The Star Wars Character You Likely Don't Realize Tim Curry Played

Though Tim Curry has largely left the spotlight, there's no denying that he has accumulated a mighty and absolutely legendary filmography. During his decades-long career, he lent his acting talents to big screen favorites like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Clue," and "Muppet Treasure Island," as well as television endeavors including "Over the Top," "Monk," and "Criminal Minds." Simultaneously, Curry has left his mark on several of pop culture's most beloved franchises. For example, he played a pretty major character in the "Star Wars" franchise for a time in a voice acting capacity.

In Season 5 and Season 6 of the iconic animated series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" — a project with a fascinating history behind it — Curry was responsible for the voice of none other than Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, better known as Darth Sidious. He makes his uncredited debut in the Season 5 episode "Revival," wrapping up his run on the program with Season 6's "Sacrifice." He was the second actor to take on the Palpatine role for "The Clone Wars," with actor Ian Abercrombie providing the voice of the scheming politician and secret Sith Lord for 29 episodes before his death in 2012.

Even before Curry's first performance as Palpatine made it to the small screen, "Clone Wars" supervising director Dave Filoni knew he was the right actor for the job.

Though he only voices Chancellor Palpatine for a small handful of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" episodes, Tim Curry excels in the part. He depicts the perfect amount of understated evil for Palpatine and goes full-on Force lightning-wielding villain as Darth Sidious, amounting to an overall remarkable take on the "Star Wars" galaxy's biggest villain that most fans adore. "The (unfortunate) voice change of Palpatine during Clone Wars just oozed diabolical intent. Cheers to this guy for stepping up in the role," wrote Redditor u/The_Muddy_ChicK3N in a thread on Curry's Palpatine work. Another thread by u/Samoht99 is full of comments praising him for his numerous memorable "Clone Wars" performances.

Of course, one of the creative masterminds behind "The Clone Wars," Dave Filoni, knew he'd fit the bill from the moment he was cast. "We needed someone to deliver a performance that could stand alongside what Ian McDiarmid and Ian Abercrombie created as this legendary Star Wars character," Filoni told HuffPost in 2013. "There is little question that bringing in an actor of Tim's caliber was perfect for Chancellor Palpatine." He continued, promising fans that Curry's voice was perfect for the character and that the accomplished actor had no trouble at all tapping into the dark side. "We are fortunate to have him."

In the end, Dave Filoni's words rang true. Tim Curry was the premier choice to portray Chancellor Palpatine on "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." If anything, it's just too bad that he only did so for a measly 10 episodes, giving fans a mere glimpse of what he was capable of as the voice behind one of the most powerful Sith in the "Star Wars" universe.