Sir John Vincent Hurt CBE (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in the world".[1][2] He possessed what was described as the "most distinctive voice in Britain".[3][4] He received numerous awards including the BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award in 2012[5] and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 for his services to drama.
He came to prominence playing Richard Rich in the film A Man for All Seasons (1966) and won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for The Naked Civil Servant (1975). He played Caligula in the BBC TV series I, Claudius (1976). Hurt earned Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Midnight Express (1978), and Best Actor for The Elephant Man (1980). Other films include Alien (1979), Heaven's Gate (1980), Champions (1984), 1984 (1984), The Hit (1984), Scandal (1989), The Field (1990) and Rob Roy (1995).[6]
Hurt gained further prominence portraying Mr. Ollivander in the Harry Potter film series (2001–11), as well as appearing in the 2004 and 2008 Hellboy films, V for Vendetta (2005), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Outlander (2008), and Snowpiercer (2013). He also acted in the acclaimed films Melancholia (2011), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) and Jackie (2016).
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.[7][8] He voiced roles in Watership Down (1978), The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Plague Dogs (1982), The Black Cauldron (1985), Dogville (2003) and BBC's Merlin (2008–2012), as well as The Gruffalo's Child (2011), and Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (2015).
