This is an attempt to answer some of the


Frequently Asked Questions


about Mr. Tim Curry,
with a little wit and not too much prurience

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In the Beginning.......

On a Friday in early spring 1946, in the small village of Grappenhall located between the huge manufacturing cities of Liverpool and Manchester England, a beautiful baby boy was born to James and Patricia Curry. Reverend Curry, a Methodist Naval Chaplain, and his family were stationed there for another six months before a new assignment to Hong Kong caused them to move yet again.

Tim has said' " The world was my home. My mother met my father in Malta and they were married in Egypt. My sister was born in Egypt and has dual citizenship. I was conceived in South Africa and born in England."

Returning to England in 1948, they lived around the port cities of Plymouth and Portsmouth in the southernmost part of England where Patricia's father worked in the dockyard in Plymouth. Dartmoor moor is near Plymouth, think: The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Tim spent four years at a junior school in Plymouth, two years at a boarding school located in Bath and then five years at Kingswood.

He was a boy soprano in the church at the age of six and was doing Shakespeare at the age of ten.

Tim said that moving around so much when he was young was good training for an actor, "because never staying anywhere long enough to make good friends, you soon learn how to please children very quickly."

When Tim was 12, his father died, so he and his mother (sister?) moved to a suburb of London where he then went to a boarding school. (Kingswood?)

At Kingswood, he acted in school plays, and was influenced by an older schoolmate, "Clue" writer-director Jonathan Lynn, in his later decision to take up theatre.

He took a year off to work on boats in the Mediterranean traveling to Morocco, Belguim, and the south of France before enrolling in Birmingham University.

He has said, "The reason I went to Birmingham is that it was affiliated to the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford and it had a really good drama society. Basically while I was there I just did a lot of plays and I didn't actually show up for class a lot. They actually tried to stop me taking my finals because one of the lecturers had never actually clapped eyes on me. But I made it through by the skin of my teeth." He graduated with combined honors in English and drama.

Only a few months after he left university (at 22) he got a role, as part of the chorus or 'Tribe' as it was called, in the London production of Hair. He told the producers he had an equity card, which he didn't, and that he had previous experience on the London stage, which he didn't. By the time they found him out, they wanted him badly enough to smooth over all the paperwork problems.

And the rest is history.

Composed with a vivid imagination and a huge pile of old magazine articles.

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The Questions:

Is he gay?
Well, he looks pretty happy in the interviews I've seen.
No, no, I mean is he, you know, GAY?
As Tallulah Bankhead once answered when asked that question about one of her leading men: "He's never sucked my dick". Now that we're done with that tripe, we can proceed to the interesting stuff:
Was he in that movie about the King of the Elves stealing a girl's baby brother?
No, that was David Bowie, in Labyrinth.
Is he married?
No.
Where does he live?
LA. He moved there in 1987 to pursue a movie career.
What is his address?
Forget it! He doesn't answer letters or accept stuff sent to his home for security reasons. Try writing to him in care of Sal's Rocky Horror Fan Club. Added note: some fans have had good luck writing to him in care of the theatre or movie site where he was working.
Latest info, write to him here:
Tim Curry
c/o United Talent Agency
9560 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 516
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
This addy is from his personal assistant, you may or may not get an
answer, but it is as close as you can get, postal, good luck.
Where was he born?
Grappenhall, Cheshire, England.
And where the heck is that?
Dead center between Liverpool (you know, the Beatles) and Manchester.
What is his middle name?
James. (after his father, perhaps)
Is he an American citizen or does he work on a green card?
Green card.
How old is he? When is his birthday?
He was born on April 19, 1946. And for you Astrology people: he was born at 12 noon; he is an Aries with Leo rising and a Sagattarius Moon.
Right or left handed?
Right.
The watch! The watch! Tell us about the watch!
He has worn a beautiful rectangular, curved watch with roman numerials
on the face, since about the time he started his rock touring career.
It is gold with a slim black leather band. Someone said that style is
called a 'tank' watch because it is the shape of a WWII tank, aerial view.
Who is his favorite singer?
He mentions Billie Holiday often and said he liked Lou Reed's "Berlin" album.
Who are his cinematic heroes?
Alec Guiness and Peter Sellers
Favorite artist?
David Hockney?--this is a guess, Tim has mentioned him as a friend, and is familiar with his work. A recent interview mentioned that he had a house-full of paintings, so he probably has several 'favorites.'
He listed as a prized possession a Victorian portrait of Sir Henry Irving, the first actor to be knighted.
What is his favorite movie?
(from Movieline mag) "I'd have to say (my favorite movie is)"Don't Look Now", a Nicolas Roeg film with Donald Southerland and Julie Christie. I loved that film. Roeg has made several movies that played around with time. "Don't Look Now" exists on the border of the real and the surreal in a very, very interesting way. And it's set in the most beautiful city in the world, Venice. I think it's a truly horrific film without being knee-deep in gore."
More recently he has said (at various times) that he enjoyed "Shindler's List", "Six Degrees of Separation", and "LA Confidential."
Does he read? What sort of books does he read?
As mentioned below, Ruth Rendell mysteries and he has mentioned reading many biographies of movie people and perhaps others.
Also he has said he reads all the entertainment magazines: Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, People, US; cooking mags Sunset and Bon Appetite, House & Garden for gardening, and the Tatler(British gossip rag).
Is he oppossed to polygamy (polyandry? ed.), as I plan to have a harem of British men when I grow up?
Uh, don't know, but look me up if you're successful.
What does he like least about his job?
"Waiting for people to catch up with my perception of what I ought to be doing" (from interview for "Oscar")
What does he do with any free time he has between projects?
('85 interview)said he liked Japanese food, cooks his own recipe of fish pie and likes to read Ruth Rendell mysteries. More recently, he has said that he has a laptop computer and intends to write a novel, and is into gardening.
Who does Tim's manicure?
Al Dente. --I've got a habit I just can't quit. ;-P
Why did he stop making records?
He said, "I was too old and too literate".
Why has he decided to concentrate on movies (rather than theatre)?
(MONEY!) "I found I was just enjoying it (film) more than the theatre, I like the down time. I always have a library and I've perfected the art of the catnap."
What are his favorite roles/movies?
'Oscar' and 'The Ploughman's Lunch'
What does he say about the roles he has chosen to play?
"If there is a thread that runs through my acting career, it is that I generally play an outsider of one kind or another. I play Glorious Misfits. The other thread is that I play people who are very innocent or who know far too much. More than anything, I think those are the best parts. The plan I think was to have no plan. I think it is important to let fate and coincidence shape an artistic life." He has said more recently that he takes the best of what is offered to him.
Has he ever done any commercials?
Yes, a Hanes Briefs voiceover, Guiness ale ads in the UK in 1993, and
the oh so cute Purinia Dog Food ads here in the US.
A fan in Japan told me he did a series of ads there for Fuji Xerox Company CM.
How tall is he?
5 feet 9 inches, he has said.
Is he?
The opinions of tall women who have stood near him vary.
Variant answer: He's tall ENOUGH.
Variant answer #2: it seems that all male actors under 6 feet
tall are told by managers etc, to say they are 5' 9".
I've just learned the answer to my own burning question: what size
shoe does he wear?
8 1/2 (or 11 lady's---according to an old issue of Shop Talk, a RH zine)
Will you make me a copy of......?
NO.
Think about it, this is how the man makes his living!
A LOT of Mr. Curry's work is still in print, including movies,
audio books, his 'Best of CD' of early songs, and at least a
dozen cartoons!
Where can I buy Mr. Curry's albums, movies, or audio books etc.????
I've just added a 'sources' list that I will try to keep current
and will add to as I find more good places.
Just heard Tim Curry's hit single 'I Do The Rock', who are all those people he's talking about?
I'm glad you asked: The Annotated 'I Do The Rock.'
This is a work in progress, so feel free to disagree with me on these,
and let me hear your ideas.
What are his dreams, his hopes, his fears?
Jeeze, gimme a break here, I'm not his mother OR his confidant,
just an enthusiastic fan. He has said several times that he would
very much like to record an album of jazz and that he would like to
do some writting. Either or both would be very welcome to his fans.

On one of the interviews he did recently to promote Over the Top, he was asked a series of questions, one of which was "My fantasy is:". He answered: "I'm eating a fig in the south of France by the water."
SIGH!

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The following is a WICKEDLY funny top-10 list by two devoted fans of Mr. Curry and is intended to poke only the gentlest of fun at him:

QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD NEVER ASK IF YOU MEET TIM CURRY!

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Last revised on 12-09-2001 by Linda Fletcher
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