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