Actor Tim Curry, who starred in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has died

Tim Curry, star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has died at the age of 80.

Curry played Dr Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 cult classic.

He portrayed Pennywise the clown in the 1990 TV adaptation of Stephen King's It.

The actor also appeared in Home Alone 2, The Hunt for Red October, Muppet Treasure Island, Addams Family Reunion and Scary Movie 2.

The star died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to his long-time manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz. No cause was disclosed.

Curry suffered a major, near-fatal stroke in July 2012, which left him in a wheelchair.

Known for his arch humour and gift with voices, Curry earned three Tony nominations - for Spamalot, My Favorite Year and Amadeus - and an Emmy nod in 1994.

A statement from his manager said: "Though widely known for his inimitable, flamboyant characters and colourful stage performances, his greatest legacies to those who knew him were his curious, expansive mind and generous, gentle heart, both of which remained open and filled with anticipation until his final breath."

From student actor to fan favourite

Originally born in Cheshire, the actor's family moved to Hong Kong when he was six months old.

The family would later relocate and settle in Plymouth after his father suffered a stroke.

Curry's family did not have a background in show business; his mother's relatives were seafarers and his father's family were County Durham builders.

The star began acting in school plays while at Prior's Court, Bath, before later studying drama and English at Birmingham University.

The actor said he did not attend classes much and focused on acting in extra-curricular productions - claiming one of his professors tried to stop him from taking his final exams as they had never met before.

After graduating in 1968, Curry got his first acting gig in the London production of Hair.

Curry made his big break a few years later when he auditioned for The Rocky Horror Show after stints with the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of After Haggarty and various West End shows.

The actor first played Frank-N-Furter from the iconic show on stage before the film version, which was released in 1975 and remains a fan favourite.

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In his 2025 memoir, Vagabond, Curry warned readers that while there were scraps of his nature in his characters, he was none of them.

"The distinctions between who I really am and who I've pretended to be as an actor have proven to be a source of great disappointment to some audiences. It has not caused me much personal distress beyond the periodic necessity to deter stalkers," he wrote.

After a yearslong break from live-action roles, he thrilled fans with his involvement in the 2024 film Stream - something the film's director Michael Leavy called a dream come true.

Curry, who never married and had no children, was deeply private about his personal life. But he wrote in his memoir that he was convinced to tell his story thanks to so many moving encounters with fans.

(c) Sky News 2026: Actor Tim Curry, who starred in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has died