Tim Curry is a classically trained former Shakespearean actor who has shined on the silver screen, portraying some of the best film characters that perhaps you didn’t even know he played. To celebration of the release of IT this month, I took a look back at the original Pennywise and the incredibly talented actor who portrayed him.
Darkness – Legend (1985)
Curry plays Darkness, the physical manifestation of, well, darkness. He seeks to remove the horn from the last unicorn in the forest, spreading darkness across the land. All he needs to do is marry forest princess, Lili (Mia Sara) to ensure night everlasting, but will face opposition from Lili’s love interest, Jack (Tom Cruise), and the elves of the forest.
Never before and never since has anyone been able to play the devil the way Tim Curry did. The combination of talents of the Make-Up department and of Mr. Curry himself was the perfect recipe for one terrifying and strangely beautiful creature.
Pennywise the Clown – IT (1990)
In 1960, seven children gang together to fight a child eating clown named Pennywise that is terrorizing their town.
I was terrified of clowns for the majority of my life, mostly at the fault of Tim Curry and his evil clown Pennywise. To this day, Pennywise is still the ultimate in clown terror for me.
Dr. Frank-N-Furter- The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Engaged couple Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) breakdown in the middle of nowhere and seek help at a nearby home where they meet Dr. Frank-N-Furter and his gang of strange friends.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the perfect combination of horror, comedy and musical in what seems like an absurd plot full of bizarre happenings. Somehow, it all works and I strongly believe that it is mostly at the hands of Tim Curry and his brilliant portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who manages to pull off both repulsive and sexy in one character all at once.
Wadsworth: Clue (1985)
In a life action visualization of the board game of the same name, six guests are invited to a dinner party where they are forced to solve a murder mystery.
With a cast as strong as the one in Clue, it would take a special kind of person to stand out amongst some of the best. Tim Curry does just that as Wadsworth, providing some great comedic moments during his struggle to solve the case and catch the murderer.
