Honestly, even though that's the only thing I've seen Tim Curry in, it's so strong that he has a fond place in my heart just for that performance. Dude knew how ridiculous it was and was having fun, which is a delight. It's hilarious to me watching him try to keep from cracking up in that scene.
toofy · 2026-08-26 16:48:38 UTC
omg that game!!!
i forgot about it.
RIP Tim Curry.
i went to the symphony last year to see the movie Clue. the symphony played the music while the movie played on the big screen above. i’d never seen the movie, he was as amazing as everything else i’d seen him in.
ChosenEnd · 2026-08-26 16:22:00 UTC
Rest in peace
shdon · 2026-08-26 16:24:34 UTC
Apart from RHPS, his role in Clue was a highlight for me. And him giving Gabriel Knight.
bena · 2026-08-26 17:26:21 UTC
I'm the butler, I like to keep the kitchen tidy.
relaxing · 2026-08-26 17:52:27 UTC
I’m merely a humble butler. I buttle, sir.
teamonkey · 2026-08-26 20:50:28 UTC
“There's no body. NOBODY. There's nobody in the study.”
callumprentice · 2026-08-26 16:25:18 UTC
I was a fan since university when someone down the corridor would have The Rocky Horror Picture Show playing all the time...
Imagine my delight at seeing him on a packed London Tube one morning on my way to work. He asked to get by and I said something like "Just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right?" waiting for him to burst into song with the whole carriage joining in..
He just scowled and pushed past - still made my day though :)
wolfi1 · 2026-08-26 16:55:26 UTC
I and a fellow clerk at a polling station realized that it would be only 15 minutes to the opening and we were the only ones manning it. he began: " it's astounding, time is fleeting" I joined in "madness takes its toll" we continued to the chorus, some seconds before the opening the other people managed to be there and we had our fun, too
befictious · 2026-08-26 20:08:58 UTC
It'd be hilarious if it was just some dude who looked a lot like him and is just so sick and tired of how he can't go anywhere without people thinking he's tim curry
callumprentice · 2026-08-26 20:54:02 UTC
Hahaha! Can you imagine..
nephihaha · 2026-08-27 09:44:32 UTC
I went to school with someone who looked very like him, although he is much younger and lost his hair.
gxd · 2026-08-27 03:11:04 UTC
Did you know some company made a Rocky Horror Show videogame in the 80s?
RIP. I always think of him for his performance in Home Alone 2.
BatFastard · 2026-08-26 16:32:06 UTC
Brilliant artist!
I smile when I hear his name.
flippyhead · 2026-08-26 16:35:04 UTC
And don't forget Legend!
lubujackson · 2026-08-26 16:36:18 UTC
"Clue" was my favorite Tim Curry performance. Such a great actor, will be missed.
BLKNSLVR · 2026-08-26 16:50:04 UTC
I just love Clue. Understated and the exact opposite in equal measure. Just a great comedic movie, all held together masterfully by Curry.
I rewatch it every few years, still love it.
"No meaning yes!?"
mixmastamyk · 2026-08-27 04:38:59 UTC
Which ending do you prefer?
garyhbutton · 2026-08-26 16:37:08 UTC
RIP, he made some great art and my favorite was Rock Horror Picture Show
rhdunn · 2026-08-26 16:37:30 UTC
Will they send him ... TO SPAAACE?!
andrewstuart2 · 2026-08-26 16:41:27 UTC
Command and Conquer was almost certainly my first exposure to him. I guess it's time to go replay Red Alert 3 and enjoy those cutscenes all over again.
Lwerewolf · 2026-08-26 19:09:22 UTC
A regular yearly replay is in order for me, too. Already done with SC2... just SC1/WC3/DoW(2)/RA2(mental/flippedmissions/etc)/RA3(uprising)/HOMM3/etc/etc/etc. Ah well.
I often chuckle at the observation that Tim Curry and Michael Caine's respective roles in the Muppet films were so beloved because Michael Caine acted like all the muppets were real actors, and Tim Curry acted like he was a muppet. He would have an impressive range of serious / comedic roles anyway, but I admire the ability for an actor that successful to be able to put himself be in such a silly role that well too.
AceJohnny2 · 2026-08-26 18:40:51 UTC
It is a popular story and I love it, but Tim Curry himself has denied it:
> Curry emphatically denied that interpretation. “I saw the Muppets as actors with distinct personalities,” he said. “It’s astonishing how quickly you see them as people.”
shagie · 2026-08-26 19:15:58 UTC
There's a video that expands on Tim Curry's time with the muppets: The Muppets Brought Out the Best in Tim Curry https://youtu.be/XzU8f4HaQw0
> In this video, we look at why Tim Curry’s Long John Silver works so well in Muppet Treasure Island, not just because he’s funny, theatrical, and completely larger than life, but because he understood the real magic of acting with the Muppets.
> There’s a popular idea that Michael Caine treated the Muppets like real actors, while Tim Curry treated himself like a fellow Muppet. But according to Curry himself, that isn’t quite right. He didn’t see Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Rizzo, or the rest of the Muppet crew as props or puppets. He treated them as fully formed characters with their own personalities, timing, and emotional lives. That may be the key to why his performance feels so alive.
> This video essay explores Tim Curry’s casting as Long John Silver, his love for the Muppets, his larger-than-life theatrical style, and the behind-the-scenes energy of Muppet Treasure Island. We also look at how the Muppet performers stayed in character, how Curry approached the songs and comedy, why the “A Professional Pirate” number works so well, and how one surprisingly heartfelt scene with Jim Hawkins revealed a more vulnerable side of Curry’s acting.
Groxx · 2026-08-26 20:49:26 UTC
I watched that video not too long ago, very much enjoyed it. +1 to the recommendation!
strbean · 2026-08-26 21:04:26 UTC
Both Tim Curry and that video seem to misinterpret the "popular idea", at least as it is stated in this thread.
It doesn't say anything about how Tim Curry viewed the Muppets, but rather about how Tim Curry treated himself. It stands to reason that if he was, say, method acting as an actual Muppet, that he too would view the other Muppets as fellow actors with their own identities etc.
stephen_g · 2026-08-27 01:32:56 UTC
That was my reading of it too - Curry's response seems to seek to refute something that the original quote didn't actually say!
I can definitely see how someone could interpret it that way, assuming it's implying that he didn't see them as real, but I think that's an incorrect assumption and the quoted observation wasn't actually implying that at all.
magarnicle · 2026-08-27 00:33:37 UTC
Watch the actual film at is obvious he isn't doing that. He shows way more emotional range and subtly than a Muppet is capable of, plus "[his] only number" is not very Muppetty either.
AndrewOMartin · 2026-08-27 10:15:34 UTC
Yeah, I've never understood this observation. The entire shtick of The Muppets was that every celebrity they ever had on the show treated them like real actors and celebrities. Not even "famous Muppets", just straight up celebs.
loganc2342 · 2026-08-27 11:35:19 UTC
There’s a difference between the script calling for the actor to treat the Muppets as real, and the actor actually thinking of the Muppets as real actors. In a Muppet production, that’s often what separates a good performance from a great one.
whstl · 2026-08-26 16:44:08 UTC
I will always be grateful for his performance as Gabriel Knight, my favorite game of all time. Not only he was one of the pioneers in the medium, but the performance itself is still one of the greatest of all time.
(aside: Someone needs to upload a better-quality version of this to YouTube)
ohazi · 2026-08-26 17:22:30 UTC
This is my only number!
arrowsmith · 2026-08-26 18:45:29 UTC
I watched that movie so many times as a child I could probably still recite every line.
RIP Long John Silver!
cestith · 2026-08-26 17:00:19 UTC
Annie, Clue, Command & Conquer, Criminal Minds, Legend, Muppets Treasure Island, Rocky Horror Picture Show
He was an icon. It’s said you can tell a lot about a person by from where they recognize him.
a4isms · 2026-08-26 17:10:48 UTC
Smaller role, but he was brilliant in "Oscar" with Marissa Tomei and some guy who was nominated for an Oscar in 1977 for the screenplay to "Rocky."
Absolutely nobody else could make the word "elocution" sound so luxuriously redolent of desire.
v-erne · 2026-08-26 18:42:04 UTC
Oh that's right I almost forgot that this film exists - his astounding pronunciation and boogie woogie tailors are two highlights of this strange stage play adaptation. I have to .. no .. i must watch it again.
alexandre_m · 2026-08-26 20:00:30 UTC
I don't understand the hate about Oscar, even Stallone himself seems to believe it was a bad idea career wise, but I always liked it!
riffraff · 2026-08-27 00:17:32 UTC
I love that movie and I loved Tim Curry in it.
If you see it next to the
Rocky Horror Picture Show (edit: and as pennywise in IT!) it really displays how wide the interpreting skill of the actor were.
ColinWright · 2026-08-26 17:39:35 UTC
He was brilliant in "Oscar".
(Sorry, just noticed the older sibling comment said the same thing)
a4isms · 2026-08-26 18:09:31 UTC
Nevertheless, you are still Wright to have your own say, and it is delightful to have commonality, no matter how "trivial."
robertoandred · 2026-08-26 17:59:54 UTC
Hunt for Red October!
cestith · 2026-08-26 19:36:26 UTC
Oh, yes! Dr. Petrov. That film has so many great actors. Connery, Neill, Jeffrey Jones, Peter Firth… it even has a Baldwin and a Skarsgård in the same film.
joshgachnang · 2026-08-27 00:06:23 UTC
And James Earl Jones!
jwally · 2026-08-26 21:12:43 UTC
Was thinking about this a couple of days ago...
Sam Neil - Gone.
Sean Connery - Gone.
Tim Curry - (now)Gone.
All the big names from my childhood are starting to die... Damn.
riffraff · 2026-08-27 00:20:36 UTC
I literally watched this a couple days ago. James Earl Grey (Jack Ryan"s boss in the movie) is gone too.
Findecanor · 2026-08-27 09:54:16 UTC
You seem to need caffeine, considering that it is on your mind... :)
harvey9 · 2026-08-26 19:01:53 UTC
Lexx.
wernsey · 2026-08-26 19:33:00 UTC
My wife and I rewatched Congo recently and he was great in that too even through all the goofiness. My wife's also a big fan of the Three Musketeers (that might be the first movie from my childhood I remember him from, come to think of it)
vermilingua · 2026-08-26 21:10:28 UTC
The Colour of Magic! Tim Curry introduced me to Discworld, it’s a shame those movies are so overlooked
rsynnott · 2026-08-27 05:21:10 UTC
I think it's unfortunate that they chose to adapt _that_ one, really. It's good, but it's before Pratchett really got into his stride, and it's far closer to a straight satire of fantasy novels than subsequent books.
tomkarho · 2026-08-27 05:46:50 UTC
I recall reading that Curry went to the same gym as the actor of Penelope in Criminal Minds and asked her (repeatedly as I recall) if he could get a role. Eventually he got one and delivered as Flynn perhaps the most terrifying unsub in the history of the show to date.
As someone who's exposure to him had been in the vein of Home Alone 2, C & C, Muppets and Ferngully where his portrayal had always had considerable amount of whimsy sillyness to it, seeing him take a seriously terrifying role like that was a wonderful experience.
Finale of season 5 and start of season 6 for those wishing to see for themselves (highly recommend).
SeriousM · 2026-08-27 06:41:00 UTC
Oh my... The clown played an important role in my command & conquer childhood!
Thanks for the reminder!
jandrese · 2026-08-27 13:58:23 UTC
Also Congo, where we get the pleasure of hearing Tim Curry repeatedly say “The Hidden City of Zinge”
RIP. Poor guy. Slipped on a cuppa tea and broke his neck while hitting the dining room table on his way down.
erickhill · 2026-08-26 17:02:10 UTC
I know most folks think of other films, but his performance in Ridley Scott's Legend as the grumble-cackling lust driven red-faced demon is a core memory for me. Grew up watching and admiring that film and especially Mr. Curry's portrayal of that character so many times. Because of him.
jonhohle · 2026-08-26 17:12:11 UTC
Legend is amazing and his character is still one of the most impactful practical effects I’ve seen.
I was always happy to hear his voice work in shows as well. Mighty Max and Super Samurai Syber Squad being among my favorite.
He’s fantastic in Clue as well.
RajT88 · 2026-08-26 18:39:41 UTC
Curry would turn up in some strange places.
Less beloved was the 90's sci-show "Earth 2" (also featuring Clancy Brown).
kraquepype · 2026-08-26 18:52:57 UTC
His character in Legend is a core childhood memory for me.
Also his voice role as Hexxus in Fern Gully!
riffraff · 2026-08-27 00:23:15 UTC
Holy cow never realized it was him, absolutely terrifying for me as a kid
gnuplustoejam · 2026-08-26 17:03:06 UTC
I was horrified that after his stroke they kept rolling him out in a wheelchair to perform for fandom nerds.
Guy should have been allowed to live the rest of his life in dignity quietly, tending to his garden, not tap dancing for 40+ year old adults still obsessed with "The Time Warp".
bmurphy1976 · 2026-08-26 17:06:55 UTC
Maybe. I don't have enough context, but maybe that's what he wanted to do? Whatever you may think about it, I'm pretty convinced Ozzy wanted to go out with a big concert. Nobody had to push him to do it.
gnuplustoejam · 2026-08-26 17:18:19 UTC
> but maybe that's what he wanted to do
Even if he did... he was in bad shape and it must have been physically taxing.
The thought of him feeling obligated to be on stage in front of a room of wide-eyed adult children is particularly sad. This is more a commentary on his fans than Tim himself.
t-writescode · 2026-08-26 18:13:49 UTC
Obliged means he was doing something he didn’t want to do.
Others here are saying, like Ozzy, he might have been doing what he wanted to do.
To quote the poet, Dylan Thomas,
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
ramesh31 · 2026-08-26 17:07:29 UTC
>"Guy should have been allowed to live the rest of his life in dignity quietly, tending to his garden, not tap dancing for 40+ year old adults still obsessed with "The Time Warp"."
You dont become Tim Curry unless you live for the attention. I highly doubt it was against his will. Shatner is still out there doing the theater circuit right now at nearly 100. Those generations in general (Silents and GIs) just had the mindset of "I'll stop working when I'm dead". It was the later Boomers really that latched onto the concept of retirement.
etc-hosts · 2026-08-26 17:44:07 UTC
This year I saw him roll out on his wheelchair and he had the time of his life.
Not sure how others felt.
So your contention is that he would have rather spent the last 14 years of his life alone and quiet, rather than getting out there to have fun and be with people who love him, just because the was left-side paralyzed?
billbrown · 2026-08-26 17:03:25 UTC
For me, his best work was Muppet Treasure Island. I'm glad I watched this BTS video with him: I had no idea he had a stroke in 2012 and hasn't acted since.
Comments
One of my favourite roles I've seen him in was as Trymon in the TV version of Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1Sq1Nr58hM
Honestly, even though that's the only thing I've seen Tim Curry in, it's so strong that he has a fond place in my heart just for that performance. Dude knew how ridiculous it was and was having fun, which is a delight. It's hilarious to me watching him try to keep from cracking up in that scene.
i forgot about it.
RIP Tim Curry.
i went to the symphony last year to see the movie Clue. the symphony played the music while the movie played on the big screen above. i’d never seen the movie, he was as amazing as everything else i’d seen him in.
Imagine my delight at seeing him on a packed London Tube one morning on my way to work. He asked to get by and I said something like "Just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right?" waiting for him to burst into song with the whole carriage joining in..
He just scowled and pushed past - still made my day though :)
https://www.hardcoregaming101.net/the-rocky-horror-show/
The 'Wilderness Girls' scene in Loaded Weapon 1 will forever be in my heart and laughter; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRN2spEualo
I rewatch it every few years, still love it.
"No meaning yes!?"
https://www.vice.com/en/article/an-oral-history-of-tim-curry...
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/movies/muppet-treasure-is...
> Curry emphatically denied that interpretation. “I saw the Muppets as actors with distinct personalities,” he said. “It’s astonishing how quickly you see them as people.”
> In this video, we look at why Tim Curry’s Long John Silver works so well in Muppet Treasure Island, not just because he’s funny, theatrical, and completely larger than life, but because he understood the real magic of acting with the Muppets.
> There’s a popular idea that Michael Caine treated the Muppets like real actors, while Tim Curry treated himself like a fellow Muppet. But according to Curry himself, that isn’t quite right. He didn’t see Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Rizzo, or the rest of the Muppet crew as props or puppets. He treated them as fully formed characters with their own personalities, timing, and emotional lives. That may be the key to why his performance feels so alive.
> This video essay explores Tim Curry’s casting as Long John Silver, his love for the Muppets, his larger-than-life theatrical style, and the behind-the-scenes energy of Muppet Treasure Island. We also look at how the Muppet performers stayed in character, how Curry approached the songs and comedy, why the “A Professional Pirate” number works so well, and how one surprisingly heartfelt scene with Jim Hawkins revealed a more vulnerable side of Curry’s acting.
It doesn't say anything about how Tim Curry viewed the Muppets, but rather about how Tim Curry treated himself. It stands to reason that if he was, say, method acting as an actual Muppet, that he too would view the other Muppets as fellow actors with their own identities etc.
I can definitely see how someone could interpret it that way, assuming it's implying that he didn't see them as real, but I think that's an incorrect assumption and the quoted observation wasn't actually implying that at all.
Herkermer Homolka in Congo (1995)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112715/
RIP
https://clip.cafe/muppet-treasure-island-1996/but-its-not-hi...
(aside: Someone needs to upload a better-quality version of this to YouTube)
RIP Long John Silver!
He was an icon. It’s said you can tell a lot about a person by from where they recognize him.
Absolutely nobody else could make the word "elocution" sound so luxuriously redolent of desire.
If you see it next to the Rocky Horror Picture Show (edit: and as pennywise in IT!) it really displays how wide the interpreting skill of the actor were.
(Sorry, just noticed the older sibling comment said the same thing)
Sam Neil - Gone. Sean Connery - Gone. Tim Curry - (now)Gone.
All the big names from my childhood are starting to die... Damn.
As someone who's exposure to him had been in the vein of Home Alone 2, C & C, Muppets and Ferngully where his portrayal had always had considerable amount of whimsy sillyness to it, seeing him take a seriously terrifying role like that was a wonderful experience.
Finale of season 5 and start of season 6 for those wishing to see for themselves (highly recommend).
Thanks for the reminder!
I was always happy to hear his voice work in shows as well. Mighty Max and Super Samurai Syber Squad being among my favorite.
He’s fantastic in Clue as well.
Less beloved was the 90's sci-show "Earth 2" (also featuring Clancy Brown).
Also his voice role as Hexxus in Fern Gully!
Guy should have been allowed to live the rest of his life in dignity quietly, tending to his garden, not tap dancing for 40+ year old adults still obsessed with "The Time Warp".
Even if he did... he was in bad shape and it must have been physically taxing.
The thought of him feeling obligated to be on stage in front of a room of wide-eyed adult children is particularly sad. This is more a commentary on his fans than Tim himself.
Others here are saying, like Ozzy, he might have been doing what he wanted to do.
To quote the poet, Dylan Thomas,
Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
You dont become Tim Curry unless you live for the attention. I highly doubt it was against his will. Shatner is still out there doing the theater circuit right now at nearly 100. Those generations in general (Silents and GIs) just had the mindset of "I'll stop working when I'm dead". It was the later Boomers really that latched onto the concept of retirement.
https://old.reddit.com/r/timcurry/comments/1tzyqt6/sf_clue_q...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzU8f4HaQw0