"Over the Top"—the title for actor Tim Curry's short-lived 1997 ABC sitcom—is perhaps the best description of this versatile and gifted performer's work. At home on stage or before the cameras, Curry has demonstrated equal facility with satire (Tom Stoppard's "Travesties") and musical comedy (Rooster in the film "Annie" 1982), and the demand for his pliant voice in animation projects increases with each passing year. Though many moviegoers still primarily associate him with his memorable debut role as campy transvestite Doctor Frank N Furter in the 1975 cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", a new generation of fans know him for his comically evil, even loveably evil villains in films like "Home Alone 2" (1992) and "The Three Musketeers" (1993).
A graduate of Birmingham University with a degree in drama and English, Curry made his professional debut as Woof in the West End production of "Hair" (1968) and soon after appeared in a Scottish opera company tour of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". A recording star for A&M records, Curry has released four albums, which eventually led to being cast in musical projects, like "Ferngully: The Last Rainforest" (1992), in which the song "Toxic Love" was written specially for his character, Hexxus. Though his Long John Silver was one of the few good things in "Muppet Treasure Island" (1996), he was not have a solo number and his singing in the ensemble performance "Professional Pirate” was barely discernable.
Curry has long described "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975) as his ticket to fame. "One moment I was living in a one room apartment in London and then I was sitting at Jack Nicholson's pool." Originally cast in the 1973 London stage version, he reprised his role on Broadway before returning to England to appear in the movie that included Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick and Meatloaf. A box office disappointment at first, the film hit its stride when a low-level 20th Century Fox executive convinced his boss to test it as a midnight cult movie, resulting in grosses exceeding $150,000,000 since its release. Though his film career may have suffered from having played the sexually outrageous Frank N Furter, Curry has since shaken off the shackles of the confining role.
Curry maintained a steady presence in film and on television, appearing in roles both large and small, though some were best forgotten. He played Wadsworth the Butler in the 1950’s-era spoof “Clue” (1985), a mystery comedy based on the popular Parker Brothers board game. In 1991, he received a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for his Captain Hook in "Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates.” His majestic portrayal of Darkness—complete with horns, cloved feet, red leathery flesh, yellow eyes, and resonantly booming voice—in Ridley Scott's "Legend" (1985) is arguably the most impressive depiction of Satan put on screen. He then made a brief but memorable impact in a recurring role as a vicious recording executive on Stephen J Cannell's superior cop drama, "Wiseguy" (CBS, 1989). Back on the big screen, his Slavic looks were put to use as a medical officer aboard a defecting Russian submarine in “The Hunt for Red October” (1990). Curry next gave one of the few amusing performances in the otherwise dreadful comedy, “Oscar” (1991), starring a grossly miscast Sly Stallone as a mobster trying to live the straight life.
A majority of Curry’s roles throughout the 1990’s, however, was voiceover work on various animated projects. From the “Tome and Jerry Kids Show” (Fox, 1990-1994) and “The Legend of Prince Valiant” (ABC, 1991-1995) to “Dinosaurs” (ABC, 1990-1994) and “Duckman” (USA, 1993-1997), Curry’s bendable voice was used in a variety of animated creatures. He landed several recurring roles, playing Gustav Goose on the short-lived syndicated series, “Quack Pack” (1996-1998), and Dragaunus on the equally short-lived “Mighty Ducks” (ABC, 1996-1998). For “The Net” (USA, 1998-1999), he provided the voice of The Sorcerer in the otherwise live-action drama that survived its first season, but failed to return for another.
Meanwhile, Curry continued making films, though many were of little commercial or artistic merit. Titles such as “Wing Commander III: The Heart of the Tiger” (1995), “Lover’s Knot” (1995), “Congo” (1995) and “McHale’s Navy” (1997) dotted the actor’s resume like liver spots on an old man’s hand. After appearing as Gomez Addams in the made-for-TV “Addams Family Reunion” (1998), he went on the run as the kidnapper of a software genius (Sam Rockwell) in the two-hour music video, “Charlie’s Angels” (2000), starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Berrymore and Lucy Liu as the famed trio of zesty crime fighters. In “Scary Movie 2” (2001), sequel to the surprising 2000 hit from the Brothers Wayan, Curry played an evil professor who invites the survivors of the first movie—and some new faces—to spend a weekend in a haunted house. Meanwhile, Curry added two more voiceover roles to his resume—“Rugrats in Paris—The Movie” (2000) and “The Wild Thornberry’s Movie” (2002)—before playing a jealous rival academic in the biopic on a famed sexual behaviorist (Liam Neeson) in “Kinsey” (2004).
Though a constant presence on screen, Curry’s favorite means of expression has been the theater. His Mozart in the 1980 Broadway production of Peter Shaffer's "Amadeus" earned the actor his first Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. After receiving a Variety Club Award for Best Stage Actor for the 1982 London revival of "The Pirates of Penzance”, he starred in "Me and My Girl" (1988)—both on Broadway and the national tour. Curry received his second Tony nod for his 1992 portrayal of degenerate movie star Alan Swann in the unsuccessful musical "My Favorite Year.” In 2004, Curry led an outstanding cast in the much-lauded Broadway production, “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” a silly musical directed by Mike Nichols based on the British comedy troupe’s 1975 movie. Curry played King Arthur, whose quest for the famed Holy Grail leads him to do battle with a dogged knight who continues to fight despite severed limbs, taunting Frenchman who bombard his knights with filth and dead animals and a killer rabbit who bites through armor with nasty, big, pointy teeth. The New York Times hailed Curry’s performance as the “best of the cast”—which included David Hyde Pierce as Sir Robin, Christopher Sieber as Sir Galahad and Hank Azaria as Sir Lancelot.