THE GENIUS OF: Tim CurryBy Quinn OxleySeptember 5, 2017I’ve heard it said that you can judge someone based on what they know Tim Curry from, and I’m inclined to agree. The man has one of the most versatile temperaments I’ve ever seen. One face, one booming English cadence, one particular set of skills has embodied all of the following characters:

the prim-and-proper Dr. Thornton Poole of 1991’s period comedy Oscar
the bumbling and lovable living meme Dr. Nigel Thornberry of Nickelodeon’s The Wild Thornberrys
the “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania,” Dr. Frank-N-Furter of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Clue (1985)’s enigmatic butler Wadsworth
the anthropomorphic organ Forte from the Beauty and the Beast Christmas special
literally Satan (née Darkness; Legend, 1985)

What a filmography. And that’s not even the half of it.

Curry also portrayed the child-killing clown in 1990’s TV miniseries It. While Curry had the pins set up pretty nicely for him (clowns are pretty freaking scary regardless of who’s under the makeup), he didn’t just knock them down. Curry’s Pennywise became one of modern entertainment’s most notable movie monsters due to his performance - quite the oversized clown shoes for Bill Skarsgard to fill in this weekend’s cinematic adaptation.

Then again, anyone following Tim Curry would have their job cut out for them. Curry’s movements are precise; his passion, very evident. Curry brings a certain gravitas to every project, even down to the garbage-bin animated throwaway Valiant (2006). The same man whose voice is behind the “Smashing!” soundbite was also originally slated to play the clown prince of crime in the 1992 Batman animated series, but was labeled “too scary.” Such versatility has hardly been witnessed in modern film.

Curry himself has expressed an enthusiasm to see Skarsgard’s take on Stephen King’s murderous clown, but nothing will replace Curry’s echoey laugh in the library.

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