For a longtime fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Annie, and many other of Tim Curry's acting achievements, it was a delight to read his life story. It is quite interesting as the book is far more about his work and acting "methods" than about his personal life. Although parts of his personal life are told as they explain relationships with other people in the industry.
I was fascinated by how Curry was so dedicated to his craft and often felt that he "fell short" in some parts - while the viewing public thought that his work was amazing. (at least that is what this amateur actor thought.)
I enjoyed reading about how various people in his life crossed his path repeatedly and how these meetings played such a part in leading him from one role to another.
The descriptions of how he created some rather iconic characters was well worth the "price of admission." I particularly loved the way he described the importance of READING as an essential part of finding the truth and humanity of even his strangest characters.
Mr Curry also discusses how he moved into voice work and how it became much more important for him later in his career.

Thank you, Tim Curry, artist extraordinaire, for sharing so much with your public.

As a
Longtime Tim curry fan it was great to read his account of his life’s work. One can only hope he can do
The narration for the audio book’

I love Tim Curry…this book is just so perfect and such a good way to see him more as a person and not just the actor. His memoir starts from the very beginning of his life, talking about his time on the movie sets as Frank-N-Furter, Pennywise, etc..such a lovely book and would definitely recommend and read it again.

My childhood was filled with Tim Curry's work. Annie was my favorite musical, The Wild Thornberrys was my favorite cartoon, IT was my first scary movie, Rocky Horror was a staple among me and my queer friends. When I saw he was writing a memoir talking about all of his favorite and most iconic roles, I got incredibly excited to read it.

It did not disappoint.

Excuse me while I gush.
Curry doesn't talk about his love life or throw any celebrity gossip around. Instead he lays out his life, how he began acting, and his method of finding his characters voices. He can be a bit cheeky and doesn't lie about getting along, or not, with co-stars or how he has felt about directors. But he does so from such a professional stance it doesn't feel like he's doing to to make headlines. I loved hearing his approach to his most infamous roles and his honesty about some roles that just didn't work for him.

This is an honest and refreshing celebrity memoir. Tim Curry is a wonderfully funny, incredibly talented, and oh so very British man. This book made me love him even more.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙞𝙢 𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙮’𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙞𝙧, “𝙑𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙙”. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣.

I have been a huge fan of Tim Curry for most of my life. This started as an adolescent obsession with The Rocky Horror Picture Show and I have admired the diversity in his roles ever since. He’s an icon!

I don’t like rating memoirs because I feel that to rate someone’s life experience is just not fair, but I am so grateful that Mr. Curry took the time to pen his story and memorable experiences throughout his career. He had me smiling, laughing and empathizing thorough the entire read. His commentary about Miss Piggy nearly took me out and I often caught myself laughing out loud. I wasn’t surprised to see how eloquent and well read he is, I know he has always been fairly private, so I appreciate his vulnerability in sharing his experiences with us. This was a really fun and fast read for those interested in learning more about his life and career.

Favorite Quote: Contrary to village gossip, I am still very much alive.

Synopsis: With one of the most diverse and illustrious careers in film, television, and stage, Tim Curry reflects on his life in a delightful memoir. From Dr. Frank-N-Furter to Long John Silver, Lucifer to Pennywise, Tim Curry’s body of work is not only incredible, but makes for some excellent stories.

Why does this book beguile? I don’t think y’all fully appreciate how much I love Tim Curry. My hubby even got me a meet & greet with him when he came to a convention back in 2019. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was one of my favorite childhood movies and still is today. Obviously, Curry has gone on to do so much in the acting world, but his ability to become any character is impressive. I am so grateful to have gotten and advanced copy of this book and it was truly wonderful. Curry writes authentically, hilariously, and honestly about the 70s and 80s with his rise to fame and then about his 2012 stroke which left him paralyzed on the left side of his body. Can’t wait to buy a copy!

I was happy to see that Tim Curry had written a memoir. Very glad that NetGalley gave me the opportunity to read this book. I am a fan of Tim Curry so wanted to read his memoir. At the beginning of the book he says this will not be a tell all. So he keeps his book "nice" no mud slinging in his memoir. yet he is honest about his life. He was kind of an "army brat' since his dad's career moved him to many homes. His father died when Tim was still a child.
He writes of course about his very long career in show business. From, movies, TV shows. Stage work. Voice work. He has had a lot of work. I enjoyed the chapters about Rocky Horror, the play and movie. He originated the role Frankenfurter, for Rocky Horror. picture show. I enjoyed reading about some of his other roles as well like Pennywise,in IT. and Annie. Home alone 2.
He also writes of the devastating stroke he had twelve years ago. A good honest book I was honored to read.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this eARC from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing. I have been looking forward to this book since I heard it was being published and I was not disappointed. I thought this book delivered exactly what I expected. Tim Curry gives a wonderful view into some of his most memorable works as well as great insight into his early life. This is a great book for any fan of Tim Curry and if you don’t think you are, look at a list of television, movies, plays and voice work that he has done and I guarantee you are more familiar with his work then you may think.

Tim Curry to me has been such an enigma until I read this book. I love that he could be honest about his life, career choices etc. This was brilliantly written and it felt very honest & down to earth but a tad catty. However if you like anything by Mr. Curry then this is a great read. Thank you NetGalley for this lovely ARC

Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and author Tim Curry for the advanced reader copy of this book. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

When I saw Tim Curry was writing his memoirs, I was excited. I’d been a teen in the late 1970s and early 1980s when The Rocky Horror Picture Show was quite popular, and followed his career afterwards. If there was one thing I could count on, it was that anything Curry appeared in would be interesting. He seemed to have a unique ability to pick films or projects that kept him from being typecast and brought a part of him to each role. As he states early on in Vagabond, once you’ve portrayed a transvestite vampire, there aren’t many roles that are similar to that.

I was prepared for a juicy memoir, but what I got was a very introspective book where Curry himself seems to look back and tries to understand some of the choices he made in his career. There’s little dishing on anyone. Curry refuses to discuss his personal life other than alluding to times he was in love or going through a breakup here and there, and he doesn’t name names. It was well-known that he was at least friends with Freddie Mercury (he designed the gardens at Mercury’s home), yet he doesn’t bring him up at all. There are a few celebs he doesn’t speak about as favorably as others, but the worst he seems to say is that working with someone was not memorable.

“I want Marla to meet Chris Columbus,” Trump said to me, “because Marla is a very talented actress.”

“I’m…sure she is,” I said, leaning fully into the conciliatory tone of a typical top-notch concierge. That wasn’t a complete lie; I have no doubt she was good at faking it.

– On filming Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

If you’re a fan of his role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, he writes quite a lot about how that came to be and how he crafted this character that he took from the stage to the screen. Other roles are not as thoroughly explored. He writes a lot about his voice work, which I did find very interesting. He has a distinctive voice that I thought I would recognize; however, other than Nigel Thornberry, I didn’t know the extent to which he has contributed his voice to animation and video games. One of his favorite roles was playing Long John Silver in Muppets Treasure Island. I’ll have to revisit that one now, along with several other works of his.

Some memoirs that don’t address specific areas of a celebrity’s life can be quite boring. Vagabond is not. Despite the lack of gossip, I found his writing very interesting. Curry doesn’t seem to see himself as the larger-than-life personality that those of us who followed his career see him to be. He comes off more as a man who has seen and experienced more than his fair share in life and learned how to use those experiences to deepen the characters he portrayed. It’s more of a treatise on the acting profession than anything else, although he does write about the relationships with his family and others in his profession.

His insights into what life was like following his stroke are also interesting to read about. He was just getting to the point in his life where he was gaining an appreciation for the quiet things, such as restoring houses and working in the gardens, when it struck him. The house he owned at the time was not conducive to someone who had lost use of half of his body, and he was forced to move to a more accommodating location.

Although I would have appreciated a few more juicy details, Vagabond was a great memoir. I read through it rather quickly for this type of book. Curry is engaging and not egotistical at all, which helps while he’s discussing all of the roles he’s had on stage, screen, and behind the microphone. I really don’t know how he kept up the pace he did for so long. I’m the same age he was when he was performing eight shows a week in Spamalot, and there’s no way that I could do it.

People who are interested in Curry’s career, or the acting profession in general, will enjoy Vagabond. I know I did, even if it wasn’t what I was expecting. Curry is a good writer and has a remarkably good memory for someone who has had such a debilitating stroke. He apologizes when he can’t recall certain things. I found it remarkable that he remembered as many details as he did.

Tim Curry has kept his personal life from public eye for so long, that even a little glimpse into who he was as a person was absolutely wonderful to get. I love that you could hear his voice throughout. Felt like coffee with an old friend.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read this an an ARC. This is a well written memoir by Tim Curry.He writes about his early life, his immediate family and how he got into acting.He writes stories and anecdotes about his plays, movies, music and voice over work. In 2012, he suffered a serious stroke and is paralyzed on one side.He writes movingly of this, and the aftermath, but with out self pity. He tell you at the outset, that he will not dish any gossip or talk about any romances, and he doesn't. What he does it to tell a thoughtful, moving story.I highly recommend it.

incredibly charming and delightful memoir. curry is catty at points in this memoir, but it's mostly a charming detailing of his long and great career and insights into his favorite and most interesting experiences. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Love this man so much. I’ve been waiting to finally read his story for years, and after finishing this book, find myself even more in awe of him. So beautifully told, and a joy to read.

I am a fan of Tim Curry. He has had an incredible career in entertainment. I also love reading memoirs. One of my favorite genres. Unfortunately this one just wasn’t as interesting to me. I love personal stories
In memoirs. I feel like Mr. Curry spent way too much time talking about his costars or producers or costumers, as well as a lot of time talking about costumes, details on how he got certain jobs, etc that the book didn’t feel like a personal memoir anymore. I actually got kind of bored reading it at times. It took me longer to finish than most books should take. This is not shade on the author himself, I still think he is incredible. I just didn’t love his book.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Grand Central Publishing for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review. Publication date Oct 14, 2025

Aaaaahhhhhh!!! I loved this!!!! As a 90s weirdo kid, many of Tim Curry's roles have been fundamental to my development and I carry them close to my heart. Learning more about him and his experiences was a delight. I obviously don't know Tim Curry, but he's exactly how I thought he'd be. I smiled the entire time while reading this and cried a few times as well. Long live Tim Curry.

Imgur links go to graphics scheduled for around Oct 18th and 30th
Blog link goes live Sept 19th
Amazon and Barnes & Noble reviews will go up when available
Youtube review will be included in Friday Reads for August 15th


**TL;DR**: A charming and fast paced memoir about an iconic actor.
**Source**: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!!

**Scope**: This focuses primarily on Tim’s career, with an intro to his life as a young child then some of his most iconic roles.
**Readability**: This was so easy to read and lovely as well. I enjoyed my time immensely.
****

**Thoughts:**

As a kid there were a handful of actors I could identify at a glance, and by handful I mean 3. Tim Curry was second on the list and I loved his voice and the few roles I watched him in (which was not many considering how well I could pick him out of a cast). I’ve always been a fan, but never knew much about the man, which seems intentional on his part. He’s a private guy, seemingly somewhat introverted outside of his roles.

This memoir gives us some insight first into his childhood then his acting career focusing each chapter on iconic roles he’s filled. He even touches in the end on the stroke that has left him in a wheelchair and the subsequent outlook he’s had. And overall? This just solidified my ‘fan’ status. The charm and wit in this writing sold it to me first. Then the grace he approached and wrote about his roles and previous co-workers with deepened that. Mr. Curry has what seems to be an innate drive to be better, to be optimistic, and based on his writing, an innate kindness to him. Even those he doesn’t like he is gentle with in the prose, and those he loves he speaks to at length.

I know memoirs are often meant to sell you on a person, and if that’s all this was aiming for then well done sir. But this felt genuine and really carried with it a message of optimism and how you should always challenge yourself. I enjoyed my time, and for any fans or memoir readers I think this is a lovely read.

It's not particularly surprising that I would love a memoir from Tim Curry, an actor whose work I've adored from the early days of "Rocky Horror" to the beloved "Clue" to a myriad of other performances that captivated me in ways uncommon.

In short, I've always loved Curry and "Vagabond: A Memoir" reminds me why.

While Curry often made a name for himself playing villains bold and brash, "Vagabond" is a thoughtful, understated literary affair refreshing in its lack of gossip and revealing in Curry's ability to weave together real-life and Hollywood testimony.

Curry avoids the usual gossip fare, nary a word about romance to be found here and no kiss-and-tell celebrity encounters offering juicy reveals.

Curry captivates here, though quietly so. The Tony Award-nominated actor gives us a glimpse inside is childhood as a military brat, his years in boarding school and university, and you can practically feel his exhilaration as he describes his early stage experiences.

Curry is a master of character. He savors language, embraces the written word, and brings dialogue to life like very few actors. It's unsurprising that along with stage and screen he's found success as a voice actor and even in providing narration for books. A Curry character is a complex character, neither all bad nor good and so fiercely human that we love them even when we believe we ought not. If you've ever seen "Rocky Horror," you've never forgotten Curry's turn as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. The same is true for Curry's portrayal of the sadistic clown Pennywise in "It."

While Curry avoids gossip here, his dry English honesty is occasionally sublime as he describes those with whom he worked quite joyously and others not so much.

While many celebrity memoirs are not much more than Hollywood storytelling and a step-by-step journey through a career, Curry's memoir feels like a memoir constantly reminding us of how his upbringing shaped who he's become and how his humanity feeds his remarkable portrayals. For those who know Curry's story, such a memoir would be incomplete without a journey into the 2012 stroke that changed his life and his career. Curry's honesty, neither self-pity nor false bravado, is poignant and also filled with strength, wisdom, and insights. There's a vulnerability to it all, just the right amount, and I'd dare say that "Vagabond" has left Curry even more beloved in my eyes.

A must-read for Curry fans, "Vagabond: A Memoir" is a sublime literary experience from one of this generation's most complex and gifted actors.

Tim Curry is an absolutely precious gem and his memoir is proof of that. He is clearly so grateful for the life he's led. Relive your favorite roles of his as you read through this book!

If you are a fan of Tim Curry, you owe it to yourself ro read this book. He is smart, funny, sarcastic and can laugh at himself. He chronicles all his famous roles and the stories behind them. A fantastic read and I would highly recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.