The passing of Tim Curry has hit very hard. The announcement of his passing came just one day after the passing of Dolly Parton. Incidentally, they were both 80 years old when they passed. They had markedly different careers, but they both had longevity that made them icons for different reasons. Losing people back-to-back like this is a double whammy of pain. It’s also a stark reminder that we invariably will lose the people we admire and care about. The only way we don’t lose them is if we go first, and that’s not really a happy alternative. So, in the wake of this sadness, all we can do is lift the memory and accomplishments of those we respect. Today we do that with Tim Curry.
Tim Curry Was The Voice Of A Generation
If you grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, you probably recognized Tim Curry by his voice before anything. He lent his amazing abilities as a voice actor to a number of early ’90s cartoons. The Pirates of Dark Water, Fox’s Peter Pan and the Pirates, Captain Planet, Mighty Max, and so many more. Eventually, he would find his way to what many would consider his defining animated performance as Nigel Thornberry in The Wild Thornberrys.
If you went solely based on his accolades in that medium alone, we would still be writing this piece with adoration and adoring respect. He was a phenomenal talent. He didn’t have as many voice acting parts in films, but he had a big one as Hexxus in FernGully: The Last Rainforest. That one even let him show off his vocal chops with a villain song that was way more sexually arousing than it had any right to be. Seriously, watch “Toxic Love,” and you’ll see what we mean.
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Of course, that performance is born from Curry’s considerable experience on stage. Popular musicals, Shakespeare, drama, comedy; the man did it all. He also happened to do the role of Dr. Frank N. Furter in the musical The Rocky Horror Show. He would reprise that for the film version, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. That performance would define virtually anybody’s career, and it’s certainly one of Curry’s defining performances. But because of his versatility, because of just how many roles he has under his belt, it’s an accolade for him. An accolade amongst so many other amazing contributions to cinema.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show Made Tim Curry an Icon
He’s also been credited as the Lord of Darkness, from his role as Satan in 1985’s Legend. Beneath the extensive makeup and prosthetics, Curry is giving his all to project evil incarnate. This is the same year that he also portrayed the character of Wadsworth the butler in the comedy classic, Clue. He shows how well he can work amongst an ensemble of comedy greats. We’re talking Martin Mull, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, Michael McKean, and then there’s Tim Curry, living it up with the rest of them and being amazing. Again, that’s just one year of his career.
We already discussed his voice acting achievements in the 90s, but when you pair that with his live-action roles, he was a driving force in childhood and family entertainment. His presence in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York arguably makes that movie superior to the original. Opinions may differ, but he is one of the best parts about that film. He’s also arguably the best part about Muppet Treasure Island. His energy, his comedic menace; it makes that movie rise to a level it wouldn’t achieve otherwise. But it wasn’t always a comedic touch that he was bringing; there was also straight-up horrifying menace in one of his big ’90s roles that deserves a section of its own in this article.
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Tim Curry’s Role In Giving Us ’90s Kids Nightmares
In 1990, Tim Curry portrayed Pennywise in the television event that was Stephen King‘s It. It’s kind of funny how you can view that movie in hindsight in a completely different way than you would have as a child. If you watched any of that film as a kid, Pennywise was absolutely terrifying. That performance scarred children for life, and probably did a number on the clown industry. But when you look at that role as an adult, it’s a completely different experience. When you know it’s Tim Curry under that makeup, it makes every second that he’s on screen an absolute joy. It’s like he’s playing the Joker from Batman instead of Pennywise.
If you’ve read the novel It, then you’re more familiar with how Pennywise is this evil cosmic entity. Yes, he’s playing on fears and can be darkly funny, but he’s an Eldritch abomination more than anything. That backstory is kind of excluded from the television version. It doesn’t really serve the story very well, but it certainly serves Curry’s performance as Pennywise greatly. He is hamming up every second of his performance because he can. He doesn’t treat it like a movie that’s supposed to be terrifying; he treats it like it’s all about him being as over the top as possible. It is brilliant and a testament to how he can own something with his presence.
Tim Curry’s Pennywise Terrified A Generation
In 2012, Curry’s life was significantly altered because of a stroke. The impact on him was profound. That’s one of the terrifying things about a stroke: you never know what it’s going to do to you and how you’re going to recover. For Curry, it left him unable to walk, impacted his ability to speak, and, by proxy his ability to work. He still had some roles he was able to churn out, and he still went to conventions, did public appearances, and met with fans. He probably did more than most people could in the condition he was in.
There is a kind of ferocious dedication and bravery to that which deserves a tremendous amount of respect. And the fans felt that. You can go online and see clips of him speaking with fans, doing one-on-one videos, and the gratitude from him and the fans is tremendous. It’s just an absolute shame that he wasn’t able to perform like he did before the stroke. Bless his soul though, he respected his fans enough to try to be there for them when he wasn’t in the best shape.
Tim Curry was a truly remarkable talent. When we started this article, we talked about how you would recognize this voice if you were a child of the 80s and 90s. In truth, it’s more than recognition. Tim Curry was a part of our childhood experience. We grew up to his voice. We grew up seeing him in some of our favorite films. His voice and his smile will forever be ingrained in our consciousness.
You were easily one of the best parts about our generation being kids, Tim. We will never, ever forget you.
