British actor Tim Curry, best known for playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the cult musical film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, died Wednesday in Los Angeles at the age of 80.
Curry's longtime manager Marcia Hurwitz said the actor died peacefully at his home in the Toluca Lake neighborhood.
A cause of death was not immediately disclosed. Curry had experienced health problems since suffering a severe stroke in 2012, which affected his mobility and left him using a wheelchair.
Born in Cheshire, England, in 1946, Curry began his stage career in the London production of the counterculture musical Hair in 1968.
Curry originated the role of the flamboyant scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the London stage musical The Rocky Horror Show in 1973. He later reprised the role in productions in Los Angeles and on Broadway.
He brought the character to the screen in the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Although it was not initially a major commercial success, the film developed an enduring following through midnight screenings and became one of cinema's best-known cult classics.
Curry later became recognized by new generations of viewers for portraying Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the 1990 television adaptation of Stephen King's It.
His other notable film roles included butler Wadsworth in the 1985 comedy mystery Clue, the demonic Darkness in the 1985 fantasy film Legend, and hotel concierge Mr. Hector in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Curry also maintained an extensive stage career, appearing in productions including Amadeus, The Pirates of Penzance, The Threepenny Opera, My Favorite Year, and Monty Python's Spamalot.
He received three Tony Award nominations for his performances in Amadeus, My Favorite Year, and Spamalot.
Curry was also a prolific voice actor, working on numerous animated television series, films, and video games. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for his voice performance as Captain Hook in Peter Pan and the Pirates.
