Tim Curry may have taken a backseat when it comes to his onscreen work in recent years, but he remains a public figure despite his struggles with his health. In 2012, the actor, now 79, suffered a massive stroke, rendering him to using a wheelchair for the next phase of his life, which still continues. Still, he remains in good spirits, recently also making an appearance at the Academy Museum to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with some of his co-stars, and sharing a rare update on his health.
"I was having a massage at the time and I didn't even actually notice anything, but the guy who was doing the massage said, 'I'm worried about you, I want to call an ambulance'," he recalled of the fateful moment during his conversation with the crowd at a screening of the film, per The Hollywood Reporter.
© Getty Images"And he did, and I said, 'That's so silly,'" he remembered, sharing further insight into how he's functioning now. "I still can't walk, which is why I'm in this silly chair, and that's very limiting. So I won't be singing and I won't be dancing very soon. I still have real problems with my left leg." Tim did lighten the mood, however, by turning attention back to the film and kicking off the screening.
Take a deep dive with us into what Tim's life and career have looked like since the stroke, from pivoting his professional pursuits to a more private living…
© Getty ImagesCareer
Since the stroke, the actor has pivoted his career away from the stage and screen, instead embracing working behind the camera. His last appearance on stage came in the 2012 musical parody What About Dick?. 2010's Burke & Hare was his last major role in a film, with his last TV appearance coming in 2016, playing the criminologist in a Rocky Horror small screen adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again.
He has instead devoted much of his time to voice acting. Since 2012 alone, he has lent his voice to films like Gingerclown, Saving Santa (both 2013), Ribbit (2014), and Stream (2024). His voice work for TV has been much more extensive, lending his talents to shows like Young Justice, Transformers: Rescue Bots, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Ben 10: Omniverse.
© Getty ImagesMore recently, the English actor worked on his own memoir chronicling his life and career in the public eye titled Vagabond, slated for an October 14 release. He also provided the voice for the audiobook version. He did reprise his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in a 2020 table read of Rocky Horror to raise funds for Joe Biden's presidential campaign.
Personal Life
Tim is notoriously private when it comes to his life away from the spotlight, despite his huge profile as an actor and illustrious resumé. The star has owned several residences, but since suffering from his stroke, has resolved to living in Los Angeles, previously purchasing a home in the Hollywood Hills. The actor famously never married and has no children.
© Getty ImagesOne thing about his home life he has passionately shared – his love for gardening. "The idea is [organizing] nature not just into pleasing shapes, but also as a kind of spiritual resource," he once told The Guardian, recalling a time he did just that for his good friend Freddie Mercury. "Freddie came back from a tour and said, 'The garden, dear, it's dead'," he told House and Garden back in 1999. "I said 'What? Did you water it? And Freddie said, 'Water it, dear?'"
