John Hurt

Acting • Born 1940-01-22 – Died 2017-01-25

Acting2Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, UK

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.

Filmography

262 credits

The Lord of the Rings

Movie • 1978

Aragorn (voice)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Movie • 2008

Professor Harold Oxley

A Man for All Seasons

Movie • 1966

Richard Rich

Dead Man

Movie • 1995

John Scholfield

Spaceballs

Movie • 1987

John Hurt

Brute

Movie • 1997

Babits

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Movie • 2006

Narrator (voice)

Hellboy

Movie • 2004

Prof. Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm

The 50 Greatest Television Dramas

Movie • 2007

Self

History of the World: Part I

Movie • 1981

Jesus - The Roman Empire

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Movie • 2001

Mr. Ollivander

Contact

Movie • 1997

S. R. Hadden

V for Vendetta

Movie • 2006

Adam Sutler

Outlander

Movie • 2008

Rothgar

Frankenstein Unbound

Movie • 1990

Dr. Joe Buchanan / Narrator (voice)

Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Movie • 2001

Dr. Iannis

Manderlay

Movie • 2005

Narrator (voice)

The Elephant Man

Movie • 1980

John Merrick

King Ralph

Movie • 1991

Lord Percival Graves

Heaven's Gate

Movie • 1980

Billy Irvine

You're Dead...

Movie • 1999

Maitland

The Plague Dogs

Movie • 1982

Snitter (voice)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Movie • 2008

Trevor Bruttenholm

From the Hip

Movie • 1987

Douglas Benoit

Rob Roy

Movie • 1995

John Graham

Watership Down

Movie • 1978

Hazel (voice)

The Field

Movie • 1990

Bird' O'Donnell

Shooting Dogs

Movie • 2006

Christopher

The Limits of Control

Movie • 2009

Guitar

The Alien Saga

Movie • 2002

Narrator (voice)

Scandal

Movie • 1989

Stephen Ward

Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty

Movie • 2013

Self

The Osterman Weekend

Movie • 1983

Lawrence Fassett

10 Rillington Place

Movie • 1971

Timothy Evans

The Oxford Murders

Movie • 2008

Arthur Seldom

Aria

Movie • 1987

The Actor

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Movie • 2010

Ollivander

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Movie • 2011

Ollivander

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Movie • 1984

Winston Smith

Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron

Movie • 2007

Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm (voice)

The Commissioner

Movie • 1998

James morton

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Movie • 1994

The Countess

The Skeleton Key

Movie • 2005

Ben Devereaux

The Gruffalo

Movie • 2009

Owl (voice)

An Englishman in New York

Movie • 2009

Quentin Crisp

The Naked Civil Servant

Movie • 1975

Quentin Crisp

44 Inch Chest

Movie • 2009

Old Man Peanut

Valiant

Movie • 2005

Felix (voice)

Recount

Movie • 2008

Warren Christopher

White Mischief

Movie • 1987

Gilbert Colville

Owning Mahowny

Movie • 2003

Victor Foss

Once Upon a Halloween

Movie • 2005

The Horned King (voice) (archive sound)

Brighton Rock

Movie • 2010

Phil Corkery

Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World

Movie • 2009

Self (archive footage)

Melancholia

Movie • 2011

Dexter

Immortals

Movie • 2011

Old Zeus

The Proposition

Movie • 2005

Jellon Lamb

Love and Death on Long Island

Movie • 1998

Giles De'Ath

King Lear

Movie • 1983

The Fool

Wild Bill

Movie • 1995

Charley Prince

Hiroshima

Movie • 2005

Narrator (voice)

All the Little Animals

Movie • 1999

Mr. Summers

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Movie • 2011

Control

Shaolin: Wheel of Life

Movie • 2001

Narrator (voice)

The Hit

Movie • 1984

Braddock

Miranda

Movie • 2002

Christian

Lecture 21

Movie • 2008

Mondrian Kilroy

The Hunting of the Snark

Movie • 1987

The Narrator (voice)

The Beast Within: Making Alien

Movie • 2003

Self

Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie

Movie • 2010

Carnak

The Ghoul

Movie • 1975

Tom Rawlings

Lou

Movie • 2010

Doyle

Krapp's Last Tape

Movie • 2000

Krapp

The Gruffalo's Child

Movie • 2011

The Owl (voice)

Partners

Movie • 1982

Kerwin

The Hidden Wars of Desert Storm

Movie • 2001

Narrator (voice)

Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs

Movie • 1974

Malcolm Scrawdyke

Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation

Movie • 2004

Self

Sailcloth

Movie • 2011

Man

Jayne Mansfield's Car

Movie • 2013

Kingsley Bedford

Night Crossing

Movie • 1982

Peter Strelzyk

The Confession

Movie • 2011

Priest

Windprints

Movie • 1990

Charles Rutherford

Second Best

Movie • 1994

Uncle Turpin

Monolith

Movie • 1993

Villano

Vincent

Movie • 1987

(voice)

Crime and Punishment

Movie • 2002

Porfiry, chief investigator

Great Moments in Aviation

Movie • 1994

Rex Goodyear

Snowpiercer

Movie • 2013

Gilliam

Only Lovers Left Alive

Movie • 2013

Christopher Marlowe

Tabloid

Movie • 2001

Vince

Sinful Davey

Movie • 1969

Davey Haggart

The Climb

Movie • 1998

Chuck Langer

Short Order

Movie • 2005

East of Elephant Rock

Movie • 1977

Nash

Champions

Movie • 1984

Bob Champion

Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict

Movie • 2013

Narrator (voice)

The Disappearance

Movie • 1977

Atkinson

Hercules

Movie • 2014

Cotys

Resident Alien

Movie • 1990

Self - Actor

Before Winter Comes

Movie • 1969

Lieutenant Pilkington

The Pied Piper

Movie • 1972

Franz

New Blood

Movie • 1999

Alan White

Success Is the Best Revenge

Movie • 1984

Dino Montecurva

Planet Dinosaur: Ultimate Killers

Movie • 2012

Narrator (voice)

Dark at Noon

Movie • 1992

Anthony / Le Marquis

Boxes

Movie • 2007

Fanny's father

Mr. Forbush and the Penguins

Movie • 1971

Richard Forbush

On Jupiter

Movie • 1995

Narrator (voice)

Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony

Movie • 2021

Self (archive footage)

Muse of Fire

Movie • 2013

Self

Poison Candy

Movie • 1989

Robert Burger

This Is My Street

Movie • 1964

Charlie

Six Characters in Search of An Author

Movie • 1992

The Father

If... Dog... Rabbit

Movie • 1999

Sean Cooper

In Search of Gregory

Movie • 1969

Daniel

Three Dangerous Ladies

Movie • 1977

Lt. George Simmonds

The Wild and the Willing

Movie • 1962

Phil Corbett

Waking Sleeping Beauty

Movie • 2009

The Horned King (voice) (archive footage)

The Plot Against Harold Wilson

Movie • 2006

Narrator (voice)

Lost Souls

Movie • 2000

Father Lareaux

Red Fox

Movie • 1991

Archie Carpenter

Shadowing the Third Man

Movie • 2004

Narrator (voice)

Deadline

Movie • 1988

Granville Jones

After Darkness

Movie • 1985

Peter Hunningford

The Day of the Doctor: Cinema Intro

Movie • 2013

The War Doctor

The Sailor from Gibraltar

Movie • 1967

John

New York, I Love You

Movie • 2008

Bellhop

Whistle and I'll Come to You

Movie • 2010

James Parkin

Dmitri Shostakovich: A Man of Many Faces

Movie • 2015

Narator

Night Train

Movie • 1998

Michael Poole

Meeting Che Guevara & the Man from Maybury Hill

Movie • 2003

Man from Maybury Hill

Jake Speed

Movie • 1986

Syd

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

Movie • 2013

The War Doctor

Spectre

Movie • 1977

Mitri Cyon

The Alchemist's Letter

Movie • 2015

The Alchemist (voice)

On Borrowed Time

Movie • 2011

Self

Iceberg

Movie • 1987

Narrator (voice)

Monolith

Movie • 1987

Narrator (voice)

A.K.A Nadia

Movie • 2015

347

Damascus Cover

Movie • 2017

Miki

Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: The Movie

Movie • 2015

Sailor John (voice)

Wimbledon The Official Film 2014

Movie • 2014

Narrator

Remembrance

Movie • 2009

Bellhop

Who Bombed Birmingham?

Movie • 1990

Chris Mullin

Saigon Baby

Movie • 1995

Jack Lee

The Tigger Movie

Movie • 2000

Narrator (voice)

Alien

Movie • 1979

Kane

A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures

Movie • 2010

Grandpa Sammy (voice)

Behind Jim Jarmusch

Movie • 2010

Self

Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film

Movie • 2014

Self

An Evening with Quentin Crisp

Movie • 1980

Host

Dogville

Movie • 2003

Narrator (voice)

Love at First Sight

Movie • 2010

Arthur

Frightmares

Movie • 1987

Sunset People

Movie • 1984

Self

23 Degrees, 5 Minutes

Movie • 2011

Professor Orit

Rocinante

Movie • 1986

Bill

Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch

Movie • 1990

Self

Jackie

Movie • 2016

The Priest

Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor

Movie • 2013

The War Doctor

Journey to Knock

Movie • 1991

Alfred

The Journey

Movie • 2017

Harry Patterson

ChickLit

Movie • 2016

Francis Bonar

The Black Cauldron

Movie • 1985

The Horned King (voice)

I Dreamt I Woke Up

Movie • 1991

Boorman's Alter Ego

The Pity of War: The Loves and Lives of the War Poets

Movie • 2016

Siegfried Sassoon

The Final Reel

Movie • 2016

Self - Narrator (voice)

Pride

Movie • 2004

Harry (voice)

Tender Loving Care

Movie • 1996

Dr. Turner

Paul McCartney: From Rio to Liverpool

Movie • 1990

Narrator (voice)

The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima

Movie • 1985

Narrator (voice)

That Good Night

Movie • 2017

Ralph

Picture Windows: Two Nudes Bathing

Movie • 1995

Marquis de Prey

Lapse of Memory

Movie • 1991

Conrad Farmer

My Name Is Lenny

Movie • 2017

Leslie Salmon

Sightseers

Movie • 2012

Jerusalem Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

The Snipist

Movie • 2012

The Ministry

Live Aid

Movie • 1985

Self

The Journey – Stories from the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

Movie • 2011

Narrator

Romeo.Juliet

Movie • 1990

La Dame aux Chats / Mercutio (voice)

David Macaulay: Pyramid

Movie • 1989

Khufu / Second French Explorer (voice)

In Love with Alma Cogan

Movie • 2011

Hello: A Portrait Of Leslie Phillips

Movie • 2013

Self / Stephen Ward

The Bengali Night

Movie • 1988

Lucien Metz

The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed

Movie • 2001

Self

Midnight Express

Movie • 1978

Max

Break

Movie • 2015

Jack

Thumbelina

Movie • 1994

Mr. Mole (voice)

More Than Honey

Movie • 2012

Narrator (english voice)

Whaledreamers

Movie • 2006

Self

The World of Jim Henson

Movie • 1994

The Storyteller (archive footage)

The Playboy of the Western World

Alpha to Omega: Exposing 'The Osterman Weekend'

Movie • 2004

Self

The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot

Movie • 2013

The War Doctor (archive voice)

Ayamé

Movie • 2018

Narrator (voice)

Swan Lake 3D - Live from the Mariinsky Theatre

Movie • 2013

The Voice of the Winter Palace / Self

The Peddler

Movie • 1976

Alec Cassell

Rabbit Ears - Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

Movie • 1994

Narrator (voice)

Back to Utopia

Movie • 2016

Professor Peter Panludic (voice)

Doctor Who at the Proms

Movie • 2024

The Doctor (War) (archive footage)

Verity Lambert: Drama Queen

Movie • 2008

Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song

Movie • 2015

The Doctor (War) (picture) (uncredited)

Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War

Movie • 2025

The Doctor (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Twilight Hour: Visions of Ireland's Haunted Past

Movie • 2002

Self

Centenary: The BP Story

Freddy Tisdale

HypaSpace

TV • 2002

Self

I, Claudius

TV • 1976

Caligula

The Storyteller

TV • 1988

The Storyteller

The Jim Henson Hour

TV • 1989

Play for Today

TV • 1970

Alec Cassell

The Alan Clark Diaries

TV • 2004

Alan Clark

Natural World

TV • 1983

Narrator

The Hollywood Greats

TV • 1977

Crime and Punishment

TV • 1979

Rodion Raskolnikov

GMTV

TV • 1993

Self

Labyrinth

TV • 2012

Audric Baillard

Human Planet

TV • 2011

Narrator (voice)

The Confession

TV • 2011

Priest

Planet Dinosaur

TV • 2011

Narrator

Edge of the Universe

TV • 2002

Narrator (voice)

Performance

TV • 1991

The Father

NOVA

TV • 1974

Narrator

Who Do You Think You Are?

TV • 2004

Self

The Last Panthers

TV • 2015

Tom

Merlin

TV • 2008

Kilgharrah (voice)

A Ghost Story for Christmas

TV • 1971

James Parkin

Doctor Who

TV • 2005

The Doctor

Great Performances

TV • 1971

Narrator

Armchair Theatre

TV • 1956

Joe

The Hollow Crown

TV • 2012

The Chorus

Picture Windows

TV • 1995

Marquis de Prey

Masters of Science Fiction

TV • 2007

Samswope

Golden Globe Awards

TV • 1944

Self - Nominee

Parkinson

TV • 1998

Self

Watership Down

TV • 1999

General Woundwort (voice)

Hiroshima: The First Weapon of Mass Destruction

TV • 2005

Narrator

Drama 61-67

TV • 1961

Private Briggs

Drama 61-67

TV • 1961

Tom

Wessex Tales

TV • 1973

Joshua Harlborough