![]() ![]() Cast opposite a very young Tom Cruise, Tim wore full prosthetic make-up to play the now-iconic character, including hooves and horns that increased his height by several feet and contact lenses that reduced his pupils to slits. In 1983, he joined the National Theatre, where he stayed until 1986, performing in a number of productions including "The Rivals," "Love For Love," "Dalliance," and as MacHeath in "The Threepenny Opera." It was during this same time that Ridley Scott was looking for just the right actor to play the devilish character of Darkness in the fantasy film "Legend," and thought of Tim Curry. His return to the UK also saw several television appearances including "Blue Money," a comedy written specifically for Tim Bill Sikes in a television adaptation of "Oliver Twist" and opposite Jonathan Pryce in "The Ploughman's Lunch." Swashbuckling through the performance in an unbuttoned shirt and thigh-high boots, Tim gained rave reviews for his performance and won The Royal Variety Club award for Stage Actor Of The Year. In 1982, he returned to the London stage in Joe Papp’s pop revival of Gilbert and Sullivan’s "The Pirates of Penzance" as a sexed-up version of the Pirate King, a role originated by Kevin Kline in New York. He also worked with A&M Records to produce three studio albums between 19 his song "I Do the Rock" from the 1979 album "Fearless" reached number 53 on the American Billboard Chart, and Tim toured America and Germany in the late 1970s. Meanwhile, Tim’s career also continued to accelerate on TV and film, playing the eponymous bard in the six-part television series "The Life and Times of William Shakespeare" and starring in "The Shout" opposite Alan Bates and John Hurt on the silver screen. In 1975, the year of "Rocky"’s demise on the Great White Way, he was approached to play Dadaist Tristan Tzara in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Tom Stoppard’s "Travesties." After a run in the West End, the show transferred to Broadway and ran through 1976. ![]() Tim would not be away from Broadway for long. It was panned by the critics - some of them the same critics who had raved about the LA production - and closed after only forty-five performances. "The Rocky Horror Show" opened at the Belasco Theater in New York in 1975 and met a different fate on Broadway than it had in London and LA. Upon completion of the film, the play took to the stage one final time with Tim at the helm. The film remains a cult phenomenon over forty-five years later and has helped cement Tim’s status as a pop icon to generations of fans. Record mogul Lou Adler produced the LA show, followed by the movie version "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" filmed in 1974. "The Rocky Horror Show" took Tim to Los Angeles for the first time, where it enjoyed a successful run at The Roxy on Sunset Strip. Frank-N-Furter and "Rocky Horror" was an enormous hit, transferring to several progressively larger venues. He later appeared in several productions at the Royal Court Theatre, a connection that would lead to the breakout role that would change his life forever: In 1973, he was invited by Richard O’Brien, a fellow cast member from "Hair," to audition for O’Brien’s new experimental musical "The Rocky Horror Show," to be produced at the Royal Court’s Theatre Upstairs. When asked if he had professional experience and an Equity card, Tim lied about both by the time the producers found out the truth, they were sufficiently impressed with his talent and presence to sponsor him for his union membership. Tim’s first acting job after university was in the original London production of "Hair," in 1968. ![]()
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