Biography for
Tim Curry (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

19 April 1946, Grappenhall, Cheshire, England, UK

Birth Name

Timothy James Curry

Nickname

The Cheshire Cat

Height

5' 9" (1.75 m)

Mini Biography

The son of a Methodist Royal Navy chaplain, James, and his wife Patricia, a school secretary, Tim Curry studied Drama and English at Cambridge and 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, 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 with his dog, Frank.

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

Trade Mark

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

Distinctive smooth baritone voice

Cheshire cat grin and deep hearty laugh

Known for playing cruel and sadistic villains

Trivia

Provided the voice of "Sir" who welcomed visitors to the Alien Encounter attraction in Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World. The Alien Encounter ride was replaced after a few years.

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

Performed in Roger Waters' historic production of "The Wall: Live in Berlin" in July 1990.

Appears 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 on Batman (1989). He did go on to playing a crazed "clown" in Stephen King's "It" (1990).

A close friend of Carly Simon and sang backing vocals on her 1979 album "Spy".

Turned down the role of Mitzi in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

Studied Drama and English at 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 Disney's "Davey 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 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 in the animated television 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.

Don't Look Now (1973) is one of his favorite films.

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 Clash. On track 18, "The Sound of the Sinners", he spoke as a priest, mid-song.

He has voiced two royal cats, voicing "Prince" in Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006) and "The Cat King" in The Cat Returns (2002) (aka "The Cat Returns").

Has a dog named Frank.

Auditioned for the role of Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), but was rejected at audition for being too terrifying. The role instead went to Christopher Lloyd.

Personal Quotes

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.

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

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

(Speaking 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 of 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.

Where Are They Now

(July 2004) Has been selected to play King Arthur in the Broadway production of "Spamalot," the musical version of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," scheduled to open on Broadway in February, 2005.

(May 2005) Currently playing King Arthur, the lead role, in the play "Spamalot", playing on Broadway in New York City. He is up for a Tony Award for this role. Spamalot is said to be the biggest Broadway hit since The Producers.

(December 2006) Reprising the role of King Arthur in the London production of "Spamalot".

(October 2009) Did the voice overs for the character Doviculus in the game Brutal Legend.