John Hurt
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
- 2025 · Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War as The Doctor (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2024 · Doctor Who at the Proms as The Doctor (War) (archive footage)
- 2021 · Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony as Self (archive footage)
- 2017 · Damascus Cover as Miki
- 2017 · That Good Night as Ralph
- 2017 · My Name Is Lenny as Leslie Salmon
- 2017 · The Journey as Harry Patterson
- 2016 · Jackie as The Priest
- 2016 · The Pity of War: The Loves and Lives of the War Poets as Siegfried Sassoon
- 2016 · ChickLit as Francis Bonar
- 2015 · Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song as The Doctor (War) (picture) (uncredited)
- 2015 · The Last Panthers as Tom
- 2015 · Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: The Movie as Sailor John (voice)
- 2015 · A.K.A Nadia as 347
- 2014 · Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film as Self
- 2014 · Hercules as Cotys
- 2013 · Only Lovers Left Alive as Christopher Marlowe
- 2013 · Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor as The War Doctor
- 2013 · The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot as The War Doctor (archive voice)
- 2013 · Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor as The War Doctor
- 2013 · Muse of Fire as Self
- 2013 · Snowpiercer as Gilliam
- 2013 · Jayne Mansfield's Car as Kingsley Bedford
- 2012 · Sightseers as Jerusalem Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
- 2012 · Labyrinth as Audric Baillard
- 2012 · Planet Dinosaur: Ultimate Killers as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · More Than Honey as Narrator (english voice)
- 2012 · The Hollow Crown as The Chorus
- 2011 · The Gruffalo's Child as The Owl (voice)
- 2011 · Immortals as Old Zeus
- 2011 · In Love with Alma Cogan as MC
- 2011 · Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as Control
- 2011 · Planet Dinosaur as Narrator
- 2011 · Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 as Ollivander
- 2011 · Melancholia as Dexter
- 2011 · The Confession as Priest
- 2011 · The Confession as Priest
- 2011 · Human Planet as Narrator (voice)
- 2010 · Whistle and I'll Come to You as James Parkin
- 2010 · Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie as Carnak
- 2010 · Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as Ollivander
- 2010 · Brighton Rock as Phil Corkery
- 2010 · Behind Jim Jarmusch as Self
- 2010 · A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures as Grandpa Sammy (voice)
- 2010 · Lou as Doyle
- 2009 · The Gruffalo as Owl (voice)
- 2009 · Creating the World of Harry Potter as Self - 'Mr. Garrick Ollivander'
- 2009 · 44 Inch Chest as Old Man Peanut
- 2009 · Waking Sleeping Beauty as The Horned King (voice) (archive footage)
- 2009 · The Limits of Control as Guitar
- 2009 · An Englishman in New York as Quentin Crisp
- 2008 · Lecture 21 as Mondrian Kilroy
- 2008 · Merlin as Kilgharrah (voice)
- 2008 · New York, I Love You as Bellhop
- 2008 · Hellboy II: The Golden Army as Trevor Bruttenholm
- 2008 · Recount as Warren Christopher
- 2008 · Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as Professor Harold Oxley
- 2008 · Outlander as Rothgar
- 2008 · The Oxford Murders as Arthur Seldom
- 2007 · Masters of Science Fiction as Samswope
- 2007 · Boxes as Fanny's father
- 2007 · Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron as Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm (voice)
- 2007 · The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
- 2006 · Perfume: The Story of a Murderer as Narrator (voice)
- 2006 · The One Show as Self - Guest
- 2006 · Whaledreamers as Self
- 2006 · Shooting Dogs as Christopher
- 2006 · V for Vendetta as Adam Sutler
- 2005 · The Proposition as Jellon Lamb
- 2005 · Once Upon a Halloween as The Horned King
- 2005 · Hiroshima as Narrator (voice)
- 2005 · The Skeleton Key as Ben Devereaux
- 2005 · Manderlay as Narrator (voice)
- 2005 · Doctor Who as The Doctor
- 2005 · Valiant as Felix (voice)
- 2004 · Who Do You Think You Are? as Self
- 2004 · Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation as Self
- 2004 · Pride as Harry (voice)
- 2004 · Hellboy as Prof. Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm
- 2004 · The Alan Clark Diaries as Alan Clark
- 2003 · The Beast Within: Making Alien as Self
- 2003 · Dogville as Narrator (voice)
- 2003 · Owning Mahowny as Victor Foss
- 2002 · The Alien Saga as Narrator (voice)
- 2002 · I, Claudius: A Television Epic as Self
- 2002 · Crime and Punishment as Porfiry, chief investigator
- 2002 · HypaSpace as Self
- 2002 · Miranda as Christian
- 2002 · Edge of the Universe as Narrator (voice)
- 2001 · Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as Mr. Ollivander
- 2001 · Captain Corelli's Mandolin as Dr. Iannis
- 2001 · The Hidden Wars of Desert Storm as Narrator (voice)
- 2001 · Tabloid as Vince
- 2000 · Lost Souls as Father Lareaux
- 2000 · The Tigger Movie as Narrator (voice)
- 1999 · If... Dog... Rabbit as Sean Cooper
- 1999 · Watership Down as General Woundwort
- 1999 · All the Little Animals as Mr. Summers
- 1998 · Love and Death on Long Island as Giles De'Ath
- 1998 · The Climb as Chuck Langer
- 1998 · The Commissioner as James morton
- 1998 · Parkinson as Self
- 1998 · Night Train as Michael Poole
- 1997 · Bandyta as Babits
- 1997 · Contact as S. R. Hadden
- 1995 · Dead Man as John Scholfield
- 1995 · Wild Bill as Charley Prince
- 1995 · Picture Windows as Marquis de Prey
- 1995 · On Jupiter as Narrator (voice)
- 1995 · Rob Roy as John Graham
- 1994 · The World of Jim Henson as The Storyteller (archive footage)
- 1994 · Second Best as Uncle Turpin
- 1994 · Inside the Actors Studio as Self
- 1994 · Even Cowgirls Get the Blues as The Countess
- 1994 · Great Moments in Aviation as Rex Goodyear
- 1994 · Thumbelina as Mr. Mole (voice)
- 1993 · Monolith as Villano
- 1993 · GMTV as Self
- 1992 · Dark at Noon as Anthony / Le Marquis
- 1991 · Red Fox as Archie Carpenter
- 1991 · Performance as The Father
- 1991 · King Ralph as Lord Percival Graves
- 1990 · Frankenstein Unbound as Dr. Joe Buchanan / Narrator (voice)
- 1990 · Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch as Self
- 1990 · The Field as Bird' O'Donnell
- 1990 · Resident Alien as Self - Actor
- 1990 · Who Bombed Birmingham? as Chris Mullin
- 1990 · Romeo.Juliet as La Dame aux Chats / Mercutio (voice)
- 1989 · Little Sweetheart as Robert Burger
- 1989 · The Jim Henson Hour as
- 1989 · Scandal as Stephen Ward
- 1989 · David Macaulay: Pyramid as Khufu / Second French Explorer (voice)
- 1988 · The Bengali Night as Lucien Metz
- 1988 · The Storyteller as The Storyteller
- 1988 · Deadline as Granville Jones
- 1987 · White Mischief as Gilbert Colville
- 1987 · Spaceballs as John Hurt
- 1987 · Aria as The Actor
- 1987 · The Hunting of the Snark as The Narrator (voice)
- 1987 · From the Hip as Douglas Benoit
- 1986 · Jake Speed as Syd
- 1985 · The Black Cauldron as The Horned King (voice)
- 1985 · Live Aid as Self
- 1984 · Nineteen Eighty-Four as Winston Smith
- 1984 · The Hit as Braddock
- 1984 · Success Is the Best Revenge as Dino Montecurva
- 1984 · Champions as Bob Champion
- 1983 · Natural World as Narrator
- 1983 · The Osterman Weekend as Lawrence Fassett
- 1983 · King Lear as The Fool
- 1982 · The Plague Dogs as Snitter (voice)
- 1982 · Partners as Kerwin
- 1982 · Night Crossing as Peter Strelzyk
- 1981 · History of the World: Part I as Jesus - The Roman Empire
- 1980 · Heaven's Gate as Billy Irvine
- 1980 · The Elephant Man as John Merrick
- 1979 · Alien as Kane
- 1979 · Crime and Punishment as Raskolnikov
- 1978 · The Lord of the Rings as Aragorn (voice)
- 1978 · Watership Down as Hazel (voice)
- 1978 · Midnight Express as Max
- 1978 · The Shout as Anthony Fielding
- 1977 · The Disappearance as Atkinson
- 1977 · The Hollywood Greats as
- 1977 · Spectre as Mitri Cyon
- 1976 · I, Claudius as
- 1976 · I, Claudius as Caligula
- 1975 · The Naked Civil Servant as Quentin Crisp
- 1975 · The Ghoul as Tom Rawlings
- 1975 · The Sweeney as Tony Grey
- 1974 · Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs as Malcolm Scrawdyke
- 1974 · NOVA as Narrator
- 1974 · The Playboy of the Western World as Christopher Mahon (Christy Mahon)
- 1973 · Wessex Tales as Joshua Harlborough
- 1972 · The Pied Piper as Franz
- 1971 · A Ghost Story for Christmas as James Parkin
- 1971 · Mr. Forbush and the Penguins as Richard Forbush
- 1971 · 10 Rillington Place as Timothy Evans
- 1971 · Great Performances as Narrator
- 1970 · Play for Today as Alec Cassell
- 1969 · Sinful Davey as Davey Haggart
- 1969 · Before Winter Comes as Lieutenant Pilkington
- 1967 · The Sailor from Gibraltar as John
- 1966 · A Man for All Seasons as Richard Rich
- 1965 · Gideon's Way as Freddy Tisdale
- 1956 · Armchair Theatre as Joe
- Future · The StoryTeller as The Storyteller
- 2018 · Ayamé as Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · Back to Utopia as Professor Peter Panludic (voice)
- 2016 · The Final Reel as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2015 · Break as Jack
- 2015 · The Alchemist's Letter as The Alchemist (voice)
- 2015 · Dmitri Shostakovich: A Man of Many Faces as Narator
- 2014 · Wimbledon The Official Film 2014 as Narrator
- 2013 · Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty as Self
- 2013 · The Day of the Doctor: Cinema Intro as The War Doctor
- 2013 · Hello: A Portrait Of Leslie Phillips as Self / Stephen Ward
- 2013 · Swan Lake 3D - Live from the Mariinsky Theatre as The Voice of the Winter Palace / Self
- 2013 · Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · The Snipist as The Ministry
- 2011 · On Borrowed Time as Self
- 2011 · 23 Degrees, 5 Minutes as Professor Orit
- 2011 · The Journey – Stories from the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa as Narrator
- 2011 · Sailcloth as Man
- 2010 · Love at First Sight as Arthur
- 2009 · Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World as Self (archive footage)
- 2009 · Ballybrando as Self
- 2009 · Remembrance as Bellhop
- 2008 · Verity Lambert: Drama Queen as
- 2007 · Interview with John Hurt as Self
- 2006 · The Plot Against Harold Wilson as Narrator (voice)
- 2005 · Short Order as
- 2004 · Shadowing the Third Man as Narrator (voice)
- 2004 · Alpha to Omega: Exposing 'The Osterman Weekend' as Self
- 2003 · Meeting Che Guevara & the Man from Maybury Hill as Man from Maybury Hill
- 2002 · The Twilight Hour: Visions of Ireland's Haunted Past as Self
- 2002 · Bait as Jack Blake
- 2001 · Shaolin: Wheel of Life as Narrator (voice)
- 2001 · The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed as Self
- 2000 · Krapp's Last Tape as Krapp
- 1999 · New Blood as Alan White
- 1999 · You're Dead... as Maitland
- 1996 · Tender Loving Care as Dr. Turner
- 1995 · Saigon Baby as Jack Lee
- 1995 · Two Nudes Bathing as Marquis de Prey
- 1994 · Rabbit Ears - Aladdin and the Magic Lamp as Narrator (voice)
- 1992 · Six Characters in Search of An Author as The Father
- 1991 · I Dreamt I Woke Up as Boorman's Alter Ego
- 1991 · Journey to Knock as Alfred
- 1991 · Lapse of Memory as Conrad Farmer
- 1990 · Paul McCartney: From Rio to Liverpool as Narrator (voice)
- 1990 · Windprints as Charles Rutherford
- 1987 · Vincent as (voice)
- 1987 · Iceberg as Narrator (voice)
- 1987 · Monolith as Narrator (voice)
- 1987 · Frightmares as
- 1986 · Rocinante as Bill
- 1986 · Thames Film as
- 1985 · The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima as Narrator (voice)
- 1985 · After Darkness as Peter Hunningford
- 1984 · Sunset People as Self
- 1982 · Paul McCartney - Take It Away as
- 1980 · An Evening with Quentin Crisp as Host
- 1977 · East of Elephant Rock as Nash
- 1977 · Three Dangerous Ladies as Lt. George Simmonds
- 1976 · Stream Line as Chandler
- 1976 · The Peddler as Alec Cassell
- 1969 · In Search of Gregory as Daniel
- 1964 · This Is My Street as Charlie
- 1962 · The Wild and the Willing as Phil Corbett
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee