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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0000457
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q200405
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Filmography (Movies)
Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War
Character:The Doctor (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:31/05/2025
Doctor Who at the Proms
Character:The Doctor (War) (archive footage)
Release Date:24/12/2024
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:26/03/2021
Ayamé
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:25/08/2018
Damascus Cover
Character:Miki
Release Date:23/10/2017
That Good Night
Character:Ralph
Release Date:20/06/2017
My Name Is Lenny
Character:Leslie Salmon
Release Date:09/06/2017
The Journey
Character:Harry Patterson
Release Date:30/03/2017
Jackie
Character:The Priest
Release Date:02/12/2016
The Pity of War: The Loves and Lives of the War Poets
Character:Siegfried Sassoon
Release Date:13/11/2016
Back to Utopia
Character:Professor Peter Panludic (voice)
Release Date:06/11/2016
The Final Reel
Character:Self - Narrator (voice)
Release Date:09/09/2016
ChickLit
Character:Francis Bonar
Release Date:02/09/2016
Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song
Character:The Doctor (War) (picture) (uncredited)
Release Date:25/12/2015
Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: The Movie
Character:Sailor John (voice)
Release Date:17/07/2015
A.K.A Nadia
Character:347
Release Date:01/07/2015
Break
Character:Jack
Release Date:01/05/2015
The Alchemist's Letter
Character:The Alchemist (voice)
Release Date:21/04/2015
Dmitri Shostakovich: A Man of Many Faces
Character:Narator
Release Date:01/01/2015
Wimbledon The Official Film 2014
Character:Narrator
Release Date:31/08/2014
Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film
Character:Self
Release Date:25/08/2014
Hercules
Character:Cotys
Release Date:23/07/2014
Only Lovers Left Alive
Character:Christopher Marlowe
Release Date:12/12/2013
Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty
Character:Self
Release Date:23/11/2013
The Day of the Doctor: Cinema Intro
Character:The War Doctor
Release Date:23/11/2013
Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor
Character:The War Doctor
Release Date:23/11/2013
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
Character:The War Doctor (archive voice)
Release Date:23/11/2013
Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor
Character:The War Doctor
Release Date:14/11/2013
Hello: A Portrait Of Leslie Phillips
Character:Self / Stephen Ward
Release Date:28/09/2013
Muse of Fire
Character:Self
Release Date:26/09/2013
Snowpiercer
Character:Gilliam
Release Date:01/08/2013
Jayne Mansfield's Car
Character:Kingsley Bedford
Release Date:25/07/2013
Swan Lake 3D - Live from the Mariinsky Theatre
Character:The Voice of the Winter Palace / Self
Release Date:06/06/2013
Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:24/05/2013
Sightseers
Character:Jerusalem Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:30/11/2012
Planet Dinosaur: Ultimate Killers
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:19/08/2012
More Than Honey
Character:Narrator (english voice)
Release Date:11/08/2012
The Snipist
Character:The Ministry
Release Date:24/05/2012
The Gruffalo's Child
Character:The Owl (voice)
Release Date:25/12/2011
Immortals
Character:Old Zeus
Release Date:10/11/2011
On Borrowed Time
Character:Self
Release Date:04/11/2011
In Love with Alma Cogan
Character:MC
Release Date:04/10/2011
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Character:Control
Release Date:16/09/2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Character:Ollivander
Release Date:12/07/2011
23 Degrees, 5 Minutes
Character:Professor Orit
Release Date:09/07/2011
The Journey – Stories from the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
Character:Narrator
Release Date:05/07/2011
Melancholia
Character:Dexter
Release Date:26/05/2011
The Confession
Character:Priest
Release Date:02/05/2011
Sailcloth
Character:Man
Release Date:01/01/2011
Whistle and I'll Come to You
Character:James Parkin
Release Date:24/12/2010
Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie
Character:Carnak
Release Date:10/12/2010
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Character:Ollivander
Release Date:17/11/2010
Love at First Sight
Character:Arthur
Release Date:16/11/2010
Brighton Rock
Character:Phil Corkery
Release Date:13/09/2010
Behind Jim Jarmusch
Character:Self
Release Date:01/09/2010
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures
Character:Grandpa Sammy (voice)
Release Date:04/08/2010
Lou
Character:Doyle
Release Date:17/06/2010
The Gruffalo
Character:Owl (voice)
Release Date:25/12/2009
Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:15/12/2009
Ballybrando
Character:Self
Release Date:12/12/2009
44 Inch Chest
Character:Old Man Peanut
Release Date:08/10/2009
Remembrance
Character:Bellhop
Release Date:06/09/2009
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Character:The Horned King (voice) (archive footage)
Release Date:05/09/2009
The Limits of Control
Character:Guitar
Release Date:01/05/2009
An Englishman in New York
Character:Quentin Crisp
Release Date:07/02/2009
Centenary: The BP Story
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:01/02/2009
Lecture 21
Character:Mondrian Kilroy
Release Date:17/10/2008
New York, I Love You
Character:Bellhop
Release Date:06/09/2008
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Character:Trevor Bruttenholm
Release Date:11/07/2008
Recount
Character:Warren Christopher
Release Date:25/05/2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Character:Professor Harold Oxley
Release Date:21/05/2008
Outlander
Character:Rothgar
Release Date:24/04/2008
Verity Lambert: Drama Queen
Character:
Release Date:05/04/2008
The Oxford Murders
Character:Arthur Seldom
Release Date:18/01/2008
Boxes
Character:Fanny's father
Release Date:06/06/2007
Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron
Character:Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm (voice)
Release Date:10/03/2007
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
Character:Self
Release Date:03/02/2007
Interview with John Hurt
Character:Self
Release Date:22/01/2007
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:13/09/2006
Whaledreamers
Character:Self
Release Date:15/06/2006
The Plot Against Harold Wilson
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:16/03/2006
Shooting Dogs
Character:Christopher
Release Date:08/03/2006
V for Vendetta
Character:Adam Sutler
Release Date:23/02/2006
The Proposition
Character:Jellon Lamb
Release Date:06/10/2005
Once Upon a Halloween
Character:The Horned King (voice) (archive sound)
Release Date:26/09/2005
Hiroshima
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:06/08/2005
The Skeleton Key
Character:Ben Devereaux
Release Date:29/07/2005
Manderlay
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:03/06/2005
Valiant
Character:Felix (voice)
Release Date:25/03/2005
Short Order
Character:
Release Date:01/01/2005
Shadowing the Third Man
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:11/10/2004
Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation
Character:Self
Release Date:27/07/2004
Pride
Character:Harry (voice)
Release Date:21/06/2004
Hellboy
Character:Prof. Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm
Release Date:02/04/2004
Alpha to Omega: Exposing 'The Osterman Weekend'
Character:Self
Release Date:22/01/2004
The Beast Within: Making Alien
Character:Self
Release Date:02/12/2003
Dogville
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:21/05/2003
Meeting Che Guevara & the Man from Maybury Hill
Character:Man from Maybury Hill
Release Date:08/05/2003
Owning Mahowny
Character:Victor Foss
Release Date:02/05/2003
The Alien Saga
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:13/11/2002
The Twilight Hour: Visions of Ireland's Haunted Past
Character:Self
Release Date:18/10/2002
I, Claudius: A Television Epic
Character:Self
Release Date:30/09/2002
Crime and Punishment
Character:Porfiry, chief investigator
Release Date:01/06/2002
Bait
Character:Jack Blake
Release Date:20/02/2002
Miranda
Character:Christian
Release Date:18/01/2002
Shaolin: Wheel of Life
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:11/12/2001
The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed
Character:Self
Release Date:11/12/2001
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Character:Mr. Ollivander
Release Date:16/11/2001
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Character:Dr. Iannis
Release Date:18/04/2001
The Hidden Wars of Desert Storm
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:07/04/2001
Tabloid
Character:Vince
Release Date:01/01/2001
Lost Souls
Character:Father Lareaux
Release Date:13/10/2000
Krapp's Last Tape
Character:Krapp
Release Date:08/09/2000
The Tigger Movie
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:11/02/2000
New Blood
Character:Alan White
Release Date:15/11/1999
You're Dead...
Character:Maitland
Release Date:01/10/1999
If... Dog... Rabbit
Character:Sean Cooper
Release Date:29/09/1999
All the Little Animals
Character:Mr. Summers
Release Date:09/07/1999
Love and Death on Long Island
Character:Giles De'Ath
Release Date:03/07/1998
The Climb
Character:Chuck Langer
Release Date:11/03/1998
The Commissioner
Character:James morton
Release Date:22/02/1998
Night Train
Character:Michael Poole
Release Date:01/01/1998
Brute
Character:Babits
Release Date:07/11/1997
Contact
Character:S. R. Hadden
Release Date:11/07/1997
Tender Loving Care
Character:Dr. Turner
Release Date:16/05/1996
Dead Man
Character:John Scholfield
Release Date:23/12/1995
Saigon Baby
Character:Jack Lee
Release Date:16/12/1995
Wild Bill
Character:Charley Prince
Release Date:01/12/1995
On Jupiter
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:03/08/1995
Rob Roy
Character:John Graham
Release Date:13/04/1995
Picture Windows: Two Nudes Bathing
Character:Marquis de Prey
Release Date:24/03/1995
The World of Jim Henson
Character:The Storyteller (archive footage)
Release Date:23/11/1994
Second Best
Character:Uncle Turpin
Release Date:30/09/1994
Rabbit Ears - Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:17/08/1994
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Character:The Countess
Release Date:13/05/1994
Great Moments in Aviation
Character:Rex Goodyear
Release Date:01/05/1994
Thumbelina
Character:Mr. Mole (voice)
Release Date:30/03/1994
Monolith
Character:Villano
Release Date:16/09/1993
Six Characters in Search of An Author
Character:The Father
Release Date:12/12/1992
Dark at Noon
Character:Anthony / Le Marquis
Release Date:01/10/1992
Red Fox
Character:Archie Carpenter
Release Date:08/12/1991
I Dreamt I Woke Up
Character:Boorman's Alter Ego
Release Date:16/11/1991
Journey to Knock
Character:Alfred
Release Date:17/09/1991
Lapse of Memory
Character:Conrad Farmer
Release Date:02/06/1991
King Ralph
Character:Lord Percival Graves
Release Date:15/02/1991
Paul McCartney: From Rio to Liverpool
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:17/12/1990
Frankenstein Unbound
Character:Dr. Joe Buchanan / Narrator (voice)
Release Date:02/11/1990
Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch
Character:Self
Release Date:19/10/1990
The Field
Character:Bird' O'Donnell
Release Date:21/09/1990
Resident Alien
Character:Self - Actor
Release Date:14/09/1990
Windprints
Character:Charles Rutherford
Release Date:29/06/1990
Who Bombed Birmingham?
Character:Chris Mullin
Release Date:22/04/1990
Romeo.Juliet
Character:La Dame aux Chats / Mercutio (voice)
Release Date:01/01/1990
Poison Candy
Character:Robert Burger
Release Date:19/10/1989
Scandal
Character:Stephen Ward
Release Date:03/03/1989
David Macaulay: Pyramid
Character:Khufu / Second French Explorer (voice)
Release Date:04/01/1989
The Bengali Night
Character:Lucien Metz
Release Date:26/10/1988
Deadline
Character:Granville Jones
Release Date:01/01/1988
White Mischief
Character:Gilbert Colville
Release Date:10/11/1987
Vincent
Character:(voice)
Release Date:08/10/1987
Spaceballs
Character:John Hurt
Release Date:24/06/1987
Aria
Character:The Actor
Release Date:27/05/1987
The Hunting of the Snark
Character:The Narrator (voice)
Release Date:01/04/1987
From the Hip
Character:Douglas Benoit
Release Date:06/02/1987
Iceberg
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:01/01/1987
Monolith
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:01/01/1987
Frightmares
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1987
Rocinante
Character:Bill
Release Date:01/11/1986
Thames Film
Character:
Release Date:10/08/1986
Jake Speed
Character:Syd
Release Date:30/05/1986
The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:03/12/1985
The Black Cauldron
Character:The Horned King (voice)
Release Date:24/07/1985
Live Aid
Character:Self
Release Date:13/07/1985
After Darkness
Character:Peter Hunningford
Release Date:01/02/1985
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Character:Winston Smith
Release Date:09/11/1984
The Hit
Character:Braddock
Release Date:07/09/1984
Success Is the Best Revenge
Character:Dino Montecurva
Release Date:26/05/1984
Champions
Character:Bob Champion
Release Date:20/04/1984
Sunset People
Character:Self
Release Date:03/03/1984
The Osterman Weekend
Character:Lawrence Fassett
Release Date:14/10/1983
King Lear
Character:The Fool
Release Date:03/04/1983
The Plague Dogs
Character:Snitter (voice)
Release Date:01/10/1982
Paul McCartney - Take It Away
Character:
Release Date:21/06/1982
Partners
Character:Kerwin
Release Date:30/04/1982
Night Crossing
Character:Peter Strelzyk
Release Date:05/02/1982
History of the World: Part I
Character:Jesus - The Roman Empire
Release Date:12/06/1981
Heaven's Gate
Character:Billy Irvine
Release Date:19/11/1980
The Elephant Man
Character:John Merrick
Release Date:09/10/1980
An Evening with Quentin Crisp
Character:Host
Release Date:01/01/1980
Alien
Character:Kane
Release Date:25/05/1979
The Lord of the Rings
Character:Aragorn (voice)
Release Date:15/11/1978
Watership Down
Character:Hazel (voice)
Release Date:14/10/1978
Midnight Express
Character:Max
Release Date:31/08/1978
The Shout
Character:Anthony Fielding
Release Date:16/06/1978
The Disappearance
Character:Atkinson
Release Date:30/11/1977
East of Elephant Rock
Character:Nash
Release Date:22/10/1977
Three Dangerous Ladies
Character:Lt. George Simmonds
Release Date:05/06/1977
Spectre
Character:Mitri Cyon
Release Date:21/05/1977
Stream Line
Character:Chandler
Release Date:06/05/1976
The Peddler
Character:Alec Cassell
Release Date:23/03/1976
The Naked Civil Servant
Character:Quentin Crisp
Release Date:17/12/1975
The Ghoul
Character:Tom Rawlings
Release Date:01/06/1975
Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs
Character:Malcolm Scrawdyke
Release Date:11/06/1974
The Playboy of the Western World
Character:Christopher Mahon (Christy Mahon)
Release Date:01/01/1974
The Pied Piper
Character:Franz
Release Date:27/12/1972
Green Julia
Character:Bob
Release Date:29/08/1971
Mr. Forbush and the Penguins
Character:Richard Forbush
Release Date:29/07/1971
10 Rillington Place
Character:Timothy Evans
Release Date:10/02/1971
In Search of Gregory
Character:Daniel
Release Date:01/11/1969
Sinful Davey
Character:Davey Haggart
Release Date:10/02/1969
Before Winter Comes
Character:Lieutenant Pilkington
Release Date:17/01/1969
The Sailor from Gibraltar
Character:John
Release Date:01/01/1967
A Man for All Seasons
Character:Richard Rich
Release Date:13/12/1966
This Is My Street
Character:Charlie
Release Date:15/01/1964
The Wild and the Willing
Character:Phil Corbett
Release Date:16/10/1962
Television Appearances
The Last Panthers
Character:Tom
Labyrinth
Character:Audric Baillard
The Hollow Crown
Character:The Chorus
Planet Dinosaur
Character:Narrator
The Confession
Character:Priest
Human Planet
Character:Narrator (voice)
Merlin
Character:Kilgharrah (voice)
Masters of Science Fiction
Character:Samswope
A Ghost Story for Christmas
Character:James Parkin
Hiroshima: The First Weapon of Mass Destruction
Character:Narrator
Doctor Who
Character:The Doctor
Who Do You Think You Are?
Character:Self
The Alan Clark Diaries
Character:Alan Clark
HypaSpace
Character:Self
Edge of the Universe
Character:Narrator (voice)
Watership Down
Character:General Woundwort (voice)
Parkinson
Character:Self
Picture Windows
Character:Marquis de Prey
Inside the Actors Studio
Character:Self
GMTV
Character:Self
Performance
Character:The Father
The Jim Henson Hour
Character:
The Storyteller
Character:The Storyteller
Natural World
Character:Narrator
Crime and Punishment
Character:Raskolnikov
The Hollywood Greats
Character:
I, Claudius
Character:Caligula
The Sweeney
Character:Tony Grey
NOVA
Character:Narrator
Wessex Tales
Character:Joshua Harlborough
A Ghost Story for Christmas
Character:James Parkin
Great Performances
Character:Narrator
Play for Today
Character:Alec Cassell
Gideon's Way
Character:Freddy Tisdale
Drama 61-67
Character:Private Briggs
Drama 61-67
Character:Tom
Armchair Theatre
Character:Joe
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Nominee
Images
