Currying Favour Trivia Quiz

Answer: Treble soprano

Curry's voice, whether used in narration or in song, is one of his most defining features. He has shown such vocal versatility that he has been in demand for work on stage, film, television, advertising, and audio books among others.

Tim was born in Cheshire, England but moved to Hong Kong soon after. The family returned to London, and he soon found himself singing soprano at the age of six in the church choir. His singing continued to be nurtured during school however, upon entering Birmingham University he made the transition from singing to acting, while completing a literature and a performing arts degree.

Answer: Hair

I say fortuitous because Richard O'Brien was the creator of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1973), which would make Tim Curry a household name.

The 1968 London production of "Hair" was to become Curry's first full-time stage role. He would spend nine months on tour with the production and a further nine months while it had its London run. Tim worked alongside O'Brien in the play and would relate, in an interview, that a short while after the musical's run he bumped into Richard coming out of a gym at the bottom of his street. O'Brien explained that he hadn't been there to work out, but to try and locate a muscle man who could sing. Curious, Curry asked him why. It was here that he explained the concept of "Rocky Horror..." and recommended to Curry that he contact the director, Jim Sharman, to get a copy of the script. After reading it Curry's first thought was "Boy, if this works, it's going to be a smash".

Answer: Sweet Transvestite

"How do you do, I
see you've met my
faithful handyman..."

With those opening lines Tim Curry's Frank N. Furter, struts out to introduce himself to Brad and Janet and the anticipating audience. The song, "Sweet Transvestite" is the fourth song on the movie's soundtrack, however, that was not always the case in the stage production. Initially this was the third song but, after a short while it was swapped with "The Time Warp".

Curry's portrayal of the "ambisexterously" mad scientist would evolve over time. Originally Tim saw him as (merely) a man in a white lab coat but after urgings from the director, Jim Sharman, he soon turned him into a diabolical, though seemingly cultured, sex maniac. Curry also toyed with various accents for the character, originally using a German tinge, which he switched to an American twang. He eventually decided that the man should sound like the Queen of England and changed to an English accent.

Answer: "Amadeus" (Mozart)

Between 1975 and 1976, Tim Curry returned to the stage to perform as the Dada artist Tristan Tzara in Tom Stoppard's play "Travesties". While the show was good enough to win itself a Tony Award, Curry missed out on a nomination despite garnering strong reviews. All was not lost as the reviews helped him to secure the role of Mozart in Paul Shaffer's 1980 Broadway production of Amadeus.

The play, which detailed the fictional rivalry between the composer and Antonio Salieri, saw Curry draw both great praise and the nomination for a Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play. In a touch of irony that echoed the play's storyline, Curry would miss out on the accolade, edged out by his co-star, Ian McKellan, who had played the role of Salieri.

Answer: True

I found this piece of information both remarkable and fascinating. The effect of the sight of clowns on Curry has been described as debilitating. And yet, this is an actor who gave us one of the most terrifying performances of a killer clown that's ever been put to the small screen... the monstrously evil "Pennywise" in the 1990 adaptation of "It".

In accepting the role, Curry had recorded in his contract that there were to be no reflective surfaces in his line of sight while the make up was being applied to his face.

Answer: Spamalot

Premiering in Chicago in 2004 and Broadway in 2005, "Spamalot" is the brainchild of Eric Idle, of "Monty Python" fame and is a stage adaptation of that crew's 1975 film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", irreverently parodying the Arthurian legend. The musical was a great success and was blessed with some 14 Tony Award nominations. Curry, who produced a delicious performance as King Arthur, would miss out on winning the award for Best Actor, just like he did in "Amadeus" (1980), where he portrayed the famous composer Mozart, and "My Favorite Year" (1992) where he played Alan Swann, an actor known for his swashbuckling film roles.

That said, Curry was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award, presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London, for "Spamalot". His other award nominations include a Grammy for "The Bad Beginning" in 2002, the Annie for "Beauty and the Beast" and a Primetime Emmy for "Tales from the Crypt" (1994). He did, however, manage to secure a Daytime Emmy for himself for being the Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for his work on "Peter Pan and the Pirates" (1991).

Answer: Fearless

It is hardly surprising that Curry should put his considerable singing talents to a vinyl record. "Fearless", released in 1979, was his second studio album release. Unlike his first, the flaky "Read My Lips" (1978) which was built on a series of cover songs, this one was made up of predominantly original material written by Curry.

"I Do the Rock", which highlights Curry's desire for rock and roll music, against getting involved in poetry, diplomatic relations and sports, all fields in which he claims to lack skills, debuted at number 96 on Billboards Hot 100 in early November of 1979. It lasted a total of three weeks on those charts, peaking at number 91.

Whilst the album, "Fearless", was his second to be released, it was his third recording. A set that he'd completed in 1976 was not released until 2010, at which point it was given the title "From the Vault".

Answer: The Joker

Tim Burton has indicated that Curry was his number two choice for the role of the "Clown Prince of Crime" in his 1989 version of "Batman". History shows that the role, ultimately, went to Jack Nicholson who, not only received great praise for his performance but also walked away with a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Whilst Nicholson played the part for laughs it would have been interesting to have seen Curry's take on the role. Curry has a knack for portraying evil in a manner that is downright scary. One only needs to recall his work as Pennywise the Clown in 1990's "It" and, earlier, as Lord Darkness in Ridley Scott's "Legend" in 1985. As a further testament to his ability to terrify, it should be noted that his audition for the role of Judge Doom in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988) was rejected because he'd frightened the casting agents with his performance. That role was be handed to Christopher Lloyd.

Answer: It was a voice only role.

It could also have been said that it was one of those rare opportunities where Tim did not have to portray evil. That said, he did have to portray an eccentric character for the most part. Curry's voice role in this Nickelodeon animated series, which ran for five seasons or, in Tim's case, 92 episodes (1998-2004), was that of an eccentric documentary maker who winds up taking his children all around the globe in the process of his job. He would reprise this role in "The Wild Thornberrys", a 2002 movie, and in its 2003 sequel, "Rugrats Go Wild".

Curry's voice, however, was best used to produce the sounds of evil and, to this end, he has secured a lot of work providing the voice of wickedness in such villains as Konk in "The Pirates of Darkwater" (1991-93), the evil manta in "The Little Mermaid" (1992-94) and Chancellor Palpatine/Dark Sidious in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (2012-14).

In the world of video games, he provides the not so dulcet tones of Long John Silver in "Muppet Treasure Island" (1996) and Dr. Frankenstein in "Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of a Monster" (1995). You will also hear Curry's voice espousing Smirnoff vodka and the Paramount Network in advertisements. He provides the narration in audio books such as Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (2012) and "Dune: House Atreides" (1999), to name a few.

Footnote: Curry did win a Daytime Emmy Award but it was for his work as Captain Hook in "Peter Pan and the Pirates" (1991).

Answer: Stroke

Curry was only 66 years old when he seemed to have (simply) faded from the limelight. The truth was that he'd suffered a significant stroke which was, in a nutshell, life altering. Both his mobility and his speech were affected though the latter returned to him through therapy, the former has left him confined to a wheelchair.

Despite this he remained in good humour and soon returned to work, this time, using his distinctive voice to advantage. He provided the dialogue to various cartoon characters on television, film and video games. Despite being in his chair, he made a welcome appearance in the 2016 FOX television event "The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again". As expected, he did not reprise the role of Frank N. Furter, but played the parts of both the criminologist, a role played by Charles Gray in the 1975 film, and the narrator.