Home Alone has brought many of us joy for the holiday season, but some of its cast haven’t had it easy since the movies were released.
Home Alone 2: Lost In New York’s actor, Tim Curry, worked as hard in real life as he did in the movie we so enjoyed, as he was left wheelchair-bound after a life-changing event.
Those who have been watching the Home Alone series every year around Christmas time will undoubtedly remember Tim’s iconic role as Mr. Hector, New York’s Plaza Hotel resident concierge.
In the movie, Mr. Hector was hilariously continuously trying to catch Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin.
Home Alone 2: Lost In New York’s actor, Tim Curry was left wheelchair-bound after a life-changing stroke
Mr. Hector was comically suspicious of Kevin, as he had lured himself into the Plaza and checked in without an adult.
In a game of cat and mouse, Mr. Hector tried to prove that Kevin was using a stolen credit card to get in. But smart little Kevin used his trademark innovative imagination and escaped by using the film Angels with Even Filthier Souls to scare him and the rest of the staff away.
In the first Home Alone movie, Kevin’s obsession with the movie popularized the sentence: “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.” In the second movie, it was “Keep the change, ya filthy animal” that became an iconic line.
Tim famously took on the role of Mr. Hector in 1992, who is never addressed by name in the film. He is simply credited as “Concierge”, which appears on his name tag, as per LadBible.
And as 30 years later we are still watching this Christmas classic, with Macaulay igniting some serious nostalgia earlier this month when he was honored at the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a star, Tim’s contribution has to be acknowledged.
In 2012, the Emmy-award-winning actor’s career was put on halt after he suffered from a stroke
After rising to fame for his iconic role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tim became an acclaimed actor for numerous film and television roles, including Rooster Hannigan in the 1982 film adaptation of Annie, Pennywise in the 1990 miniseries It, and more.
But in 2012, the Emmy-award-winning actor’s career was put on halt after he suffered from a stroke. Tim’s agent Marcia Hurwitz said at the time: "Tim is doing great. He absolutely can speak and is recovering at this time and in great humor.”
Following the medical emergency, the 77-year-old has had to use a wheelchair indefinitely. Nevertheless, the British actor has kept his spirits up. In 2015, Tim said that his sense of humor had assisted in his recovery. He said: “It’s not tough to maintain. It is just part of my DNA.”
Tim played Mr. Hector, New York’s Plaza Hotel resident concierge in the second Home Alone movie
Tim further told ABC News that he looked back on his Frank-N-Furter role with “a sort of bemused tolerance”, adding: “It’s neither a blessing nor a curse. I was lucky to get it.”
The actor was reportedly forced to undertake physical and speech therapy for a while, tools that helped him build a career in acting. He subsequently recorded several voice acting projects for Cartoon Network, and has appeared in the FOX Television Event The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do The Time Warp Again.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, occurs when something blocks blood supply to part of the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.
In either case, parts of the brain become damaged or die. A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death.
Fans remembered the actor's work and how he had "delighted" them
