My Top 10 Favorite Tim Curry Villain Roles

  

 It’s October 2026, and this year we tragically lost a great talent, and one of the most uniquely diverse actors. Seriously, Tim Curry was an artist like no other and had a wide range of theatrics and character roles. 

He could be a loving character, a funny man, a credible vocal talent … and more to the point for this post … he had a talent for portraying villains, both on the big and small screen. While Tim Curry is as charismatic as they get, turning in a variety of fine performances, his main appeal ... at least for me ... is when he's playing villains. With his manic energy, and over the top theatrics, Tim Curry has portrayed some of the most enjoyable over-the-top, and cartoony villains ever. From voice acting in animated movies and shows, to scaring audiences as horror movie monsters, he's run the gambit. 

Since it’s the Halloween season, I wanted to pay tribute to one of my favorite late actors by ranking my own personal favorite villain roles he’s portrayed. As a reminder, I'm not trying to make any kind of official best of Tim Curry list, these are simply the performances that have stuck with me the most as a longtime fan, and there’s still several other character roles he’s shined in outside of my ranking. All that said, in memory of Tim Curry, here are my personal top 10 favorite villain roles he’s brought to life.  

 

#10 Dr. Frank-n-Further from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975) 

Kicking things off, it's the 1970’s cult classic musical that launched Tim Curry’s career ... so naturally it had to make my list, even though I've truthfully never really been a fan of the film as a whole. “It’s not easy to have a good time” ... but it certainly isn’t boring when this flamboyant performer is your over-night host. Tim Curry’s portrayal of the proclaimed sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania is a perfect example of how talented, unpredictable, committed, and off-the-wall crazy he could be as an actor. 

His musical number “I’m Just a Sweet Transvestite” has also become a classic villain song, and one of the actors most unforgettable moments. Again, I’ve personally never called myself a fan of this movie musical, but Dr. Frank-N-Further is still a highlight performance in Tim’s career, and it's arguably the role he’s most associated with.

 

#9 Dr. Anton Sevarius from “Gargoyles” (TV Series) (1994-1996) 

Throughout the 1990’s, Tim Curry voiced several villains in animated Disney cartoons ... including The Evil Manta in “The Little Mermaid”, Taurus Bulba in “Darkwing Duck”, and Lord Dragaunus in “Mighty Ducks”. My personal favorite of his Disney Afternoon roles by far was his vocal portrayal of the mad Doctor Sevarius from Disney’s “Gargoyles” TV series. Talk about ideal casting, it’s Tim Curry as the voice of a clichéd, yet classy, evil scientist, and yes ... he hams it up with all the theatrics you’d expect him to apply to this kind of wicked archetype. 

He appeared in seven episodes and gradually went from a minor threat to a full-on leading foe. There will be more voice acting roles to come, but as far as Disney channel programs are concerned, it’s his consistently entertaining performance from an overly animated evil doctor that left the most memorable impression.

 

#8 Mr. Hector from “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992) 

Okay ... so he really isn’t a bad guy in this film, but he is a nuisance to our young protagonist Kevin, and this is a personal favorite that I just had to include. While I had seen a lot of films and cartoons that featured Tim Curry, I always looked at “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” as the movie that really introduced me to him … at the very least, it’s when I took note of his name. Even though he has a supporting role as a hotel manager, who's being irritated by the films young hero staying there, he still steals every scene he’s in and manages to be the highlight of this mostly okay sequel. 

My favorite scene is when Macaulay Culkin is watching the animated cartoon of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” on TV, and right when the Grinch gives his trademark evil smile, it cross-dissolves into the face of Tim Curry giving a wicked grin. That in a nutshell is one of the actor's shining moments, and one of the many entertaining scenes in which Tim Curry saved this film from being subpar.  

 

#7 Emperor Palpatine/ Darth Sidious from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (TV Series) (2008 - 2013) 

The evil Emperor from the “Star Wars” film series already felt like the Tim Curry of that universe, so it was only fitting that he supplied the voice of the character in the animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”. Originally the character was voiced by the late Ian Abercrombie, but he sadly passed away near the end of the show’s fifth season. Tim Curry resumed the role for Season 6, in which Emperor Palpatine became the show’s main villain. 

As you’d expect, he was very respectable in the role, matched the emperor’s voice flawlessly, and most of the time, I actually found myself forgetting it was Tim Curry. This is one of Curry’s more subdued performances and manages to re-capture the same frightening presence of the character from the movies. It’s just a real treat to hear Tim Curry supply the voice to one of the “Star Wars” franchises most iconic villains.

 

#6 Billy Flynn/Prince of Darkness from “Criminal Minds” (2010) 

While Tim Curry has played some sinister characters, there’s always a quality of hammy and goofy fun that brings his roles to life in distinct ways. His portrayal of the sadistic serial killer Billy Flynn from “Criminal Minds” doesn’t have an ounce of whimsy and is about as real and disturbing as he’s ever been. It’s honestly the only time Tim Curry actually terrified me, as he brought an emotional and devastating dimension to a character that felt grounded and horrific. 

Despite only appearing in two episodes, it’s a standout role among his many memorable performances. It goes to show the range he could bring to the screen, as his presence in this series is nothing like the big and flamboyant roles, he’s associated with, and while it’s not my absolute favorite character he’s brought to life, it’s unmistakably one of his very best performances.  

 

At my fifth slot, I have a tie breaker between my two favorite animated villain movie roles Tim Curry has brought to life …

 

#5 (A.) Hexxus from “FernGully: The Last Rainforest” (1992) 

In this little animated gem from the 90’s, Tim Curry voices a smoky entity called Hexxus, which feeds on pollution, and aims to level a magical Rainforest to splinters. While the character is just as hammy as his other villains, especially during his “Toxic Love” musical number, Hexxus actually manages to stand tall as an awesome animated villain. His design is great, and Tim Curry’s vocal talents have never been more sensational than this. 

He supplied the villain with a voice that ranged from deep and menacing, to flamboyant and silly. Truthfully, the character isn’t even in the film for that long, but he steals the show with every moment he’s got. While Tim Curry has supplied the voices of countless animated villains, Hexxus will always stand out as one of the actors most memorable characters.

 

#5 (B.) Forte from “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas” (1997) 

Since Tim Curry is such a cartoony actor, he’s the perfect guy to voice a Disney villain, and for the second half of my fifth slot, it’s his portrayal of Forte from the 1997 Disney sequel “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas”. Obviously, the character Forte is nothing compelling and is often described as a one-note bad guy ... but that’s not the point. All that really matters is just how enjoyably theatrical Tim Curry’s vocal performance is. 

He nails all the good stuff in this role, from his deliciously evil personality to his deep booming voice, to his ridiculous outbursts, and he ties it all together with his over blown maniacal laughter. Forte is also a great looking character, brought to life through some quality home-video effects, and it's just an awesome design. He may be a one-dimensional character, but count on Tim Curry to liven him up, and make him a very memorable Disney villain in his own bombastic way.

 

#4 Lord of Darkness from “Legend” (1985) 

Tim Curry as the devil ... that’s about as dark and evil as villains get ... but count on Tim Curry to liven it up with his unmistakable devilish charm. In this underrated 80’s fantasy adventure, Tim Curry plays a demonic over lord who aims to kill a Unicorn in order to rule a magical Kingdome. Actually, despite his massive, larger than life, Oscar winning monster makeup, Tim Curry actually delivers a subtly menacing performance that isn’t quite as bombastic as some of his other roles. 

He’s still over-the-top, but with just enough subdued creepy moments to balance out. While his design is as devilish looking as they get, with massive horns, and some awesome makeup ... he isn’t the actual devil. He’s more like an evil monster with demonic features. Regardless, Tim Curry can still act through his pounds of demonic makeup, and deliver a juicy, yet menacing performance. It’s one of the scarier villains in his gallery, but still every bit as entertaining as his roles get.

 

#3 The Cardinal from “The Three Musketeers” (1993) 

Now we're talking, it’s Tim Curry as the evil cardinal from the 1993 action adventure “The Three Musketeers”. The movie itself is one of those cheesy, yet very enjoyable products from the 1990’s, and by far it’s the villain who steals the show. Seriously, this is one of Tim Curry’s Juiciest villain roles. 

It’s one of those bad guys that’s sophisticated, devilish, comedic, and entertaining all at once. He has that wicked smirk, he looks slimy, he’s got that nasty chuckle, he struts with that long red cape, he stretches his vowels, he raises his voice, and it’s just every over-the-top villain stereotype rolled into one enjoyable package.

 

#2 Long John Silver from “The Muppets Treasure Island” (1996) 

Prior to this film, Tim Curry supplied the voice of Captain Hook in the TV series “Peter Pan and the Pirates” and proved to be the ideal actor for the role of a pirate. In “The Muppets Treasure Island”, he really got to shine as the famous Long John Silver. Whenever I think of Tim Curry without monster make up, I always think of him first in a pirate costume. His portrayal of the iconic pirate gave him the chance to shine with just about every one of his talents. He was just as vivacious as ever, and clearly having a ball while playing the character, but he wasn’t without some humanity, as the character from the novel should have. 

It’s not easy to steal the show from Kermit the Frog and his charismatic Muppet crew but count on Tim Curry to pull it off with ease, probably because he already seems like a living Muppet himself.

 

As stated above, Tim Curry has shined in a number of roles (even non-villain roles) and I just couldn’t fit all of them on one countdown. Thus, before I reveal my #1 favorite Tim Curry villain role, here are some quick Honorable Mentions ...

The Evil Manta from "The Little Mermaid" 

Wadsworth from “Clue: The Movie”

Captain Hook from "Peter Pan and the Pirates" 

Rooster Hannigan from "Annie"

Pa, Ma and Winona Brackett from "Tales from the Crypt"

 

#1 Pennywise: The Clown from Stephen King’s “IT!” (1990) 

Of all the great villain performances in Tim Curry’s career, the one that left the biggest impression on me was his unforgettable portrayal of Pennywise the killer clown, from the TV movie “IT!” ... based on the Stephen King novel of the same title. Clowns in general have always been scary, but it’s this supernatural, shapeshifting, razor toothed monster that’s the stuff of nightmares. 

In all seriousness, Pennywise is actually one of the funniest villains I’ve ever seen, and Tim Curry is clearly having the time of his life in the role. That’s the beauty of this character, as he can be both terrifying and hilarious all at once, making this the perfect villain for curry to bring to life. He’s got that creepy voice, a high-pitched laugh, and an incredibly hammy personality to boot. What else can I say, Pennywise the clown is one of my favorite horror movie villains of all time and for my money is the immortal staple of Tim Curry’s vileness talents.                                                  

Thanks for reading my countdown ... share some of your favorite Tim Curry roles that I didn't highlight ... continue to enjoy both the actors and performances you love … and of course, rest in peace Tim Curry!

Tim Curry (1946-2026)