The China Mail - 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' star Tim Curry dead at 80

Curry, who had struggled with his health for more than a decade after a debilitating stroke, died at his home in Los Angeles, TMZ said, citing unnamed sources.

The actor, who launched his career in London's West End theater district, first played the gender-bending mad scientist in "Rocky Horror" before reprising the role in the 1975 film, which is still a staple of midnight cinema showings more than 50 years later.

His other credits include the sinister clown Pennywise in a 1990 television miniseries version of Stephen King's "It" and films that included "Charlie's Angels" and "Muppet Treasure Island."

An impressive theatrical resume that began in the 1960s saw him do turns at the Royal Court Theatre and the Citizens Theatre, taking on roles written by Shakespeare, Brecht and Tom Stoppard, among others.

Curry was nominated for Tony and Olivier awards for his theater work in New York and London.

One of his more memorable performances was on Broadway and in the West End as King Arthur in "Monty Python's Spamalot," the stage adaptation of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

His slightly cartoonish good looks and an unparalleled ability both to camp and to vamp meant he was much in demand for roles that required a certain air of villainy.

That was on display in "Annie" in 1982, when, as con artist Rooster Hannigan, he plots to kidnap the orphan girl.

Three years later, in "Clue," he was the butler who corralled a country house full of murder suspects in the cinematic version of the board game.

There were straighter roles, including opposite Sean Connery in "The Hunt for Red October," but his comedic talents shone brightest, even in small parts, like the Plaza Hotel concierge in "Home Alone 2."

But it was Dr Frank-N-Furter, the "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania," that defined his career.

Richard O'Brien's madcap stage creation tells the story of an unsuspecting young couple whose flat tire leads them into the house of a scientist who is creating a cross-dressing sexual plaything.

Along the way, there's a lot of singing, dancing and heavy dose of rocker Meatloaf.

The film, which flopped on its initial release, found life as a cult classic on the midnight showings circuit, with aficionados dressing up to sing and dance in the aisles and throw popcorn -- and frankfurters -- at the screen.

"It seemed like something that would go," Curry told a TV interviewer in 1970s London.

"I was hesitant in that, if it worked, it might be a difficult image to shake off. But really, I’ve often thought that it wasn't worth doing unless you took a risk."

G.Tsang--ThChM