Tim Curry

Though moviegoers across several generations associate him with his memorable debut role as the campy transvestite Doctor Frank-N-Furter in the cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975), actor Tim Curry struggled throughout his career to live down the role that made him famous. Curry managed to chip away at the narrow perception of him with a wide range of performances, playing the title role in the stage production of "Amadeus" (1980) and the cartoonishly evil Rooster in the film version of "Annie" (1982). He later played the butler Wadsworth in the board game-turned-movie "Clue" (1985), then delivered a deliciously scary turn as the murderous circus clown Pennywise in "Stephen King's It" (ABC, 1990). In the 1990s, Curry put his pliant voice to good use in a number of animated projects, which became something of a second career for the actor. On the screen, he largely played the villain in "The Three Musketeers" (1993), "Charlie's Angels" (2000) and to some extent "Kinsey" (2004). But any vestiges of Frank-N-Furter that may have remained where wiped away when he starred as King Arthur in the Broadway production, "Spamalot" (2004), a musical adaptation of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975). Comfortable with his association with "Rocky Horror" later in his career, Curry stood far above his British compatriots as being one of that country's most intriguing and talented exports.