Tim Curry is probably one of the most ubiquitous actors out there, mainly typecast as a villain, like a live-action Richard Epcar. But like Epcar he doesn't just play villains, but it is something he's known for, and we know him well (through his roles, anyway). The honorable mention list is about as long as the real list, but I'm not Casey Kasem and this isn't the Top 20 Countdown. Still, highlights from that list include his guest voice acting spots in Hey Arnold!, Recess, and Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?; his performance in The Worst Witch; the episode of Psych wherein he was a spoof of Simon Cowell; and his participation in the great productions of classical literature Treasure Island (the Muppet version) and The Three Musketeers (1993; Welshy and ERod both reviewed it). Another honorable mention is the cat king from The Cat Returns (not to take away from his distinguished Japanese counterpart, but it's a little creepy).
10. Nigel Thornberry from The Wild Thornberrys. I put this on the list above all the honorable mentions simply because it was unexpected. He's not a villain, just a goofy dad with two daughters, one of whom can communicate with animals while the family is on indefinite safari for their parents' nature documentary show. And I watched the movie with my dad.
9. Von Talon from Valiant. A villain in a WWII movie (for kids) and not a human one at that. Unlike Drake from The Pebble and the Penguin (also on my honorable mention list somewhere), it's a more believable non-human villain (though I totally agree with Marzgurl that Drake is the penguin version of Gaston). This one's for you, Grandpa!
8. Forte from Beauty and the Beast Enchanted Christmas. I've said it before and I'll say it again - evil disgruntled pipe organ bolted to the wall trying to stop their relationship because he won't be satisfied until everyone is as emo as he is. I've compared this character to Xaldin in KHII, and I still stand by that. Though I don't know how David Dayan Fisher would feel about being compared to Tim Curry or vice versa, I like them both in this capacity. Make of that what you will.
7. Rooster from Annie. The brother of the mean orphanage lady played by Carol Burnett, he becomes the actual villain of the piece after he and his girlfriend (played by Bernadette Peters) come to Miss Hannigan with a money-making scheme by pretending to be Annie's dead parents. Hannigan has a change of heart and beats her brother with her purse after he is apprehended by police. Up til then he was one smooth criminal.
6. Lotor from Voltron The Third Dimension. Surpassing both Drake and Forte, this is one of the better villains he's played, especially considering the episodes where he's not supposed to be playing up the evil. But it's so satisfying when he's in full villain mode.This is the only incarnation of the series I've seen, but based on this cast alone I'd have to say I really enjoyed it. He was King Zarkon as well, who was sort of evil on an on-and-off basis throughout the show.
5. The Killer Clown from It. I don't like Stephen King, nor have I actually seen this outside of the Nostalgia Critic's review, but it was an obvious choice to make. The rest of it may suck, but just like The Worst Witch it's worth it just to see Tim Curry's performance.
4. Tie between Mr. Hector from Home Alone 2 and Mr. French from Family Affair (2002). They're both really the same sort of character - one's a concierge and one's a butler. They are both exasperated by a child or two in their charge. Hilarity ensues.They're both so fun to watch.
3. Dr. Frankenfurter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Classic Tim Curry role. You don't know if he's really the villain or not. When I first watched this as a child I just remember feeling sorry for him when he gets shot by Riffraff at the end. It's like nothing you've ever seen before unless you've actually seen it.
2. Wadsworth from Clue. Depending on which of the three endings you've seen, it's a case of "villain by surprise." In the third and "real" ending, Wadsworth reveals that he'd been pulling all the strings and manipulating everyone the whole time, and that he was actually Mr. Boddy the blackmailer and the person they thought was Mr. Boddy was actually the butler. Go figure.
1. Ben Ravencroft from Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost. Another of those great "villain by surprise" roles, except where Wadsworth/Mr. Boddy was a little more subtle, here he gets to be much more bombastic when the truth is revealed. I'm sure there were some who saw it coming, but even to those that didn't, the character seemed to be saying (mostly through that evil laugh of his) "What did you expect? I have the voice of Tim Curry!" That coupled with the Hex Girls also makes this my favorite Scooby-Doo movie of all time. (Okay so my favorite episode of the new series was also with the Hex Girls, but that also had to do with the fact that Demyx's voice actor was in it too. Haven't come across one with Tim Curry in it yet, but I know he's been in at least one other movie as well...as a fairy king.)
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