John Hurt

Acting

Born: 1940-01-22
Died: 2017-01-25
From: Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, UK
Gender: Male
Popularity: 2.2

Also Known As

John Vincent HurtSir John HurtΣερ Τζον Βίνσεντ Χερτ约翰·赫特 約翰·赫特Джон Хертجان هرت

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.

Photos11

Awards & Nominations10 won · 16 nominated

🏆 Won

Knight Bachelor

2014
🏆 Won

BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award

2012
Nominated

Bodil Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Melancholia

2012
Nominated

BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award

2012
Nominated

British Academy Television Award for Best Actor

An Englishman in New York

2010
Nominated

AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

The Proposition

2005
Nominated

AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

2005
🏆 Won

Commander of the Order of the British Empire

2004
🏆 Won

British Independent Film Award – The Richard Harris Award

2003
Nominated

British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film

Love and Death on Long Island

1998
Nominated

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

The Field

1991
🏆 Won

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role

The Elephant Man

1981
Nominated

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role

The Elephant Man

1981
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Actor

The Elephant Man

1981
Nominated

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama

The Elephant Man

1980
Nominated

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Alien

1980
🏆 Won

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Midnight Express

1979
🏆 Won

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture

Midnight Express

1979
Nominated

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

Midnight Express

1979
Nominated

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Midnight Express

1979
Nominated

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture

Midnight Express

1978
🏆 Won

British Academy Television Award for Best Actor

1976
🏆 Won

British Academy Television Award for Best Actor

The Naked Civil Servant

1976
Nominated

British Academy Television Award for Best Actor

The Naked Civil Servant

1976
Nominated

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

10 Rillington Place

1972
🏆 Won

Golden Globe Awards

Acting251 titles