credit: It
From his hauntingly terrific Pennywise in the 1990 film IT to his role in The Rocky Horror Picture show, Tim Curry is the master of terrifying characters. However, the iconic actor will remain most terrifying as The Plaza Hotel concierge in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The scene in which he gleefully and terrifyingly smiles slowly and wide upon the realization that the young Mr. McCallister was using a stolen credit card to pay for his suite is what keeps us up at night. Curry is delightfully demonic, easily unlikable, and positively talented in any role he plays, and that’s why his fanbase is among the most loyal. However, despite his innate ability to play a terrifying character, Tim Curry is a nice guy.
1. He’s a Musician
Many people are unaware that Curry is a lovely musician. He is what you refer to as a boy soprano (a treble). He developed the talent as a child, but you wouldn’t know this about him based on the characters he plays. His childhood was not the easiest, but he was able to develop his skills as a musician and an actor, and it led him to greatness.
2. He Grew Up Without a Father
Curry’s date of birth is April 19, 1946. He was born and raised in Grappenhall, Cheshire, in London. He lived with his mother, his father, and his sister. Sadly, his father died from complications dealing with pneumonia when the young actor was only 12. To that point, his father was a Royal Navy Chaplain, and his mother was a school secretary. However, his father’s death made his family move to South London, where he was later sent to boarding school.
3. He Lost his Mother and His Sister in Two Years
He has been without his father since the late 1950s, but he was blessed with the presence of his mother and sister for an additional forty years. His sister rose to prominence as a talented concert pianist, but a brain tumor took her life in 2001. Only two years before his sister’s death, Curry and his sister lost their mother. She died in 1999.
credit: Annie
4. He’s Only Doing Voice Work Now
Curry suffered a stroke in 2012. It was a major medical situation, and he is now in a wheelchair. He’s been using it for over a decade now, and that’s why he’s decided to focus his career on voice acting. Of course, he still goes out in public, meets his fans, and continues his singing career. He’s a man who could retire and relax, but he loves what he does.
5. Tim Curry Does Not Feel Good Watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show
It was the movie that made him a household name. He played a terrifying man who liked to dress as a woman while creating some terrifying things in his castle. He ends up holding a couple whose car broke down almost hostage overnight, and their relationship is thoroughly tested by this man who terrifies them to no end. Asked about the movie in the late 70s, Curry made it very clear that he ‘can’t really relate to the film very well,’ and he ‘still feels sick’ when he sees it.
6. Tim Curry Did Not Excel in College
He tried it, and that’s what counts, right? The iconic actor was a student enrolled in courses at the University of Birmingham but was not a stellar student. In fact, he was such a bad student that he rarely went to class. It was so bad that when he showed up to class to take his final exam, the professor escorted him out because he didn’t realize he was one of his students.
credit: Rocky Horror Picture Show
7. He Did Thrive on Stage in College
Perhaps the classroom wasn’t his favorite place to be – when he tried to attend his classes – but the stage was. One might say his college career was not wasted, given that he spent a lot of time honing his acting skills. We should thank him for that.
8. He Wasn’t Honest The First Time He Landed a Role
The original production of Hair was being cast in London, and he wanted a role. However, the casting agent wanted someone with experience. Of course, Curry was living the nightmare of not having experience because you can’t get a job without experience moment that so many people live, so he lied. He said he was an experienced actor, got the job, and even kept the job when his lies were discovered. He’s that good.
9. Rocky Horror the Movie Was Amazing, but The Theater Production Was Not
Fans did not love it, and it caused Curry to focus on alcohol to get him through the pain. “I just went home and took out a bottle of vodka for about a month, actually. I sent out for submarine sandwiches and drank and got hugely patched,” he said of the first time he realized he could fail. Alcoholism became a problem at that time, so he took control of his life and moved on from it.
10. He is Thankful For Failure
Curry is the guy we all talk about. He realized after his first flop that failure is not the end of the world. In fact, it’s not even always a bad thing. “I think once you’ve had a really serious failure, nothing can ever be as bad as that again. So you might as well just go for it, because they can’t make you feel any worse than they did before,” he once said. If we did not already adore him, we do now.
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