Tim Curry possessed that rare theatrical gift, the power to enter a room already larger than life, then somehow enlarge it further.
For millions, he will remain Dr Frank N Furter, the gloriously outrageous figure who strutted through The Rocky Horror Picture Show with wit, danger and irresistible confidence. Yet Curry’s talent travelled far beyond one corset. He could turn childhood terror into flesh as Pennywise, summon operatic evil beneath the horns of Darkness in Legend, then bring warmth and wicked comedy to Muppet Treasure Island or Home Alone 2.
Beneath every transformation stood a serious actor of remarkable range, equally at home with Shakespeare, Stoppard, Broadway or a cartoon microphone. Even after the stroke that altered his life in 2012, he retained the humour, courage and appetite that had carried him through five decades of performance.
Curry once said that you had to keep showing up. He did, magnificently, creating characters that will continue to arrive long after the final curtain.
Tim Curry was 80. The stage is quieter tonight, but never likely to forget him.