alt Hacker NewsTim Curry has died
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I was a fan since university when someone down the corridor would have The Rocky Horror Picture Show playing all the time...
Imagine my delight at seeing him on a packed London Tube one morning on my way to work. He asked to get by and I said something like "Just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right?" waiting for him to burst into song with the whole carriage joining in..
He just scowled and pushed past - still made my day though :)
My first movie that introduced me to Tim Curry was Home Alone 2. It was maybe first few Hollywood Movies that I watched with parents(non-english speaking).
Now I'm 42yrs old, and when my parents visit me, I watch Home Alone 2 with them. It has somewhat become a family tradition now.
Thank you Tim for such a memorable moments. Great actor!
Annie, Clue, Command & Conquer, Criminal Minds, Legend, Muppets Treasure Island, Rocky Horror Picture Show
He was an icon. It’s said you can tell a lot about a person by from where they recognize him.
When I was a teenager my aunt got me and my brother some tickets to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show - the original west end theater production: "you must see this". We had front row seats for a weekday matinee performance, Tim Curry was in the middle of a long run as Dr Frank-N-Furter - and boy, he blew our little socks off. I have never been present at such powerful stage magnetism before or since. The film version sorta captured it somewhat, but in the flesh he was unbelievable, powerful and ... divine.
I have a Tim Curry-adjacent story.
A family friend had a yellow ~73 Duster. Tim Curry autographed her hood in spray paint. This was back in the early Rocky Horror days - a live performance in NYC, I think. Everyone adored the signature.
ff to mid 80's: She is leaving work. She gets to her parking space and sees that her hood is just yellow; the autograph is gone.
She's staring in shock when the attendant walks up to her and says in a heavy Arabic accent: "I'm so sorry that happened to you. I scrubbed and I scrubbed all morning until I finally got it all off!" and is just beaming at her. Her shock hasn't let up any. She manages to squeak out a "Thank you" and leaves.
Apart from RHPS, his role in Clue was a highlight for me. And him giving Gabriel Knight.
In 1979 Curry had a Billboard Hot 100 song in the U.S. called "I Do The Rock" https://archive.org/details/TimCurryIDoTheRock
I know most folks think of other films, but his performance in Ridley Scott's Legend as the grumble-cackling lust driven red-faced demon is a core memory for me. Grew up watching and admiring that film and especially Mr. Curry's portrayal of that character so many times. Because of him.
Losing Dolly Parton and Tim Curry back to back my heart can't take it
This is sad news, he was a very good actor.
One of my favourite roles I've seen him in was as Trymon in the TV version of Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic.
I remember when a group of friends went to see Rocky Horror at Clinton Street theater here in Portland, not having any idea what we were getting ourselves into. What a memory. Rest in peace Tim Curry
"Clue" was my favorite Tim Curry performance. Such a great actor, will be missed.
He will always be the Pirate in Muppet Treasure Island to me. Thanks for everything you gave the world
Everyone's got their Tim Curry role that defines him. For me it's from The Three Musketeers. Though Nigel Thornberry is a close second.
You can probably identify the age of every commenter in this thread based on the particular role that sits with them.
He was also very good as Pennywise the clown in the TV version of IT in the nineties...
RIP. I always think of him for his performance in Home Alone 2.
RIP.
The 'Wilderness Girls' scene in Loaded Weapon 1 will forever be in my heart and laughter; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRN2spEualo
Tim Curry as the pirate king in Pirates of Penzance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWzqcele1tY
underrated movie and Tim Curry role:
Herkermer Homolka in Congo (1995)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112715/
RIP
At some point, after watching this video[0], I was never able to watch a movie with Tim Curry and not think about Haskell.
My first introduction to the man was Muppet Treasure Island, the video game. I didn't see the movie until I was adult but the game really, really stuck with me. It's not on GOG (yet) but a copy of it sits on archive: https://archive.org/details/MuppetTreasureIslandPC
It ran on W11 without too much trouble up until CD 3 started. There the whole game just seized up and refused to run. Weirdly no amount of uninstalling helped to get even earlier CDs running.
That being said it's a masterpiece, still, 30 years later.
His voice has a huge impact on so many forms of media from video games, movies, tv shows and radio. I'll miss him. I've been missing him since he couldn't use his distinct voice for many years. Miss him more that he is no longer with us.
RIP. Great actor. I went from knowing him first in Home Alone 2 as a kid and then later in RHPS (always gave me a chuckle to be like "wait...is that the guy from Home Alone?!").
Here's an obsure one: Tim Curry voiced the main antagonist of Brütal Legend, Doviculus.
RIP first heard of him on the Dr. Demento show...
As a One Piece fan I truly believe Oda took inspirations from Tim Curry's works. I mean I don't think it's a coincidence that he played the Pirate King, a clown, a transvestite and a navy admiral - all of which are prominent roles in One Piece. Rest in paradise.
For me, his best work was Muppet Treasure Island. I'm glad I watched this BTS video with him: I had no idea he had a stroke in 2012 and hasn't acted since.
I will always be grateful for his performance as Gabriel Knight, my favorite game of all time. Not only he was one of the pioneers in the medium, but the performance itself is still one of the greatest of all time.
Sometimes I think I'm the only one who watched https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_Runners
It was absolutely formative for my later tastes in science fiction. For a while, I thought it was something from a fever dream until I found a DVD on eBay.
Stop eating my sesame cake!
In SF, I was on a "shadow cast" that did Rocky Horror as their main show. The movie would play in the theater, and we'd be in front of the screen acting out the film in "screen accurate" detail, with our own little humorous changes.
I watched Rocky Horror what must have truly been upward of 1000 times :) Picking all the scenes apart, memorizing the movements and the lines.
I played Rocky, Eddie (Meatloaf), Brad, Janet, Dr. Scott. But I never got to play the legendary Frank.
To be honest, I don't think I could ever live up to it. There is a certain goofiness with all the other characters I loved to bring out and exaggerate -- But with Frank you had to embody Tim Curry. You can make it your own but there's still a root of him in all the depictions I've ever seen. The walk, the motions, the atmosphere of a demanding presence. It's all so distinctly Tim Curry :) I always loved seeing people fill the boots (well, the heels. Those heels are gigantic, if you've never looked at them closely!)
RIP Tim Curry. Thank you for everything you've done. All the joy you've brought into this world.
Some shadow cast RHPS memories, in tribute to our legend passing away.
1/ If you're doing a screen accurate show, you can play as Eddie and Dr. Scott :) It's a tight costume change but they're never on the screen at the same time. I always did both characters on those nights.
2/ Apparently the actor for Rocky had no idea what they were signing up for, and was super weirded out while filming. This was like the cast's entire favorite fun fact, and I don't have the heart to verify and ruin it. Because it certainly looks sort of true anyway if you take a closer look at him in the movie ;)
3/ The movie omits a single song from the broadway show. It is, of course, Brad's solo song. Which I have always found hilarious. Of course of all the songs, it's Brad's.
4/ After "Touch Me", Janet and Rocky have to stay hidden on stage almost totally naked in a tight prop space for the next scene to work right. It's a little thrilling seeing what you two can get away with, barely shielded from the audience and the cast :)
5/ Our regular Brad loved to "crowd surf" during the "don't dream it, be it" and... you know, it's very interesting doing that half naked with a boa!
6/ The floor show is the most stressful costume change. There's not enough time to do it yourself. We had people assigned and dedicated to the floor show costume change because it was so difficult to pull off. A full face of makeup, a whole new costume with fishnets, and a custom bedazzled corset!
7/ Dr. Scott's floor show change has it fairly easy in comparison. You can wear the fishnets for all of the show and just take off your pants :)
8/ Our main venue in SF was not set up for what we did. We didn't have a costume changing room; we had the trash room around the side. We laid towels over the trash cans and made our own little workstations, brought our own lighted mirrors, had to constantly whisper since the audience was literally right there at the door.
9/ My favorite all-time memory was caking the makeup on my face for floor show. I had these special spongey wedges I liked to do it with, and it was so meditative. You didn't have time to get it perfect, you had to slather it on and get up there. The feather boa, the cool night air touching my skin, the camaraderie of friends loving something together, laughing quietly and putting on a good show. None of it possible without Mr. Tim Curry.
I was meaning to re-play Brütal Legend anyway :/
RIP. Poor guy. Slipped on a cuppa tea and broke his neck while hitting the dining room table on his way down.
And don't forget Legend!
RIP, he made some great art and my favorite was Rock Horror Picture Show
My wife and I adore "Rocky Horror Picture Show".
RIP absolute legend.
How are we to do currying from now on?
The audiobooks from A Series of Unfortunate Events where he was the narrator are awesome
Sadly space has now been corrupted by capitalism
I've read that Rocky Horror screenings were something of an event, though I have not experienced it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rocky_Horror_Picture_Show_...
Discovered him in Earth 2. 'Ello, poppet.
Brilliant artist! I smile when I hear his name.
Did you all notice this submission? Super Curry Combat II [1][2]
[1]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49454496
[2]https://curry-combat-2.com/
Fast as AI turnaround indeed?
He hasn't died. He's escaped… TO SPAISE!!
The wrong 80 year olds are dying right now. The grim reaper needs to work on his aim.
I often chuckle at the observation that Tim Curry and Michael Caine's respective roles in the Muppet films were so beloved because Michael Caine acted like all the muppets were real actors, and Tim Curry acted like he was a muppet. He would have an impressive range of serious / comedic roles anyway, but I admire the ability for an actor that successful to be able to put himself be in such a silly role that well too.