Timothy James Curry, born April 19, 1946. Apart from
Nigel Thornberry, just about
every character he's ever played is a) evil, b) dead by the end of the film, or c) both. Has played Satan a couple of times, most spectacularly in Ridley Scott's
Legend. (And he topped even
that with
Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the TV miniseries
It.) And it'd probably be easier to list the cartoons that he
hasn't voiced a character in.
His first on-screen role was that of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (carrying on from the original stage production), which rather set the tone for his later roles. He even recorded a few rock albums in the late 1970s/early 1980s in the wake of its success, and he's done more than a few musicals since, usually animated ones. He's British, which is also convenient because most of the heroes he plays against have American accents (even in movies such as
The Three Musketeers, which is set in France, or
Ferngully, which is set in an Australian rainforest. Even the
goanna in that movie managed to be from Brooklyn).
Sports a
Beard Of Evil, for convenience.
A little known fact is that Tim Curry was originally cast to be the Joker for
Batman The Animated Series, but was replaced by
Mark Hamill (The
DVD Commentary stated that Curry was
too creepy). Tim Curry has also done extensive voice work for video games; a more recent memorable role is as Premier Cherdenko in
Red Alert 3 (pictured above), in which he once again plays a Magnificent Evil Deadpan Snarking Bastard... but strangely not a British one, though it doesn't make the role any less effective or awesome.
Tim Curry is known for these particular tropes:
- Axe Crazy - Many of the villains he's played can be considered completely and utterly insane.
- Casting Gag - His guest-star appearance on Will And Grace. Let's see-flirts with the other characters, makes references to cross-dressing, has effeminate traits (The character he plays is named "Marion"), the character's last name begins with the letter "F" (IE: Marion Finster) and even tries to get one of the character's fiancee to sleep with him. Now, why does that sound so familiar?
- Cheshire Cat Grin - Often gives one of these to show when a character he plays is up to something devious. Interestingly enough, one of his nicknames is the "Cheshire Cat".
- Creator Backlash - For years, he was very reluctant to talk about his role in Rocky Horror Picture Show due to some not-very-good memories about his... um... more rabid fans. Of course, he's more open to talk about it in recent years and even reprised the role of Dr. Frank N Furter briefly for a theater skit.
- He even once told VH-1 that he grew "chubby and plain" in order to escape the fame of the role. Of course, it didn't work...
- Deadpan Snarker - Sometimes plays this kind of character.
- Draco In Leather Pants - Let's see, Dr. Frank N Furter, Darkness, and Hexxus are all villains he's played that have quite the fanbases.
- Which is why it's a very bad idea to cast him as a villain if you're trying to make your heroes stand out. It will be an effort in futility.
- It's an even worse idea if you want your villain to be unsympathetic. Again, see Hexxus.
- Ear Worm - At least 90% of his songs.
- Even The Guys Want Him
- Evil Is Sexy - Oh, he is made of this trope. Nearly every villain he's every played has a following of...erm...devoted fans. His role as the "Lord Of Darkness" in Legend made the devil...The DEVIL... seem sexy.
- Evil Sounds Deep - Being a baritone and playing villains, obviously.
- Fetish Fuel - Many of the roles he's played fall under this... mostly due to his voice, and his role as Frank N Furter certainly applies as well.
- Grandma What Massive Hotness You Have - Many of his fans still think he's very handsome (Or sexy, depending on who you ask) despite the fact that he's gained weight over the years (Mostly due to trying to escape the fame of his Rocky Horror days).
- The Hedonist
- Hey, It's That Voice! - His voice is rather distinctive in the animation roles he's performed.
- But not always. Darkwing Duck fans might be surprised to learn that the Spanish accented Taurus Bullba is actually Curry.
- I Am Not Spock - Try watching nearly ANY of his films (or shows or stage performances) and NOT hear "I'm just a sweet transvestite..." playing in your head.
- Of course, he's more at peace with the fame of playing everyone's favorite alien transvestite in recent years than he has been in the past.
- Large Ham - To the point that the catchphrase could be changed to "Did somebody order some TIM CURRY?"
- Mad Scientist - Has played several over the years. The most well-known being Dr. Calamitous from The Adventures Of Jimmy Neutron (And by extension, the Nicktoons Unite series) and, of course, Dr. Frank N Furter.
- Magnificent Bastard - The parts he usually plays, such as Premier Cherdenko above. Or Ymper Trymon. Or Skullmaster.
- Monster Clown - His version of Pennywise The Dancing Clown in the movie It.
- Playing Against Type: Nigel Thornberry from The Wild Thornberrys is just about the least-villainous character he's ever played.
- Likewise, there's his role as "Mr. French" the butler from the 2002 version of Family Affair who is essentially a Deadpan Snarker Jerk With A Heart Of Gold.
- See also Dr. Thornton Poole from Oscar, who's about as far from Frank as he can be. His idea of being forward is complimenting Lisa (Marisa Tomei) on her diction (though when her father is Sylvester Stallone...), and any innuendos are perfectly innocent. Well, to him, at any rate...
- He also played King Arthur in some of the showings of Spamalot.
- Also, his role as Simon Ferguson from Over The Top. While Simon is a Jerk Ass, he's not the villain and does have Hidden Heart Of Gold moments.
- Slasher Smile - He uses these when the Cheshire Cat Grin isn't evil enough. Most notably in the Rocky Horror Picture Show right before Frank hacks Eddie to pieces with a pick axe. ]
- Smug Snake - If he's not one of the above, he's one of these. And he plays them well.
- Stalker With A Crush - Not Tim himself, but rather his fans. In fact, it's the main reason why he was so reluctant to talk about being in Rocky Horror for so long.
- The Butler Did It - Clue. Subverted in that he's actually the real Mr. Boddy.
- Villain Song - He's performed several over the years:
