what role his personal favorite was to play, Tim Curry was quoted as citing Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island because he felt like it was a fun film for people of all ages to enjoy. Many of his fans agree with him as well on this Muppet coming-of-age adaptation of the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
As we have come to expect by 1996 from this multitalented thespian, he delivered a nuanced, multilayered villain who, when it came right down to it, couldn’t harm his friend. One reviewer on IMDb had this to say about Curry’s performance, “Tim Curry, the most underrated actor and performer alive today, gives an outstanding performance that has only been surpassed by Pennywise the Dancing Clown and Frank-N-Furter. He is at his element here, and he even gives his trademark...The Cheshire Cat grin! The relationship between Silver and Hawkins, played by the immensely talented Kevin Bishop, was so well developed that the ending seemed poignant.”
2. Clue
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Many of Curry’s projects throughout his career didn’t initially jive with critics and/or viewers when they debuted, but instead proved to be a “slow burn,” if you will, and went on to become cult classics. The 1985 board game adaptation of Clue, with its three alternate endings, is a prime example. The plot was criticized mainly for its “over the top” humor and convoluted nature. Critics didn’t see hearts in their eyes at the alternate endings either. Clearly, the film was ahead of its time as it is a favorite all-time movie for many and often cited as one of Curry’s best performances as the calm, cool, and collected butler, Wadsworth.
The scene where Wadsworth essentially retells and explains the plot is particularly iconic. Curry gave that scene 1000%, and it showed. The fast-paced nature and exertion it required caused the actor to need rest immediately after the take because it spiked his blood pressure!
Before we get to the number one spot, let’s talk about some of his most notable performances that we feel deserve a mention.
Notable Performances
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Congo- Even in a sci-fi flick with B-movie energy and man-gorging mutant apes in a small part, Curry stands out in the 1995 film, Congo as smarmy Romanian socialite, Herkermer Homolka.
The Three Musketeers- Alongside an all-star cast (Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris O’Donnell, and Oliver Platt), Curry shines as the not totally evil, but power-hungry, Cardinal Richelieu, antagonist to the Musketeers in the 1993 swashbuckling adventure film, The Three Musketeers. He uses his Cheshire grin to really drive home the slimy factor to boot.
Oscar- An underrated movie starring our favorite often underappreciated character actor. Released in 1991, Curry plays just a small part in Oscar as Dr. Poole opposite Sylvester Stallone. His performance is so well done that many people name him as a favorite character.
Annie- Speaking of small parts that steal the show, in the 1982 film Annie, Curry plays headmistress, Miss Hannigan’s (Carol Burnett) con artist brother, Rooster. They sing a song called “Easy Street” with fellow showstopper Bernadette Peters, which is arguably worth watching the entire film just to see.
The Wild Thornberrys- It isn’t often that we see Curry play not just in a project that is appropriate for children, but also as a “good guy.” On Nickelodeon's animated series, The Wild Thornberrys, he plays Eliza Thornberry’s gentle, animal-loving father, Nigel. The series ran from 1998 to 2004. Curry reprised the role for The Wild Thornberrys Movie in 2002.
Home Alone 2- Sequels rarely pack as much of a punch as their predecessors. However, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, released in 1992, is arguably even more enjoyable than the original film. Tim Curry’s concierge is a big reason for this. Although the main villains return from the first movie (Joe Pesci as Harry and Daniel Stern as Marv) to get a little revenge on Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister, many hijinks are had via Kevin at Curry’s concierge’s expense in The Plaza Hotel. Curry entertains as always, even showcasing that grin that he is famous for.
We could do another article to cover his music and narration endeavors. Regarding audiobook narrations, however, it is worth noting that Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol, are all fabulously read by Tim Curry!
Last but not least, we have arrived at number one. It probably comes as no surprise…
1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
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This 1975 cult classic film was ahead of its time and a breakout role for Tim Curry. Ask any superfan and get ready for all the movie quotes. Chances are that many of those folks have been to or are planning to attend a midnight showing. Curry 1,010% owns his role as mad scientist, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, as he largely developed the character regarding appearance, accent, and behavior. The film went on to become the longest-running theatrical release of a movie in history. In fact, it’s been in limited release for 48 years!
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Not only was The Rocky Horror Picture Show a film starring Curry, but he also portrayed the now iconic Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the original London production in 1973, in 1974 at the Roxy in LA, and again on Broadway in 1975 as well. In 2016, Curry returned to Rocky Horror for a Fox Special revival, in which he played a Criminologist Narrator, offering a well-done full circle moment.
Which one is your favorite? Are there any performances that we should add? As we said at the beginning, you really can’t go wrong if Tim Curry is involved.
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