John Hurt
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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
Credits
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
as Mr. Ollivander
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
as Ollivander
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
as Ollivander
Alien (1979)
as Kane
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
as Professor Harold Oxley
Snowpiercer (2013)
as Gilliam
Spaceballs (1987)
as John Hurt
Hercules (2014)
as Cotys
Contact (1997)
as S. R. Hadden
V for Vendetta (2006)
as Adam Sutler
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
as Narrator (voice)
The Elephant Man (1980)
as John Merrick
Hellboy (2004)
as Prof. Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm
Thumbelina (1994)
as Mr. Mole (voice)
The Skeleton Key (2005)
as Ben Devereaux
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
as Trevor Bruttenholm
New York, I Love You (2008)
as Bellhop
Immortals (2011)
as Old Zeus
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
as Control
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures (2010)
as Grandpa Sammy (voice)
The Tigger Movie (2000)
as Narrator (voice)
The Black Cauldron (1985)
as The Horned King (voice)
Dogville (2003)
as Narrator (voice)
Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
as Winston Smith
Outlander (2008)
as Rothgar
Melancholia (2011)
as Dexter
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
as Aragorn (voice)
Valiant (2005)
as Felix (voice)
Midnight Express (1978)
as Max
Rob Roy (1995)
as John Graham
Heaven's Gate (1980)
as Billy Irvine
Frankenstein Unbound (1990)
as Dr. Joe Buchanan / Narrator (voice)
King Ralph (1991)
as Lord Percival Graves
Lost Souls (2000)
as Father Lareaux
Dead Man (1995)
as John Scholfield
The Gruffalo (2009)
as Owl (voice)
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)
as Dr. Iannis
Jackie (2016)
as The Priest
History of the World: Part I (1981)
as Jesus - The Roman Empire
Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (2013)
as The War Doctor
The Proposition (2005)
as Jellon Lamb
Manderlay (2005)
as Narrator (voice)
Wild Bill (1995)
as Charley Prince
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
as Christopher Marlowe
White Mischief (1987)
as Gilbert Colville
Watership Down (1978)
as Hazel (voice)
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
as Richard Rich
The Plague Dogs (1982)
as Snitter (voice)
Hiroshima (2005)
as Narrator (voice)
Second Best (1994)
as Uncle Turpin
Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)
as The Horned King (voice) (archive footage)
Short Order (2005)
as Felix
Scandal (1989)
as Stephen Ward
The Shout (1978)
as Anthony Fielding
Muse of Fire (2013)
as Self
Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron (2007)
as Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm (voice)
The Field (1990)
as Bird' O'Donnell
Owning Mahowny (2003)
as Victor Foss
Live Aid (1985)
as Self
Night Crossing (1982)
as Peter Strelzyk
Aria (1987)
as The Actor
The Oxford Murders (2008)
as Arthur Seldom
The Hit (1984)
as Braddock
44 Inch Chest (2009)
as Old Man Peanut
Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World (2009)
as Self (archive footage)
Shooting Dogs (2006)
as Christopher
The Journey (2017)
as Harry Patterson
Recount (2008)
as Warren Christopher
The Pied Piper (1972)
as Franz
Sightseers (2012)
as Jerusalem Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict (2013)
as Narrator (voice)
The Osterman Weekend (1983)
as Lawrence Fassett
Brighton Rock (2010)
as Phil Corkery
Jake Speed (1986)
as Syd
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony (2021)
as Self (archive footage)
Miranda (2002)
as Christian
The Limits of Control (2009)
as Guitar
From the Hip (1987)
as Douglas Benoit
Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: The Movie (2015)
as Sailor John (voice)
Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie (2010)
as Carnak
Romeo.Juliet (1990)
as La Dame aux Chats / Mercutio (voice)
King Lear (1983)
as The Fool
The Gruffalo's Child (2011)
as The Owl (voice)
The Ghoul (1975)
as Tom Rawlings
Crime and Punishment (2002)
as Porfiry, chief investigator
New Blood (1999)
as Alan White
You're Dead... (1999)
as Maitland
The Climb (1998)
as Chuck Langer
Damascus Cover (2017)
as Miki
10 Rillington Place (1971)
as Timothy Evans
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1994)
as The Countess
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas (2007)
as Self
The Alien Saga (2002)
as Narrator (voice)
The Naked Civil Servant (1975)
as Quentin Crisp
Thames Film (1986)
as Narrator
Pride (2004)
as Harry (voice)
Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song (2015)
as The Doctor (War) (picture) (uncredited)
Partners (1982)
as Kerwin
David Macaulay: Pyramid (1989)
as Khufu / Second French Explorer (voice)
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (2013)
as The War Doctor (archive voice)
The Bengali Night (1988)
as Lucien Metz
Jayne Mansfield's Car (2013)
as Kingsley Bedford
An Englishman in New York (2009)
as Quentin Crisp
The Confession (2011)
as Priest
The World of Jim Henson (1994)
as The Storyteller (archive footage)
Doctor Who at the Proms (2024)
as The Doctor (War) (archive footage)
Monolith (1993)
as Villano
Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation (2004)
as Self
Sinful Davey (1969)
as Davey Haggart
The Commissioner (1998)
as James morton
On Jupiter (1995)
as Narrator (voice)
Champions (1984)
as Bob Champion
Windprints (1990)
as Charles Rutherford
Saigon Baby (1995)
as Jack Lee
That Good Night (2017)
as Ralph
The Snipist (2012)
as The Ministry
Once Upon a Halloween (2005)
as The Horned King (voice) (archive sound)
Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film (2014)
as Self
Boxes (2007)
as Fanny's father
More Than Honey (2012)
as Narrator (english voice)
Tender Loving Care (1996)
as Dr. Turner
Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film (2003)
as Self / Self - Krapp ("Krapp's Last Tape")
Who Bombed Birmingham? (1990)
as Chris Mullin
Night Train (1998)
as Michael Poole
If... Dog... Rabbit (1999)
as Sean Cooper
The Disappearance (1977)
as Atkinson
The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima (1985)
as Narrator (voice)
Red Fox (1991)
as Archie Carpenter
Lecture 21 (2008)
as Mondrian Kilroy
The Storyteller: Sapsorrow (1988)
as The Storyteller
Mr. Forbush and the Penguins (1971)
as Richard Forbush
All the Little Animals (1999)
as Mr. Summers
Brute (1997)
as Babits
Planet Dinosaur: Ultimate Killers (2012)
as Narrator (voice)
Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War (2025)
as The Doctor (archive footage) (uncredited)
Stream Line (1976)
as Chandler
'V for Vendetta' Unmasked (2006)
as Adam Sutler
Verity Lambert: Drama Queen (2008)
Actor
Love and Death on Long Island (1998)
as Giles De'Ath
Poison Candy (1989)
as Robert Burger
Tabloid (2001)
as Vince
Remembrance (2009)
as Bellhop
My Name Is Lenny (2017)
as Leslie Salmon
The Beast Within: Making Alien (2003)
as Self
The Storyteller: The True Bride (1988)
as The Storyteller
Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch (1990)
as Self
Before Winter Comes (1969)
as Lieutenant Pilkington
Bait (2002)
as Jack Blake
Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty (2013)
as Self
Whistle and I'll Come to You (2010)
as James Parkin
The Wild and the Willing (1962)
as Phil Corbett
Paul McCartney: From Rio to Liverpool (1990)
as Narrator (voice)
The Peddler (1976)
as Alec Cassell
Picture Windows: Two Nudes Bathing (1995)
as Marquis de Prey
Success Is the Best Revenge (1984)
as Dino Montecurva
On Borrowed Time (2011)
as Self
Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs (1974)
as Malcolm Scrawdyke
In Love with Alma Cogan (2011)
as MC
Krapp's Last Tape (2000)
as Krapp
After Darkness (1985)
as Peter Hunningford
This Is My Street (1964)
as Charlie
The Storyteller: The Soldier and Death (1988)
as The Storyteller
Deadline (1988)
as Granville Jones
Centenary: The BP Story (2009)
as Narrator (voice)
Dark at Noon (1992)
as Anthony / Le Marquis
Henry Fonda for President (2025)
as Self (archive footage)
Spectre (1977)
as Mitri Cyon
Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor (2013)
as The War Doctor
Lou (2010)
as Doyle
Love at First Sight (2010)
as Arthur
Hello: A Portrait Of Leslie Phillips (2013)
as Self / Stephen Ward
Monolith (1987)
as Narrator (voice)
A.K.A Nadia (2015)
as 347
The Sailor from Gibraltar (1967)
as John
Three Dangerous Ladies (1977)
as Lt. George Simmonds
Lapse of Memory (1991)
as Conrad Farmer
Whaledreamers (2006)
as Self
Alpha to Omega: Exposing 'The Osterman Weekend' (2004)
as Self
Behind Jim Jarmusch (2010)
as Self
Wimbledon The Official Film 2014 (2014)
as Narrator
The Hunting of the Snark (1987)
as The Narrator (voice)
The Plot Against Harold Wilson (2006)
as Narrator (voice)
The Storyteller: The Heartless Giant (1988)
as The Storyteller
Great Moments in Aviation (1994)
as Rex Goodyear
I, Claudius: A Television Epic (2002)
as Self
ChickLit (2016)
as Francis Bonar
Ballybrando (2009)
as Self
The Storyteller: The Luck Child (1988)
as The Storyteller
The Day of the Doctor: Cinema Intro (2013)
as The War Doctor
Shaolin: Wheel of Life (2001)
as Narrator (voice)
I Dreamt I Woke Up (1991)
as Boorman's Alter Ego
Shadowing the Third Man (2004)
as Narrator (voice)
Paul McCartney - Take It Away (1982)
as Self
Rocinante (1986)
as Bill
Break (2015)
as Jack
The Final Reel (2016)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Dmitri Shostakovich: A Man of Many Faces (2015)
as Narator
The Storyteller: Fearnot (1988)
as The Storyteller
The Storyteller: Hans My Hedgehog (1988)
as The Storyteller
23 Degrees, 5 Minutes (2011)
as Professor Orit
Resident Alien (1990)
as Self - Actor
Green Julia (1971)
as Bob
The Playboy of the Western World (1974)
as Christopher Mahon (Christy Mahon)
The Hidden Wars of Desert Storm (2001)
as Narrator (voice)
Back to Utopia (2016)
as Professor Peter Panludic (voice)
Six Characters in Search of An Author (1992)
as The Father
In Search of Gregory (1969)
as Daniel
Rabbit Ears - Aladdin and the Magic Lamp (1994)
as Narrator (voice)
The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed (2001)
as Self
East of Elephant Rock (1977)
as Nash
Sailcloth (2011)
as Man
The Journey – Stories from the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (2011)
as Narrator
Iceberg (1987)
as Narrator (voice)
Swan Lake 3D - Live from the Mariinsky Theatre (2013)
as The Voice of the Winter Palace / Self
Sunset People (1984)
as Self
Vincent (1987)
as (voice)
The Alchemist's Letter (2015)
as The Alchemist (voice)
Frightmares (1987)
Actor
The Storyteller: A Story Short (1988)
as The Storyteller
An Evening with Quentin Crisp (1980)
as Host
Journey to Knock (1991)
as Alfred
The Twilight Hour: Visions of Ireland's Haunted Past (2002)
as Self
Ayamé (2018)
as Narrator (voice)
The Pity of War: The Loves and Lives of the War Poets (2016)
as Siegfried Sassoon
Interview with John Hurt (2007)
as Self
Meeting Che Guevara & the Man from Maybury Hill (2003)
as Man from Maybury Hill