John Hurt
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1940-01-22
Day of Death
2017-01-25 (77 years old)
Place of Birth
Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, UK
John Hurt
Biography
Sir John Vincent Hurt (January 22, 1940 – January 25, 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. He came to prominence for his role as Richard Rich in the film A Man for All Seasons (1966) and gained BAFTA Award nominations for his portrayals of Timothy Evans in 10 Rillington Place (1971) and Quentin Crisp in television film The Naked Civil Servant (1975) – winning his first BAFTA for the latter. He played Caligula in the BBC TV series I, Claudius (1976). Hurt's performance in the prison drama Midnight Express (1978) brought him international renown and earned Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards, along with an Academy Award nomination. His BAFTA-nominated portrayal of astronaut Kane, in the science-fiction horror film Alien (1979), notably included a scene where an alien creature burst out of his chest, named by several publications as one of the most memorable moments in cinema history.
Hurt earned his third competitive BAFTA, along with his second Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, as Joseph Merrick in David Lynch's biopic The Elephant Man (1980). Other significant roles during the 1980s included Bob Champion in biopic Champions (1984), Mr. Braddock in the Stephen Frears drama The Hit (1984), Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) and Stephen Ward in the drama depicting the Profumo affair, Scandal (1989). Hurt was again BAFTA-nominated for his work in Irish drama The Field (1990) and played the primary villain, James Graham, in the epic adventure Rob Roy (1995). His later films include the Harry Potter film series (2001–11), the Hellboy films (2004 and 2008), supernatural thriller The Skeleton Key (2005), western The Proposition (2005), political thriller V for Vendetta (2005), action adventure Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), sci-fi action Outlander (2008) and the Cold War espionage film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011). Hurt reprised his role as Quentin Crisp in An Englishman in New York (2009), which brought his seventh BAFTA nomination. He portrayed the War Doctor in the BBC TV series Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor", in 2013.
Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors; director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in the world". He possessed what was described as the "most distinctive voice in Britain", likened by The Observer to "nicotine sieved through dirty, moonlit gravel". His voice acting career encompassed films such as Watership Down (1978), The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Plague Dogs (1982), The Black Cauldron (1985), Dogville (2003) and Planet Dinosaur (2011) as well as BBC TV series Merlin (2008–2012). In 2012, he was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement BAFTA Award, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to cinema". He was knighted in 2015 for his services to drama.
Known For
Acting
The StoryTeller
as The Storyteller
(2024)
Doctor Who at the Proms
as The Doctor (War) (archive footage)
(2023)
Lynch/Oz
as John Merrick (archive footage) (uncredited)
(2021)
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
as Self (archive footage)
(2018)
Ayamé
as Narrator (voice)
(2017)
Damascus Cover
as Miki
(2017)
My Name Is Lenny
as Leslie Salmon
(2017)
That Good Night
as Ralph
(2017)
The Journey
as Harry Patterson
(2016)
Jackie
as The Priest
(2016)
ChickLit
as Francis Bonar
(2016)
The Pity of War: The Loves and Lives of the War Poets
as Siegfried Sassoon
(2016)
Back to Utopia
as Professor Peter Panludic (voice)
(2016)
The Final Reel
as Self - Narrator (voice)
(2015)
Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: The Movie
as Sailor John (voice)
(2015)
Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song
as The Doctor (War) (picture) (uncredited)
(2015)
A.K.A Nadia
as 347
(2015)
Break
as Jack
(2015)
Dmitri Shostakovich: A Man of Many Faces
as Narator
(2015)
The Alchemist's Letter
as The Alchemist (voice)
(2014)
Hercules
as Cotys
(2014)
(2014)
Wimbledon The Official Film 2014
as Narrator
(2013)
Snowpiercer
as Gilliam
(2013)
Only Lovers Left Alive
as Christopher Marlowe
(2013)
Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor
as The War Doctor
(2013)
Jayne Mansfield's Car
as Kingsley Bedford
(2013)
Muse of Fire
as Self
(2013)
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
as The War Doctor (archive voice)
(2013)
(2013)
Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor
as The War Doctor
(2013)
Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict
as Narrator (voice)
(2013)
Hello: A Portrait Of Leslie Phillips
as Self / Stephen Ward
(2013)
The Day of the Doctor: Cinema Intro
as The War Doctor
(2013)
Swan Lake 3D - Live from the Mariinsky Theatre
as The Voice of the Winter Palace / Self
(2012)
Sightseers
as Jerusalem Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
(2012)
More Than Honey
as Narrator (english voice)
(2012)
Planet Dinosaur: Ultimate Killers
as Narrator (voice)
(2012)
The Snipist
as The Ministry
(2011)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
as Ollivander
(2011)
Immortals
as Old Zeus
(2011)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
as Control
(2011)
Melancholia
as Dexter
(2011)
The Gruffalo's Child
as The Owl (voice)
(2011)
The Confession
as Priest
(2011)
(2011)
(2011)
On Borrowed Time
as Self
(2011)
23 Degrees, 5 Minutes
as Professor Orit
(2011)
Sailcloth
as Man
(2010)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
as Ollivander
(2010)
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures
as Grandpa Sammy (voice)
(2010)
(2010)
Brighton Rock
as Phil Corkery
(2010)
Lou
as Doyle
(2010)
Love at First Sight
as Arthur
(2010)
Whistle and I'll Come to You
as James Parkin
(2010)
Behind Jim Jarmusch
as Self
(2009)
The Gruffalo
as Owl (voice)
(2009)
The Limits of Control
as Guitar
(2009)
Waking Sleeping Beauty
as The Horned King (voice) (archive footage)
(2009)
44 Inch Chest
as Old Man Peanut
(2009)
An Englishman in New York
as Quentin Crisp
(2009)
Remembrance
as Bellhop
(2009)
Ballybrando
as Self
(2009)
Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World
as Self (archive footage)
(2008)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
as Professor Harold Oxley
(2008)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
as Trevor Bruttenholm
(2008)
Outlander
as Rothgar
(2008)
New York, I Love You
as Bellhop
(2008)
The Oxford Murders
as Arthur Seldom
(2008)
Recount
as Warren Christopher
(2008)
Lecture 21
as Mondrian Kilroy
(2008)
(2007)
Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron
as Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm (voice)
(2007)
(2007)
Boxes
as Fanny's father
(2007)
Interview with John Hurt
as Self
(2006)
V for Vendetta
as Adam Sutler
(2006)
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
as Narrator (voice)
(2006)
Shooting Dogs
as Christopher
(2006)
Whaledreamers
as Self
(2006)
The Plot Against Harold Wilson
as Narrator (voice)
(2005)
The Skeleton Key
as Ben Devereaux
(2005)
Valiant
as Felix (voice)
(2005)
The Proposition
as Jellon Lamb
(2005)
Manderlay
as Narrator (voice)
(2005)
Hiroshima
as Narrator (voice)
(2005)
Once Upon a Halloween
as The Horned King
(2005)
(2004)
Hellboy
as Prof. Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm
(2004)
Pride
as Harry (voice)
(2004)
(2004)
Shadowing the Third Man
as Narrator (voice)
(2004)
(2003)
Dogville
as Narrator (voice)
(2003)
Owning Mahowny
as Victor Foss
(2003)
(2003)
Meeting Che Guevara & the Man from Maybury Hill
as Man from Maybury Hill
(2002)
Miranda
as Christian
(2002)
Crime and Punishment
as Porfiry, chief investigator
(2002)
The Alien Saga
as Narrator (voice)
(2002)
(2002)
Bait
as Jack Blake
(2001)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
as Mr. Ollivander
(2001)
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
as Dr. Iannis
(2001)
Tabloid
as Vince
(2001)
(2001)
Shaolin: Wheel of Life
as Narrator (voice)
(2001)
The Hidden Wars of Desert Storm
as Narrator (voice)
(2000)
The Tigger Movie
as Narrator (voice)
(2000)
Lost Souls
as Father Lareaux
(2000)
Krapp's Last Tape
as Krapp
(1999)
New Blood
as Alan White
(1999)
All the Little Animals
as Mr. Summers
(1999)
You're Dead...
as Maitland
(1999)
If... Dog... Rabbit
as Sean Cooper
(1998)
Love and Death on Long Island
as Giles De'Ath
(1998)
The Climb
as Chuck Langer
(1998)
The Commissioner
as James morton
(1998)
Night Train
as Michael Poole
(1997)
Contact
as S. R. Hadden
(1997)
Bandyta
as Babits
(1996)
Tender Loving Care
as Dr. Turner
(1995)
Dead Man
as John Scholfield
(1995)
Rob Roy
as John Graham
(1995)
Wild Bill
as Charley Prince
(1995)
Two Nudes Bathing
as Marquis de Prey
(1995)
Saigon Baby
as Jack Lee
(1995)
On Jupiter
as Narrator (voice)
(1994)
Thumbelina
as Mr. Mole (voice)
(1994)
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
as The Countess
(1994)
Second Best
as Uncle Turpin
(1994)
The World of Jim Henson
as The Storyteller (archive footage)
(1994)
Great Moments in Aviation
as Rex Goodyear
(1994)
Rabbit Ears - Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
as Narrator (voice)
(1993)
Monolith
as Villano
(1992)
Six Characters in Search of An Author
as The Father
(1992)
Dark at Noon
as Anthony / Le Marquis
(1991)
King Ralph
as Lord Percival Graves
(1991)
Lapse of Memory
as Conrad Farmer
(1991)
Red Fox
as Archie Carpenter
(1991)
I Dreamt I Woke Up
as Boorman's Alter Ego
(1991)
Journey to Knock
as Alfred
(1990)
The Field
as Bird' O'Donnell
(1990)
Frankenstein Unbound
as Dr. Joe Buchanan / Narrator (voice)
(1990)
Romeo.Juliet
as La Dame aux Chats / Mercutio (voice)
(1990)
(1990)
Who Bombed Birmingham?
as Chris Mullin
(1990)
Resident Alien
as Self - Actor
(1990)
Windprints
as Charles Rutherford
(1990)
Paul McCartney: From Rio to Liverpool
as Narrator (voice)
(1989)
Scandal
as Stephen Ward
(1989)
Little Sweetheart
as Robert Burger
(1989)
David Macaulay: Pyramid
as Khufu / Second French Explorer (voice)
(1988)
The Bengali Night
as Lucien Metz
(1988)
Deadline
as Granville Jones
(1987)
Spaceballs
as John Hurt
(1987)
Aria
as The Actor
(1987)
White Mischief
as Gilbert Colville
(1987)
From the Hip
as Douglas Benoit
(1987)
Vincent
as (voice)
(1987)
The Hunting of the Snark
as The Narrator (voice)
(1987)
Monolith
as Narrator (voice)
(1987)
(1987)
Iceberg
as Narrator (voice)
(1986)
Jake Speed
as Syd
(1986)
Rocinante
as Bill
(1986)
(1985)
The Black Cauldron
as The Horned King (voice)
(1985)
Live Aid
as Self
(1985)
After Darkness
as Peter Hunningford
(1985)
The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima
as Narrator (voice)
(1984)
Nineteen Eighty-Four
as Winston Smith
(1984)
The Hit
as Braddock
(1984)
Champions
as Bob Champion
(1984)
Success Is the Best Revenge
as Dino Montecurva
(1984)
Sunset People
as Self
(1983)
The Osterman Weekend
as Lawrence Fassett
(1983)
King Lear
as The Fool
(1982)
The Plague Dogs
as Snitter (voice)
(1982)
Night Crossing
as Peter Strelzyk
(1982)
Partners
as Kerwin
(1982)
(1981)
History of the World: Part I
as Jesus - The Roman Empire
(1980)
The Elephant Man
as John Merrick
(1980)
Heaven's Gate
as Billy Irvine
(1980)
(1979)
Alien
as Kane
(1978)
Watership Down
as Hazel (voice)
(1978)
The Lord of the Rings
as Aragorn (voice)
(1978)
Midnight Express
as Max
(1978)
The Shout
as Anthony Fielding
(1977)
Spectre
as Mitri Cyon
(1977)
The Disappearance
as Atkinson
(1977)
East of Elephant Rock
as Nash
(1977)
Three Dangerous Ladies
as Lt. George Simmonds
(1976)
The Peddler
as Alec Cassell
(1976)
Stream Line
as Chandler
(1975)
The Naked Civil Servant
as Quentin Crisp
(1975)
The Ghoul
as Tom Rawlings
(1974)
Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs
as Malcolm Scrawdyke
(1974)
The Playboy of the Western World
as Christopher Mahon (Christy Mahon)
(1972)
The Pied Piper
as Franz
(1971)
10 Rillington Place
as Timothy Evans
(1971)
Mr. Forbush and the Penguins
as Richard Forbush
(1969)
Sinful Davey
as Davey Haggart
(1969)
Before Winter Comes
as Lieutenant Pilkington
(1969)
In Search of Gregory
as Daniel
(1967)
The Sailor from Gibraltar
as John
(1966)
A Man for All Seasons
as Richard Rich
(1964)
This Is My Street
as Charlie
(1962)
The Wild and the Willing
as Phil Corbett