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