As reported earlier today, Tim Curry passed away last night at the age of 80 due to currently unspecified medical reasons. He had been dealing with health issues for a number of years.
In my tribute to Alan Rickman, another dearly remembered favorite actor of mine, I mentioned how Rickman impressed one great performance at a time and became my favorite over time in a way where I couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment. In contrast I know precisely when Tim Curry did. He instantly jumped to the top of my list via portrayal of Wadsworth in Clue, a fantastically campy comedy I still routinely rewatch to this day.
Curry’s Wadsworth was a larger than life, scene chomping goofball in all the best ways. In general his precisely wielded manic charisma made every performance captivating. He was also more than capable of turning up the seriousness in his performances when required.
I never saw his two other most notable roles as those particular movies don’t appeal to me, but I adored him in numerous other things like Muppet Treasure Island, animated roles he did voice work for, and so on.
My most striking memory of Curry was seeing him live as King Arthur in the original Broadway run of Spamalot. It was an extremely well done nod to Monty Python and the Holy Grail and I was fortunate to have seen it while Curry was part of the cast.
Tim Curry was an incredible actor whose performances will be remembered and enjoyed for a long time to come.
Rest in Peace Tim. We’ll miss you.
Derailments of Thought 