Tim Curry had an underrated career in voice acting, especially for video games (Image: Getty)
Tim Curry had a knack for delivering iconic, over-the-top lines in his many, many beloved roles before he died on Tuesday, August 25 aged 80. The star, from Cheshire, died at his Los Angeles home and is fondly remembered by generations of fans.
Rightly referred to as a pop culture icon by Rolling Stone magazine, it’s Curry’s roles in films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, IT and Home Alone 2 that secured his legacy. His hilarious tendency to shine in camp, cartoonish roles has stood the test of time. And it is that very same style that shot one lesser-known performance into viral internet fame following his death.
Curry featured in several video games throughout his career, as well as voicing different characters in more than a dozen titles. His most recent gaming performance was in Dragon Age: Origins, which came out in 2009.
Dragon Age: Origins released the same year as Brutal Legend, in which he voiced Emperor Doviculus, the game’s main antagonist. It was a typically villainous turn for Curry, who thrived as the cartoonish bad guy.
But one role in particular is being celebrated by gamers who remember a more niche performance. Following the news of Curry’s death, fans are sharing a clip of his role from a 2008 PC game across social media platforms.
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, a real-time strategy game also released on Xbox 360 and PS3, featured an ensemble cast. Curry joined Spider-Man legend JK Simmons and Star Trek cult hero George Takei as the leaders of three warring factions.
Tim Curry shone in his role in Command and Conquer 3: Red Alert (Image: Electronic Arts)
In Red Alert 3, Curry plays the Soviet Union leader, Premier Anatoly Cherdenko, who has ordered his men to travel back in time to kill Albert Einstein. They accidentally create an alternate timeline whereby the Allies, the Soviet Union and the Empire of the Rising Sun are battling in World War III.
During the final moments of the Allied campaign mission, once the Soviets are defeated in Leningrad, Cherdenko realises his plans have failed. And Curry delivers an absolutely vintage, over-the-top final monologue.
He tells players: “Commander! You’ve rained on my glorious parade!
“For this, I’m sending everything I got at you, but I won’t let you have the satisfaction of catching me. I’m escaping to the one place that hasn’t been corrupted by capitalism… SPACE!”
You can see the clip above – which is the only real way to do this utterly bizarre line justice.
Fans have revisited the iconic moment on Reddit, where one wrote: “I will never not love this clip, and I will never not love that they went with this take.”
Another user replied: “Same, the fact it seems like he’s having so much fun and nearly bursting out laughing is so awesome, its how he’ll always be remembered for me.”
A third Redditor added: “It’s like it was the first time both performing and reading the line, but as a professional with the cameras rolling he had to do his best to keep it together. It’s my favorite Tim Curry clip to be honest.”
