John Hurt
Acting
🎂 1940-01-22
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.
Cast credits(251)
Narrator
1974
The Doctor
2005
Narrator
1971
Narrator
1983
Alec Cassell
1970
Self - Nominee
1944
Self
2004
Self
1998
Mr. Ollivander
2001
Self
1993
Kilgharrah (voice)
2008
Tony Grey
1975
1976
Caligula
1976
James Parkin
1971
The Storyteller
1988
Self - Guest
2006
Samswope
2007
The Father
1991
Ollivander
2010
Freddy Tisdale
1965
The Chorus
2012
1977
Ollivander
2011
Kane
1979
Priest
2011
John Hurt
1987
Narrator (voice)
2011
Tom
2015
Gilliam
2013
Narrator
2011
S. R. Hadden
1997
Professor Harold Oxley
2008
Narrator (voice)
2006
Cotys
2014
Adam Sutler
2006
John Merrick
1980
Prof. Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm
2004
Old Zeus
2011
Narrator (voice)
2002
Trevor Bruttenholm
2008
Alan Clark
2004
Rothgar
2008
Self
1994
Joe
1956
Raskolnikov
1979
Winston Smith
1984
Dexter
2011
Bellhop
2008
Control
2011
Narrator (voice)
2003
Aragorn (voice)
1978
Self - 'Mr. Garrick Ollivander'
2009
Ben Devereaux
2005
Max
1978
The Horned King (voice)
1985
Jesus - The Roman Empire
1981
Self
2002
Christopher Marlowe
2013
Felix (voice)
2005
1989
John Graham
1995
Mr. Mole (voice)
1994
John Scholfield
1995
Audric Baillard
2012
Grandpa Sammy (voice)
2010
Richard Rich
1966
The Priest
2016
Billy Irvine
1980
Hazel (voice)
1978
General Woundwort
1999
Owl (voice)
2009
Narrator (voice)
2000
Joshua Harlborough
1973
Stephen Ward
1989
Jellon Lamb
2005
Marquis de Prey
1995
Braddock
1984
Dr. Iannis
2001
The Horned King (voice) (archive footage)
2009
The War Doctor
2013
Lord Percival Graves
1991
Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm (voice)
2007
Narrator (voice)
2005
Warren Christopher
2008
Father Lareaux
2000
Khufu / Second French Explorer (voice)
1989
Lawrence Fassett
1983
Arthur Seldom
2008
Snitter (voice)
1982
Kingsley Bedford
2013
Charley Prince
1995
Jerusalem Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
2012
MC
2011
The Actor
1987
Guitar
2009
Timothy Evans
1971
The Countess
1994
Self (archive footage)
2021
Gilbert Colville
1987
Self
1985
Carnak
2010
The Owl (voice)
2011
Dr. Joe Buchanan / Narrator (voice)
1990
Mr. Summers
1999
Kerwin
1982
Sailor John (voice)
2015
Porfiry, chief investigator
2002
Uncle Turpin
1994
Victor Foss
2003
Bird' O'Donnell
1990
Christopher
2006
Phil Corkery
2010
The Doctor (archive footage) (uncredited)
2025
Self
2013
Old Man Peanut
2009
Christian
2002
Harry (voice)
2004
Anthony Fielding
1978
Peter Strelzyk
1982
Franz
1972
Davey Haggart
1969
The Doctor (War) (archive footage)
2024
Lucien Metz
1988
Narrator (voice)
2005
Syd
1986
Harry Patterson
2017
Tom Rawlings
1975
The Doctor (War) (picture) (uncredited)
2015
Miki
2017
Doyle
2010
The Storyteller (archive footage)
1994
Lieutenant Pilkington
1969
Quentin Crisp
1975
Self
2007
Narrator (voice)
2012
Douglas Benoit
1987
Mitri Cyon
1977
Villano
1993
Babits
1997
The Horned King
2005
Fanny's father
2007
Self
2004
Quentin Crisp
2009
Bob Champion
1984
Atkinson
1977
Narrator (voice)
2002
Giles De'Ath
1998
Sean Cooper
1999
Leslie Salmon
2017
Rex Goodyear
1994
Narrator (english voice)
2012
Christopher Mahon (Christy Mahon)
1974
Richard Forbush
1971
The Fool
1983
Self
2006
Ralph
2017
Chris Mullin
1990
347
2015
John
1967
The Storyteller
Robert Burger
1989
Malcolm Scrawdyke
1974
Self - Actor
1990
Dino Montecurva
1984
The War Doctor (archive voice)
2013
Self
2003
The Narrator (voice)
1987
Priest
2011
Vince
2001
Self
2010
Siegfried Sassoon
2016
La Dame aux Chats / Mercutio (voice)
1990
Phil Corbett
1962
Archie Carpenter
1991
Self
1990
Francis Bonar
2016
Mondrian Kilroy
2008
Self
2014
Narrator (voice)
2001
Chuck Langer
1998
James Parkin
2010
Narrator (voice)
1995
Granville Jones
1988
Self
2002
The War Doctor
2013
James morton
1998
Michael Poole
1998
Anthony / Le Marquis
1992
Arthur
2010
2005
Jack
2015
Chandler
1976
Alfred
1991
Maitland
1999
Peter Hunningford
1985
Narrator (voice)
2001
Charles Rutherford
1990
Narrator (voice)
2004
Conrad Farmer
1991
Self
2004
Charlie
1964
(voice)
1987
Alec Cassell
1976
The Father
1992
Self
2009
Narrator (voice)
2013
Self
2013
Man from Maybury Hill
2003
Alan White
1999
The Ministry
2012
Daniel
1969
The War Doctor
2013
Nash
1977
Krapp
2000
Professor Peter Panludic (voice)
2016
Professor Orit
2011
Bellhop
2009
Self
2007
1982
Narrator (voice)
1985
Self
2011
Lt. George Simmonds
1977
Bill
1986
Jack Blake
2002
Narrator
2014
Narrator
2011
Jack Lee
1995
Dr. Turner
1996
Boorman's Alter Ego
1991
Marquis de Prey
1995
Narrator (voice)
1994
Narator
2015
Self - Narrator (voice)
2016
Narrator (voice)
1987
Narrator (voice)
2006
Host
1980
Narrator (voice)
1990
The Alchemist (voice)
2015
Self (archive footage)
2009
Self
2001
Self / Stephen Ward
2013
2008
Man
2011
1986
Narrator (voice)
1987
The Voice of the Winter Palace / Self
2013
Self
1984
Narrator (voice)
2018
Self
2002
1987