Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an
English actor,
singer,
voice actor, and
composer, as well as having a career as a
rock musician. His list of roles is both extensive and varied, in both TV and movies, live-action and voice-acting for animated features. Curry is arguably best known for his portrayal as Dr. Frank N. Furter in
The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He currently resides in
Los Angeles, (where he has lived since 1992) although he has spent a considerable amount of time in
Chicago,
New York City, and most recently
London, in his role as King Arthur in the
Broadway hit
Monty Python's Spamalot.
Early life
Curry's father, James, was a
Methodist Royal Navy chaplain, and his mother, Patricia, was a school secretary.
[Tim Curry Biography (1946-)] Curry was born and raised in
Warrington and attended
Lymm High School until his father's death in 1958, when Curry relocated to
South London. He attended Kingswood School, Bath, and although he didn't enjoy the religious aspect of the
Methodist school, he did enjoy the vast number of
hymns available. There, he developed into a talented
boy soprano.
[Mervyn Rothstein, "Tim Curry Plunges Ahead Into the Past, Part IV", New York Times, January 24, 1990] Deciding to concentrate on acting, Curry graduated from
Birmingham University with a combined degree in English and drama.
[Harding, James (1987). The Rocky Horror Show Book. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. page 45]
Acting career
Rocky Horror
Curry's first full-time role was as part of the original London cast of the musical
Hair in 1968, where he first met
Richard O'Brien[http://www.skyoneonline.co.uk/tcom/tim_curry.htm] who went on to write Curry's next full-time and perhaps still most famous role, that of Dr. Frank N. Furter in
The Rocky Horror Show.
