Summary
The Dark Pictures Anthologystar Tony Pankhurst has died, aged 67. The English actor has been widely recognized as the face ofThe Dark Pictures Anthology.
Although Supermassive Games' popular horror franchise is an anthology series, allThe Dark Picturesentries are linked by the Curator, an omniscient narrator who introduces their stories and occasionally offers guidance from a mysterious location called The Repository. The all-knowing character was modeled after Pankhurst.
Dark Picture’s Tony Pankhurst Passed Away in May 2024
The Dark Pictures Anthologydevelopershared a tribute to the actor on July 29, writing that everyone at the company was “saddened to hear of Tony Pankhurst’s passing.” Apageput up by his family via online tribute platform MuchLoved states that the actor passed away at 67 years of age on Jul 13, 2025. A funeral service was held on June 7. Since Pankhurst was a big fan of Premier League club Brighton Hove Albion FC, his family asked those attending the funeral to wear the Seagulls' signature blue and white colors rather than traditional black attire.
Aside from serving as the model for the Curator, Pankhurst also played the same character in the live-action launchtrailer forThe Dark Pictures Anthology:House of Ashes. Prior to his involvement in Supermassive’s horror series, the English actor landed minor roles inFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,Babylon,The Theory of Everything, andStar Wars: Episode 7 - The Force Awakens, among dozens of other projects. He also worked as a radio presenter and ran his own business, which he later sold before becoming a full-time actor in his 50s.
Pankhurst’s legacy is expected to live on in not just the existingThe Dark Pictures Anthologygames, but also the series' future entries. That’s because while he provided his likeness for the Curator, the character is voiced and motion-captured by Pip Torrens, an English actor who’s also known for playing White Mask Varré inElden Ring. Supermassive Games recently highlighted Pankhurst’s contribution to the project by thanking him for helping it create “a character loved by many,” having written as much as part of a tribute donation message shared on MuchLoved.
The Curator is expected to appear in thesecond season ofThe Dark Pictures Anthology,Directive 8020, which has been in production since 2022. The upcoming season was originally teased in a post-credits trailer included inThe Devil in Me, the fourth and final part ofThe Dark Pictures AnthologySeason 1. As of July 24, the upcoming horror game is still without a firm release date or even window.
The Dark Pictures
The Dark Pictures Anthology is a franchise crafted by Supermassive Games, the same creative team that released Until Dawn. Similar to Until Dawn, the Dark Pictures Anthology includes a series of horror-inspired adventures that feature decision-making and an interactive narrative-driven experience. So far, the Dark Pictures has seen Little Hope, the House of Ashes, and The Devil in Me.
