John Hurt
Encyclopedia
John Vincent Hurt, CBE
(born 22 January 1940) is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick
in The Elephant Man
, Winston Smith
in Nineteen Eighty-Four
, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward
in Scandal, Quentin Crisp
in The Naked Civil Servant
and An Englishman in New York
. Recognizable for his distinctive rich voice, he has also enjoyed a successful voice acting
career, starring in films such as Watership Down
, The Lord of the Rings
and Dogville
, as well as BBC
television series Merlin
.
Hurt initially came to prominence for his role as Richard Rich
in the 1966 film A Man for All Seasons, and has since appeared in such popular motion pictures as: Alien
, Midnight Express
, Rob Roy
, V for Vendetta
, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the first and the last Harry Potter
films, the Hellboy
film series, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Hurt is one of England's best-known, most prolific and sought-after actors, and has had a versatile film career spanning six decades. He is also known for his many Shakespearean roles. Hurt has received multiple awards and honours throughout his career including a Golden Globe Award
and three BAFTA Awards, with two and six nominations respectively, as well as two Academy Award nominations. His character's final scene in Alien is consistently named as one of the most memorable in cinematic history.
, Derbyshire, when his father was vicar of Shirebrook
. He is the son of Phyllis (née Massey), an amateur actress and engineer, and Arnould Herbert Hurt, a mathematician who became an Anglican clergyman. Hurt has an older brother, Br. Anselm (born Michael), a Roman Catholic convert, who became a monk and writer at Glenstal Abbey
, to whose books his younger brother John has contributed. John Hurt also has an adopted sister, Monica. His father was a vicar at St John in Sunderland, but in 1937 he moved his family to Derbyshire, where he became Perpetual Curate of Holy Trinity church. When John was five, his father became the vicar of St Stephens Church at Woodville, South Derbyshire
and remained there until 1952. In 1945, John's father founded 1st Woodville (St Stephens) Scout Group which is still going strong today.
Hurt had a strict upbringing: the family lived opposite a cinema but he was not allowed to visit. He was also not permitted to mix with local children because in his parents' view they were "too common". Hurt's mother died in 1975, and his father died in 1999 at the age of 95.
in Otford
, Kent, where he eventually developed his passion for acting. He decided he wanted to become an actor, and his first role was that of a girl in a school production The Bluebird (L'Oiseau Bleu
) by Maurice Maeterlinck
. While he was a pupil at the school he was abused by Donald Cormack (now deceased), then Senior Master of the school and later Head Teacher (until his retirement in 1981). Hurt described how Cormack would remove his two false front teeth and put his tongue in the boys' mouths, and how he would rub their faces with his stubble. Hurt said that the experience affected him "hugely".
His father moved to St Aidan's Church in Cleethorpes
, Lincolnshire. Hurt (then aged 12) became a boarder at Christ's Hospital School
(then a grammar school) in Lincoln
, because he had failed the entrance exam for admission to his brother's school. Hurt often accompanied his mother to Cleethorpes Repertory Theatre, but his parents disliked his acting ambitions and encouraged him to become an art teacher instead. His headmaster, Mr Franklin, laughed when Hurt told him he wanted to be an actor, saying "you wouldn't stand a chance in the profession."
Aged 17, Hurt enrolled in Grimsby
Art School (now the East Coast School of Art & Design), where he studied art. In 1959 Hurt won a scholarship allowing him to study for an Art Teachers Diploma (ATD) at Central St. Martins College
in Holborn
, London. Despite the scholarship, paying for his studies was financially difficult and so he persuaded some of his friends to pose nude and sold the portraits. In 1960 he won a scholarship to RADA
where he trained for two years. He was then cast in small roles on TV. .
(1962), but his first major role was as Richard Rich
in A Man for All Seasons
(1966). His portrayal of Quentin Crisp
in the 1975 TV play, The Naked Civil Servant
gave prominence and earned him the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. The following year, Hurt played the Roman
emperor Caligula
in the BBC
drama serial, I, Claudius
. In 1978, he appeared in Midnight Express
, for which he won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (the latter of which he lost to Christopher Walken
for his performance in The Deer Hunter
). Hurt played Hazel, the heroic rabbit leader of his warren in the film adaptation of Watership Down
and later played the major villain, General Woundwort, in the animated television series version
.
His roles at the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s included Kane, the memorable first victim of the title creature in the film Alien
(a role which he reprised as a parody in Spaceballs
); would-be art school radical Scrawdyke in Little Malcolm; and "John" Merrick in the Joseph Merrick
biography The Elephant Man
, for which he won a BAFTA and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Actor. He also had a starring role in Sam Peckinpah
's critically panned but moderately successful final film, The Osterman Weekend
(1983). Also in 1983 he starred as the Fool opposite Sir Laurence Olivier's King in King Lear. Hurt also appeared as Raskolnikov
in the BBC series Crime and Punishment in 1980.
Hurt has taken roles in famous political allegories, first playing the hero in an early production and then the tyrannical villain in a later work. For instance, he played Winston Smith
in the 1984 adaptation
of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
and then assumed the role of Adam Sutler
(a Big Brother
-esque leader of a fascist Great Britain) in the 2006 film V for Vendetta
, a film that drew many parallels to the world of Orwell's 1984.
In 1985, Hurt starred in Disney's The Black Cauldron
, voicing the film's main antagonist, the Horned King
. In 1986, Hurt provided the voiceover for AIDS: Iceberg / Tombstone, a public information film
warning of the dangers of AIDS. He had a memorable supporting role as "Bird" O'Donnell in Jim Sheridan
's 1990 film The Field
, which garnered him another BAFTA nomination. In 2001, he played Mr. Ollivander, the wand-maker, in the first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
. He returned for the adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
, though his scenes in that film were cut. He also returned for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2
. In 1999, Hurt provided narration on the British musical group Art of Noise's concept album The Seduction of Claude Debussy
. He was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)
in June 2004. During this time, he narrated a four part series on the Universe which was released on DVD in 1999. In May 2008, he appeared in Steven Spielberg
's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as Harold Oxley. He is also the voice of The Great Dragon Kilgharrah, who aids the young warlock Merlin as he protects the future king Arthur, in the BBC television series Merlin
.
In 2008, 33 years after The Naked Civil Servant
, Hurt reprised the role of Quentin Crisp in An Englishman in New York
. This film depicts Crisp's later years in New York.
In June 2009, Hurt played the on-screen Big Brother for Paper Zoo Theatre Company's production of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four
. The theatre production premiered at the National Media Museum, in Bradford
and will be touring during early 2010. Hurt said, "I think Paper Zoo thought it would be quite ironic to have the person who played Winston having risen in the party. From the Chestnut Tree Cafe, he's managed to get his wits together again, now understanding that 2 and 2 make 5, and becomes Big Brother. So it tickled my fancy, and of course I looked up Paper Zoo, and they seem to me to be the sort of company that’s essential in the country as we know it, and doing a lot of really good stuff."
Hurt is due to appear alongside Ben Kingsley
in a new feature entitle Broken Dream which will be directed by Neil Jordan
in 2011.
. In that same year, John Hurt first performed on the London stage and married actress Annette Robertson. The marriage ended in 1964. In 1967 he began his longest relationship, with French model Marie-Lise Volpeliere-Pierrot, sister of fashion photographer Jean-Claude Volpeliere-Pierrot. The couple had planned to get married after fifteen years, when things evolved tragically on 26 January 1983: Hurt and Volpeliere-Pierrot went horse riding early in the morning near their house in Ascott-under-Wychwood
, Oxfordshire, when suddenly Volpeliere-Pierrot lost her stirrup and was thrown off the horse, landing on her head in the middle of the lane. She went into a coma and died later that day.
Hurt married Texan actress and old friend Donna Peacock at a local Registrar
's office on 6 September 1984. The couple moved to Kenya and tried unsuccessfully to have children through IVF. They divorced in early January 1990.
While living in Ireland he hit and killed a sheep and was brought to court over the dispute. Soon afterwards (on 24 January 1990) Hurt married American production assistant Jo Dalton whom he had met while filming Scandal. With her he had two sons: Sasha John Vincent Hurt (born 6 February 1990) and Nick Hurt (born 5 February 1993), who are currently residing in County Waterford, Ireland. Nick has gone to acting school in England and wishes to follow in his father's footsteps. This marriage ended in 1996. At one point Hurt was involved with Sarah Owen, twenty years his junior, and with whom he lived in County Wicklow
, Ireland. In March 2005, Hurt married his fourth wife, advertising film producer Anwen Rees Meyers.
In January 2002, Hurt received an honorary degree from the University of Derby
and in January 2006 received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters
from the University of Hull
.
In 2007, Hurt took part in the BBC
genealogical
television series Who Do You Think You Are?, which investigated part of his family history. Prior to participating in the programme, Hurt had harboured a love of Ireland and was enamoured of a 'deeply beguiling' family legend that suggested his great-grandmother had been the illegitimate daughter of Irish nobleman, the Marquess of Sligo
. The genealogical evidence uncovered seemed to contradict the family legend, rendering the 'suggestion' doubtful. Coincidentally, the search revealed that his great-grandmother had previously lived in Grimsby
at a location within a mile of the art college at which Hurt had once enrolled. He is distantly related to author Enid Blyton
on his father's side.
Since 2006, John Hurt has been a patron
of Project Harar
, a UK-based charity working in Ethiopia
for children with facial disfigurements.
Since 2009, he has been patron of QUAD
. On 25 September 2009 Hurt visited QUAD and took part in a Q&A directly preceding a screening of the film The Night Train as part of the festivities, celebrating the first birthday at QUAD (opened on 26 September 2008). The day after, 26 September, John Hurt was guest of honour at Derby County
vs Bristol City
and went on the pitch at Pride Park Stadium
at half time to oversee a prize draw.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 22 January 1940) is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick
Joseph Merrick
Joseph Carey Merrick , sometimes incorrectly referred to as John Merrick, was an English man with severe deformities who was exhibited as a human curiosity named the Elephant Man. He became well known in London society after he went to live at the London Hospital...
in The Elephant Man
The Elephant Man (film)
The Elephant Man is a 1980 American drama film based on the true story of Joseph Merrick , a severely deformed man in 19th century London...
, Winston Smith
Winston Smith
Winston Smith is a fictional character and the protagonist of George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The character was employed by Orwell as an everyman in the setting of the novel, a "central eye ... [the reader] can readily identify with"...
in Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four (film)
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a 1984 British science fiction film, based upon George Orwell's novel of the same name, following the life of Winston Smith in Oceania, a country run by a totalitarian government...
, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward
Stephen Ward
Stephen Thomas Ward was an osteopath and artist who became notorious as one of the central figures in the 1963 Profumo affair, a British public scandal which profoundly affected the ruling Conservative Party government...
in Scandal, Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp , was an English writer and raconteur. He became a gay icon in the 1970s after publication of his memoir, The Naked Civil Servant.- Early life :...
in The Naked Civil Servant
The Naked Civil Servant (film)
The Naked Civil Servant is a 1975 TV film based on the 1968 autobiography by the gay icon Quentin Crisp, also titled The Naked Civil Servant. It stars John Hurt in the title role....
and An Englishman in New York
An Englishman in New York (film)
An Englishman in New York is a 2009 biographical drama film that chronicles the English gay writer Quentin Crisp's later years spent in New York City. It is a follow-up to the 1975 TV movie The Naked Civil Servant with John Hurt reprising his role as Crisp...
. Recognizable for his distinctive rich voice, he has also enjoyed a successful voice acting
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
career, starring in films such as Watership Down
Watership Down (film)
Watership Down is a 1978 English adventure drama animated film written, produced and directed by Martin Rosen and based on the book by Richard Adams. It was financed by a consortium of British financial institutions...
, The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 American fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. It contains both animation and live action footage which is rotoscoped to give it a more consistent look throughout the length of the movie. It is an adaptation of the first half of the high fantasy...
and Dogville
Dogville
Dogville is a 2003 drama written and directed by Lars von Trier, and starring Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Chloë Sevigny, Paul Bettany, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, and James Caan...
, as well as BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series Merlin
Merlin (TV series)
Merlin is a British fantasy-adventure television programme by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps. It began broadcasting on BBC One on 20 September 2008. The show is based on the Arthurian legends of the wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur but differs from...
.
Hurt initially came to prominence for his role as Richard Rich
Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich
Sir Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich , was Lord Chancellor during the reign of King Edward VI of England. He was the founder of Felsted School with its associated alms houses in Essex in 1564....
in the 1966 film A Man for All Seasons, and has since appeared in such popular motion pictures as: Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
, Midnight Express
Midnight Express (film)
Released on October 6, 1978, the soundtrack to Midnight Express was composed by Italian synth-pioneer Giorgio Moroder. The score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score of 1978.Side A:#Chase – Giorgio Moroder...
, Rob Roy
Rob Roy (film)
Rob Roy is a 1995 historical drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Liam Neeson stars as Robert Roy MacGregor, an 18th century Scottish historical figure who battles with feudal landowners in the Scottish Highlands. Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, and Jason Flemyng also star...
, V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the first and the last Harry Potter
Harry Potter (film series)
The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
films, the Hellboy
Hellboy (film)
Hellboy is a 2004 supernatural superhero film, starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt and Selma Blair, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is based on the Dark Horse Comics work Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. It was produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures...
film series, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Hurt is one of England's best-known, most prolific and sought-after actors, and has had a versatile film career spanning six decades. He is also known for his many Shakespearean roles. Hurt has received multiple awards and honours throughout his career including a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
and three BAFTA Awards, with two and six nominations respectively, as well as two Academy Award nominations. His character's final scene in Alien is consistently named as one of the most memorable in cinematic history.
Early life
John Hurt was born in ChesterfieldChesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...
, Derbyshire, when his father was vicar of Shirebrook
Shirebrook
Shirebrook is a town in the Bolsover district of north-east Derbyshire on the border with Nottinghamshire, England. At the 2001 UK Census it had a population of 9,291 , 10,412...
. He is the son of Phyllis (née Massey), an amateur actress and engineer, and Arnould Herbert Hurt, a mathematician who became an Anglican clergyman. Hurt has an older brother, Br. Anselm (born Michael), a Roman Catholic convert, who became a monk and writer at Glenstal Abbey
Glenstal Abbey
Glenstal Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located in Murroe, County Limerick. It is dedicated to Saint Joseph and Saint Columba. The current abbot of the monastery is Dom Patrick Hederman, OSB...
, to whose books his younger brother John has contributed. John Hurt also has an adopted sister, Monica. His father was a vicar at St John in Sunderland, but in 1937 he moved his family to Derbyshire, where he became Perpetual Curate of Holy Trinity church. When John was five, his father became the vicar of St Stephens Church at Woodville, South Derbyshire
Woodville, Derbyshire
Woodville is a village and civil parish just outside Swadlincote in South Derbyshire, England. The centre of the village, known as the Tollgate, is a busy traffic island on the A511.-History:...
and remained there until 1952. In 1945, John's father founded 1st Woodville (St Stephens) Scout Group which is still going strong today.
Hurt had a strict upbringing: the family lived opposite a cinema but he was not allowed to visit. He was also not permitted to mix with local children because in his parents' view they were "too common". Hurt's mother died in 1975, and his father died in 1999 at the age of 95.
Education
At the age of eight he was sent to the Anglican St Michael's Preparatory SchoolSt Michael's Preparatory School, Otford
St Michael's Preparatory School is a coeducational preparatory school in Otford.The school is located in a site in the North Downs with old and new buildings.-History:...
in Otford
Otford
Otford is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent known for its classically British countryside. The village is located on the River Darent, flowing north down its valley from its source on the North Downs...
, Kent, where he eventually developed his passion for acting. He decided he wanted to become an actor, and his first role was that of a girl in a school production The Bluebird (L'Oiseau Bleu
L'Oiseau Bleu
The Blue Bird is a 1908 play by Belgian author Maurice Maeterlinck. It premiered on 30 September 1908 at Constantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre and has been turned into several films and a TV series. The French composer Albert Wolff wrote an opera The Blue Bird is a 1908 play by Belgian...
) by Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also called Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life...
. While he was a pupil at the school he was abused by Donald Cormack (now deceased), then Senior Master of the school and later Head Teacher (until his retirement in 1981). Hurt described how Cormack would remove his two false front teeth and put his tongue in the boys' mouths, and how he would rub their faces with his stubble. Hurt said that the experience affected him "hugely".
His father moved to St Aidan's Church in Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
, Lincolnshire. Hurt (then aged 12) became a boarder at Christ's Hospital School
Lincoln Christ's Hospital School
Lincoln Christ's Hospital School is a state comprehensive school for 11-18 year olds located on Wragby Road in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.-Admissions:Its student population is just under 1400, including over 300 in the sixth form...
(then a grammar school) in Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
, because he had failed the entrance exam for admission to his brother's school. Hurt often accompanied his mother to Cleethorpes Repertory Theatre, but his parents disliked his acting ambitions and encouraged him to become an art teacher instead. His headmaster, Mr Franklin, laughed when Hurt told him he wanted to be an actor, saying "you wouldn't stand a chance in the profession."
Aged 17, Hurt enrolled in Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
Art School (now the East Coast School of Art & Design), where he studied art. In 1959 Hurt won a scholarship allowing him to study for an Art Teachers Diploma (ATD) at Central St. Martins College
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. The school has an outstanding international reputation, and is considered one of the world's leading art and design institutions...
in Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
, London. Despite the scholarship, paying for his studies was financially difficult and so he persuaded some of his friends to pose nude and sold the portraits. In 1960 he won a scholarship to RADA
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
where he trained for two years. He was then cast in small roles on TV. .
Career
Hurt's first film was The Wild and the WillingThe Wild and the Willing
The Wild and the Willing is a 1962 British romantic drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Virginia Maskell, Paul Rogers, Ian McShane, Samantha Eggar and John Hurt. It marked the film debut of McShane, who later became famous for his television roles in Lovejoy and Deadwood...
(1962), but his first major role was as Richard Rich
Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich
Sir Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich , was Lord Chancellor during the reign of King Edward VI of England. He was the founder of Felsted School with its associated alms houses in Essex in 1564....
in A Man for All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons (1966 film)
A Man for All Seasons is a 1966 film based on Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons about Sir Thomas More. It was released on December 12, 1966. Paul Scofield, who had played More in the West End stage premiere, also took the role in the film. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann, who had...
(1966). His portrayal of Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp , was an English writer and raconteur. He became a gay icon in the 1970s after publication of his memoir, The Naked Civil Servant.- Early life :...
in the 1975 TV play, The Naked Civil Servant
The Naked Civil Servant (film)
The Naked Civil Servant is a 1975 TV film based on the 1968 autobiography by the gay icon Quentin Crisp, also titled The Naked Civil Servant. It stars John Hurt in the title role....
gave prominence and earned him the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. The following year, Hurt played the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
emperor Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
drama serial, I, Claudius
I, Claudius (TV series)
I, Claudius is a 1976 BBC Television adaptation of Robert Graves' I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Written by Jack Pulman, it proved one of the corporation's most successful drama serials of all time...
. In 1978, he appeared in Midnight Express
Midnight Express (film)
Released on October 6, 1978, the soundtrack to Midnight Express was composed by Italian synth-pioneer Giorgio Moroder. The score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score of 1978.Side A:#Chase – Giorgio Moroder...
, for which he won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (the latter of which he lost to Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
for his performance in The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter is a 1978 drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of Russian American steel worker friends and their infantry service in the Vietnam War. The film stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Savage, John Cazale, and George Dzundza...
). Hurt played Hazel, the heroic rabbit leader of his warren in the film adaptation of Watership Down
Watership Down (film)
Watership Down is a 1978 English adventure drama animated film written, produced and directed by Martin Rosen and based on the book by Richard Adams. It was financed by a consortium of British financial institutions...
and later played the major villain, General Woundwort, in the animated television series version
Watership Down (TV series)
Watership Down is an animated television series, adapted from the novel of the same name by Richard Adams. It was a co-production of Alltime Entertainment of the United Kingdom and Decode Entertainment of Canada, and produced by Martin Rosen, the director of the 1978 feature film...
.
His roles at the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s included Kane, the memorable first victim of the title creature in the film Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
(a role which he reprised as a parody in Spaceballs
Spaceballs
Spaceballs is a 1987 American science fiction comedy parody film co-written by, directed by, Mel Brooks and starring Bill Pullman, John Candy, Mel Brooks & Rick Moranis. It also features, Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, and the voice of Joan Rivers. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on...
); would-be art school radical Scrawdyke in Little Malcolm; and "John" Merrick in the Joseph Merrick
Joseph Merrick
Joseph Carey Merrick , sometimes incorrectly referred to as John Merrick, was an English man with severe deformities who was exhibited as a human curiosity named the Elephant Man. He became well known in London society after he went to live at the London Hospital...
biography The Elephant Man
The Elephant Man (film)
The Elephant Man is a 1980 American drama film based on the true story of Joseph Merrick , a severely deformed man in 19th century London...
, for which he won a BAFTA and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Actor. He also had a starring role in Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
's critically panned but moderately successful final film, The Osterman Weekend
The Osterman Weekend (film)
The Osterman Weekend is a 1983 suspense thriller film directed by Sam Peckinpah, based on the novel of the same name by Robert Ludlum. The film stars Rutger Hauer, John Hurt, Burt Lancaster, Dennis Hopper, Meg Foster and Craig T. Nelson...
(1983). Also in 1983 he starred as the Fool opposite Sir Laurence Olivier's King in King Lear. Hurt also appeared as Raskolnikov
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the fictional protagonist of Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoyevsky. The name Raskolnikov derives from the Russian raskolnik meaning "schismatic"...
in the BBC series Crime and Punishment in 1980.
Winston Smith
Winston Smith is a fictional character and the protagonist of George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The character was employed by Orwell as an everyman in the setting of the novel, a "central eye ... [the reader] can readily identify with"...
in the 1984 adaptation
Nineteen Eighty-Four (film)
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a 1984 British science fiction film, based upon George Orwell's novel of the same name, following the life of Winston Smith in Oceania, a country run by a totalitarian government...
of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
and then assumed the role of Adam Sutler
Adam Sutler
Adam James Susan is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the comic book series V for Vendetta, created by writer Alan Moore and illustrator David Lloyd...
(a Big Brother
Big Brother (1984)
Big Brother is a fictional character in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is the enigmatic dictator of Oceania, a totalitarian state taken to its utmost logical consequence – where the ruling Party wields total power for its own sake over the inhabitants.In the society that Orwell...
-esque leader of a fascist Great Britain) in the 2006 film V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
, a film that drew many parallels to the world of Orwell's 1984.
In 1985, Hurt starred in Disney's The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron (film)
The Black Cauldron is a 1985 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and originally released to theatres on July 24, 1985...
, voicing the film's main antagonist, the Horned King
Horned King
The Horned King is a fictional character from the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain, and in the film The Black Cauldron by Disney ....
. In 1986, Hurt provided the voiceover for AIDS: Iceberg / Tombstone, a public information film
Public information film
Public Information Films are a series of government commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement .-Subjects:...
warning of the dangers of AIDS. He had a memorable supporting role as "Bird" O'Donnell in Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan is an Irish film director. A six-time Academy Award nominee, Sheridan is perhaps best known for his films My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, Get Rich or Die Tryin and In America.-Life and career:...
's 1990 film The Field
The Field
The Field is a play written by John B. Keane, first performed in 1965. It tells the story of the hardened farmer "Bull" McCabe and his love for the land he rents. The play debuted at Dublin's Olympia Theatre in 1965, with Ray McAnally as "The Bull" and Eamon Keane as "The Bird" O'Donnell. The play...
, which garnered him another BAFTA nomination. In 2001, he played Mr. Ollivander, the wand-maker, in the first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released in the United States and India as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series,...
. He returned for the adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, published on 8 July 2000.The novel won a Hugo Award in 2001, the only Harry Potter novel to do so...
, though his scenes in that film were cut. He also returned for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David...
. In 1999, Hurt provided narration on the British musical group Art of Noise's concept album The Seduction of Claude Debussy
The Seduction of Claude Debussy
The Seduction of Claude Debussy is a 1999 concept album by Art of Noise, featuring a line-up of Trevor Horn, Anne Dudley, Paul Morley, and Lol Creme. Also appearing on the album are John Hurt, soprano Sally Bradshaw, Rakim, and Donna Lewis...
. He was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in June 2004. During this time, he narrated a four part series on the Universe which was released on DVD in 1999. In May 2008, he appeared in Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as Harold Oxley. He is also the voice of The Great Dragon Kilgharrah, who aids the young warlock Merlin as he protects the future king Arthur, in the BBC television series Merlin
Merlin (TV series)
Merlin is a British fantasy-adventure television programme by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps. It began broadcasting on BBC One on 20 September 2008. The show is based on the Arthurian legends of the wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur but differs from...
.
In 2008, 33 years after The Naked Civil Servant
The Naked Civil Servant (film)
The Naked Civil Servant is a 1975 TV film based on the 1968 autobiography by the gay icon Quentin Crisp, also titled The Naked Civil Servant. It stars John Hurt in the title role....
, Hurt reprised the role of Quentin Crisp in An Englishman in New York
An Englishman in New York (film)
An Englishman in New York is a 2009 biographical drama film that chronicles the English gay writer Quentin Crisp's later years spent in New York City. It is a follow-up to the 1975 TV movie The Naked Civil Servant with John Hurt reprising his role as Crisp...
. This film depicts Crisp's later years in New York.
In June 2009, Hurt played the on-screen Big Brother for Paper Zoo Theatre Company's production of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
. The theatre production premiered at the National Media Museum, in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
and will be touring during early 2010. Hurt said, "I think Paper Zoo thought it would be quite ironic to have the person who played Winston having risen in the party. From the Chestnut Tree Cafe, he's managed to get his wits together again, now understanding that 2 and 2 make 5, and becomes Big Brother. So it tickled my fancy, and of course I looked up Paper Zoo, and they seem to me to be the sort of company that’s essential in the country as we know it, and doing a lot of really good stuff."
Hurt is due to appear alongside Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
in a new feature entitle Broken Dream which will be directed by Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan
Neil Patrick Jordan is an Irish filmmaker and novelist. He won an Academy Award for The Crying Game.- Early life :...
in 2011.
Personal life
In 1962, Hurt's father left his parish in Cleethorpes to become headmaster of St Michaels College in the Central American country of BelizeBelize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
. In that same year, John Hurt first performed on the London stage and married actress Annette Robertson. The marriage ended in 1964. In 1967 he began his longest relationship, with French model Marie-Lise Volpeliere-Pierrot, sister of fashion photographer Jean-Claude Volpeliere-Pierrot. The couple had planned to get married after fifteen years, when things evolved tragically on 26 January 1983: Hurt and Volpeliere-Pierrot went horse riding early in the morning near their house in Ascott-under-Wychwood
Ascott-under-Wychwood
Ascott-under-Wychwood is a village and civil parish in the Evenlode valley about south of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.-History:The village is one of several named after the historic forest of Wychwood; the others being Shipton-under-Wychwood and Milton-under-Wychwood.Ascot d'Oilly Castle was...
, Oxfordshire, when suddenly Volpeliere-Pierrot lost her stirrup and was thrown off the horse, landing on her head in the middle of the lane. She went into a coma and died later that day.
Hurt married Texan actress and old friend Donna Peacock at a local Registrar
Registrar General
General Register Office, in England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and many Commonwealth nations, is the government agency responsible for civil registration - the recording of vital records such as births, deaths, and marriages...
's office on 6 September 1984. The couple moved to Kenya and tried unsuccessfully to have children through IVF. They divorced in early January 1990.
While living in Ireland he hit and killed a sheep and was brought to court over the dispute. Soon afterwards (on 24 January 1990) Hurt married American production assistant Jo Dalton whom he had met while filming Scandal. With her he had two sons: Sasha John Vincent Hurt (born 6 February 1990) and Nick Hurt (born 5 February 1993), who are currently residing in County Waterford, Ireland. Nick has gone to acting school in England and wishes to follow in his father's footsteps. This marriage ended in 1996. At one point Hurt was involved with Sarah Owen, twenty years his junior, and with whom he lived in County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland. In March 2005, Hurt married his fourth wife, advertising film producer Anwen Rees Meyers.
In January 2002, Hurt received an honorary degree from the University of Derby
University of Derby
The University of Derby is a university in the city of Derby, England. The main site is on Kedleston Road, Allestree in the north-west of Derby close to the A38 opposite Markeaton Park...
and in January 2006 received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
from the University of Hull
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
.
In 2007, Hurt took part in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
genealogical
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
television series Who Do You Think You Are?, which investigated part of his family history. Prior to participating in the programme, Hurt had harboured a love of Ireland and was enamoured of a 'deeply beguiling' family legend that suggested his great-grandmother had been the illegitimate daughter of Irish nobleman, the Marquess of Sligo
Marquess of Sligo
Marquess of Sligo is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for John Browne, 3rd Earl of Altamont. The Marquess holds the subsidiary titles of Baron Mount Eagle, of Westport in the County of Mayo , Viscount Westport, of Westport in the County of Mayo , Earl of Altamont, in the...
. The genealogical evidence uncovered seemed to contradict the family legend, rendering the 'suggestion' doubtful. Coincidentally, the search revealed that his great-grandmother had previously lived in Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
at a location within a mile of the art college at which Hurt had once enrolled. He is distantly related to author Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...
on his father's side.
Since 2006, John Hurt has been a patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
of Project Harar
Project Harar
Project Harar, also known under the working name Project Harar Ethiopia, is a UK registered charity working in Ethiopia to help children affected by facial disfigurements...
, a UK-based charity working in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
for children with facial disfigurements.
Since 2009, he has been patron of QUAD
Derby QUAD
Derby QUAD also referred to as QUAD Derby is an arts centre in Derby, United Kingdom, first opened on 26 September 2008. It has a steel and glass design by Bath architects Feilden Clegg Bradley. When it was chosen over competing designs by Derby council cabinet in 2004 it was considered...
. On 25 September 2009 Hurt visited QUAD and took part in a Q&A directly preceding a screening of the film The Night Train as part of the festivities, celebrating the first birthday at QUAD (opened on 26 September 2008). The day after, 26 September, John Hurt was guest of honour at Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
vs Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
and went on the pitch at Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium is an all-seater football stadium located on the Pride Park business park on the outskirts of Derby, England. It is the current home of Football League Championship club Derby County, who moved to the stadium from the Baseball Ground upon its opening in 1997...
at half time to oversee a prize draw.
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Phil | ||
| 1963 | This Is My Street | Charlie | |
| 1966 | Richard Rich Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich Sir Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich , was Lord Chancellor during the reign of King Edward VI of England. He was the founder of Felsted School with its associated alms houses in Essex in 1564.... |
||
| 1967 | John | ||
| 1969 | In Search of Gregory In Search of Gregory In Search of Gregory is a 1969 drama film directed by Peter Wood and starring Julie Christie.-Cast:* Julie Christie - Catherine Morelli* Michael Sarrazin - Gregory Mulvey* John Hurt - Daniel* Adolfo Celi - Max* Paola Pitagora - Nicole... |
Daniel | |
| 1969 | Sinful Davey Sinful Davey -Production:The film, directed by John Huston, is based on the autobiography of David Haggart entitled The Life Of David Haggart. The film, about a Scottish rogue, was filmed in Ireland and consequently much of the cast have Irish brogues instead of the more accurate Scottish accent.-Cast:*John... |
Davey Haggart | |
| 1969 | Before Winter Comes Before Winter Comes Before Winter Comes is a 1969 British film directed by J. Lee Thompson from a screenplay by Andrew Sinclair.-Plot:Before Winter Comes takes place in the immediate aftermath of World War II. British Major Giles Burnside is assigned to an Austrian refugee camp, his mission is to send the groups of... |
Lieutenant Pilkington | |
| 1971 | Mr. Forbush and the Penguins Mr. Forbush and the Penguins Mr. Forbush and the Penguins, also known as Cry of the Penguins, is a 1971 British film, directed by Arne Sucksdorff, Alfred Viola and Roy Boulting. It stars John Hurt, Hayley Mills, Dudley Sutton and Tony Britton.-Cast:... |
Richard Forbush | |
| 1971 | 10 Rillington Place | Timothy John Evans Timothy Evans Timothy John Evans was a Welshman accused of murdering his wife and daughter at their residence in Notting Hill, London in November 1949. In January 1950 Evans was tried and convicted of the murder of his daughter, and he was sentenced to death by hanging... |
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Best Actor in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film... |
| 1972 | Franz | ||
| 1974 | Little Malcolm Little Malcolm Little Malcolm is a 1974 British comedy drama film directed by Stuart Cooper. It was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear.... |
Malcolm Scrawdyke | |
| 1975 | Tom Rawlings | ||
| 1975 | Chandler | ||
| 1977 | East of Elephant Rock East of Elephant Rock East of Elephant Rock is a 1977 British independent drama film directed by Don Boyd and starring John Hurt, Jeremy Kemp and Judi Bowker. It was Boyd's second feature film following his little-noticed 1975 Intimate Reflections... |
Nash | |
| 1977 | Three Dangerous Ladies | Lt. Simmonds | |
| 1977 | Atkinson | ||
| 1978 | Watership Down Watership Down (film) Watership Down is a 1978 English adventure drama animated film written, produced and directed by Martin Rosen and based on the book by Richard Adams. It was financed by a consortium of British financial institutions... |
Hazel | Voice role |
| 1978 | Anthony Fielding | ||
| 1978 | Midnight Express Midnight Express (film) Released on October 6, 1978, the soundtrack to Midnight Express was composed by Italian synth-pioneer Giorgio Moroder. The score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score of 1978.Side A:#Chase – Giorgio Moroder... |
Max | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Best Actor in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film... Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... |
| 1978 | Aragorn Aragorn Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him... |
Voice role | |
| 1979 | Alien Alien (film) Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which... |
Kane | DVDX Award DVD Exclusive Awards The DVD Exclusive Awards is an award that honors direct to video productions. The awards were first held in 2001. They are awarded by online periodical Video Business and The Digital Entertainment Group.... for Best Audio Commentary (New for DVD) (2003 re-issue in Alien Quadrilogy, shared with Ridley Scott Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I... , Ronald Shusett Ronald Shusett Ronald Shusett is a motion picture screenwriter and producer, usually in the science fiction genre.He wrote the original story for Alien with Dan O'Bannon.... , Terry Rawlings Terry Rawlings Terry Rawlings is a British film editor and sound editor with several BAFTA nominations and one Academy Award nomination... , Sigourney Weaver Sigourney Weaver Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana... , Tom Skerritt Tom Skerritt Thomas Roy "Tom" Skerritt is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962.-Early life:... , Veronica Cartwright Veronica Cartwright Veronica A. Cartwright is an English-born American actress who has worked mainly in American film and television. She is best known for her role of Lambert in Alien, for which she won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.... and Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge... ) Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Best Actor in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film... |
| 1980 | John Merrick Joseph Merrick Joseph Carey Merrick , sometimes incorrectly referred to as John Merrick, was an English man with severe deformities who was exhibited as a human curiosity named the Elephant Man. He became well known in London society after he went to live at the London Hospital... |
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Best Actor in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.-Superlatives:... Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor Academy Award for Best Actor Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama |
|
| 1980 | Heaven's Gate Heaven's Gate (film) Heaven's Gate is a 1980 American epic Western film based on the Johnson County War, a dispute between land barons and European immigrants in Wyoming in the 1890s... |
Billy Irvine | |
| 1981 | Night Crossing Night Crossing Night Crossing is a 1982 Disney film starring John Hurt and Beau Bridges. The film is based on the true story of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families, who on September 16, 1979 escaped from East Germany to West Germany in a homemade hot air balloon during the days of the Berlin Wall when emigration to... |
Peter Strelzyk | |
| 1981 | History of the World, Part I History of the World, Part I History of the World, Part I is a 1981 comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks also stars in the film, playing five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomás de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, and Jacques, le garçon de pisse... |
Jesus Christ | |
| 1982 | Partners Partners (1982 film) Partners is a gay-themed buddy comedy, starring Ryan O'Neal and John Hurt as a mismatched pair of cops.-Plot:After a series of murders in Los Angeles's gay community, heterosexual police Sgt. Benson is assigned to go undercover as half of a gay couple with Officer Kerwin , a Records Clerk... |
Kerwin | |
| 1982 | Snitter | Voice | |
| 1983 | Lawrence Fassett | ||
| 1984 | Champions | Bob Champion Bob Champion Robert "Bob" Champion MBE was born in Guisborough, in the north of England, on 4 June 1948. He is an English jump jockey who won the 1981 Grand National on Aldaniti. His triumph was made into a film Champions, with John Hurt portraying Champion... |
Evening Standard British Film Awards Evening Standard British Film Awards The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by the British London area evening newspaper Evening Standard. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony honours films from the previous... for Best ActorAlso for The Hit and Nineteen Eighty-Four Nineteen Eighty-Four (film) Nineteen Eighty-Four is a 1984 British science fiction film, based upon George Orwell's novel of the same name, following the life of Winston Smith in Oceania, a country run by a totalitarian government... |
| 1984 | Success Is the Best Revenge Success Is the Best Revenge Success Is the Best Revenge is a 1984 French-British drama film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski. It was entered into the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Michael York as Alex Rodak* Joanna Szczerbic as Alicia Rodak* Michael Lyndon as Adam Rodak... |
Dino Montecurva | |
| 1984 | Braddock | Evening Standard British Film Awards Evening Standard British Film Awards The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by the British London area evening newspaper Evening Standard. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony honours films from the previous... for Best ActorAlso for Champions and Nineteen Eighty-Four Nineteen Eighty-Four (film) Nineteen Eighty-Four is a 1984 British science fiction film, based upon George Orwell's novel of the same name, following the life of Winston Smith in Oceania, a country run by a totalitarian government... Mystfest for Best ActorShared with: Terence Stamp Terence Stamp Terence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.His other major roles include... and Tim Roth Tim Roth Simon Timothy "Tim" Roth is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films,Legend of 1900, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Skellig, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for... |
|
| 1984 | Nineteen Eighty-Four Nineteen Eighty-Four (film) Nineteen Eighty-Four is a 1984 British science fiction film, based upon George Orwell's novel of the same name, following the life of Winston Smith in Oceania, a country run by a totalitarian government... |
Winston Smith Winston Smith Winston Smith is a fictional character and the protagonist of George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The character was employed by Orwell as an everyman in the setting of the novel, a "central eye ... [the reader] can readily identify with"... |
Evening Standard British Film Awards Evening Standard British Film Awards The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by the British London area evening newspaper Evening Standard. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony honours films from the previous... for Best ActorAlso for Champions and The Hit Fantasporto Fantasporto Fantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Giving screen space to commercial feature films, auteur films and experimental projects from all over the world, Fantasporto has created enthusiastic audiences, ranging from... for Best ActorTied with Eddy Mitchell Eddy Mitchell Eddy Mitchell is a French singer and actor. He began his career in the late 1950s, with the group Les Chaussettes Noires , taking his name from the American expatriate tough-guy actor Eddie Constantine... for Frankenstein 90 Valladolid International Film Festival for Best ActorTied with Richard Burton Richard Burton Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid... |
| 1985 | After Darkness After Darkness After Darkness is a 1985 Swiss horror film directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard and Sergio Guerraz. It was entered into the 35th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* John Hurt as Peter Hunningford* Julian Sands as Laurence Hunningford... |
Peter Hunningford | Entered into the 35th Berlin International Film Festival 35th Berlin International Film Festival The 35th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 15 to February 26, 1985.-Jury:* Jean Marais * Max von Sydow* Alberto Sordi* Regimantas Adomaitis* Sheila Benson* Wolfgang Kohlhaase* Onat Kutlar* Luis Megino... |
| 1985 | The Horned King Horned King The Horned King is a fictional character from the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain, and in the film The Black Cauldron by Disney .... |
Voice | |
| 1986 | Jake Speed Jake Speed Jake Speed is a 1986 action/comedy film directed by Andrew Lane, produced by Lane, Wayne Crawford, and William Fay, written by Lane and Crawford, and starring Crawford in the title role.-Plot:... |
Sid | |
| 1987 | Narrator | Voice | |
| 1987 | Rocinante | Bill | |
| 1987 | From the Hip From the Hip (film) From the Hip, is a 1987 comedy film directed by Bob Clark from a screenplay by Bob Clark and David E. Kelley. The film stars Judd Nelson, Elizabeth Perkins and John Hurt. Nelson's performance earned him a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actor.... |
Douglas Benoit | |
| 1987 | Spaceballs Spaceballs Spaceballs is a 1987 American science fiction comedy parody film co-written by, directed by, Mel Brooks and starring Bill Pullman, John Candy, Mel Brooks & Rick Moranis. It also features, Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, and the voice of Joan Rivers. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on... |
Kane | Cameo of his "Alien" (1979) character 'Kane', humorously self-parodied with the line: "Oh no... Not again!" |
| 1987 | Aria | The Actor | Segment "I pagliacci" |
| 1987 | Vincent | Unknown | Voice |
| 1987 | White Mischief White Mischief White Mischief is a 1987 film dramatising the events of the Happy Valley murder case in Kenya in 1941, when Sir Henry "Jock" Delves Broughton was tried for the murder of Josslyn Hay, Earl of Erroll.... |
Gilbert Colvile | |
| 1988 | Lucien Metz | ||
| 1989 | Scandal | Stephen Ward Stephen Ward Stephen Thomas Ward was an osteopath and artist who became notorious as one of the central figures in the 1963 Profumo affair, a British public scandal which profoundly affected the ruling Conservative Party government... |
|
| 1989 | Little Sweetheart | Robert Burger | |
| 1990 | Romeo-Juliet Romeo-Juliet Romeo.Juliet is the title of a 1990 film version of William Shakespeare's classic play Romeo and Juliet. It was made by American producer, director and cinematographer, Armando Acosta using the feral cats of Venice, New York, and Ghent as actors, with the voices dubbed by some of the greats of... |
La Dame aux Chats Mercutio Mercutio Mercutio a fictional character in William Shakespeare's 1597 tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. He is a close friend of Romeo, and Romeo's cousin Benvolio, and also a blood relative to Prince Escalus and Count Paris. As such, being neither a Montague nor a Capulet, Mercutio is one of the few in Verona... |
|
| 1990 | Windprints | Charles Rutherford | |
| 1990 | Bird O'Donnell | Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Best Actor in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film... |
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| 1990 | Frankenstein Unbound Frankenstein Unbound Frankenstein Unbound is a 1990 horror movie based on Brian Aldiss' novel of the same name. This film was directed by Roger Corman, returning to the director's chair after a hiatus of almost twenty years.- Cast :... |
Dr. Joe Buchanan Narrator |
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| 1991 | I Dreamt I Woke Up I Dreamt I Woke Up (film) I Dreamt I Woke Up is a 1991 Irish short film directed by John Boorman. It stars John Hurt and Janet McTeer as well as himself and his son Charley... |
John Boorman's Alter Ego | |
| 1991 | King Ralph King Ralph King Ralph is a 1991 American comedy film starring John Goodman in the title role of Ralph Jones. The movie also stars Peter O'Toole as the King's private secretary, Sir Cedric Willingham, Camille Coduri as Ralph's girlfriend Miranda Greene, and John Hurt as the British peer Percival Graves, who... |
Lord Percival Graves | |
| 1992 | Lapse of Memory | Conrad Farmer | |
| 1993 | Kölcsönkapott idő | Sean | |
| 1993 | L'Oeil qui ment Dark at Noon Dark at Noon is a 1993 Chilean-French comedy film directed by Raúl Ruiz.It was entered into the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* John Hurt - Anthony / Le Marquis* Didier Bourdon - Docteur Felicien* Lorraine Evanoff - Ines* David Warner - Ellic... |
Anthony / Le Marquis | |
| 1993 | Monolith | Villano | |
| 1993 | Even Cowgirls Get the Blues Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (film) Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is a 1993 American comedy-drama-romance film based on the 1976 Tom Robbins novel of the same name. The film was directed by Gus Van Sant, Jr. and starred Uma Thurman, Lorraine Bracco, Pat Morita, Angie Dickinson, Keanu Reeves, John Hurt, Rain Phoenix, and Grace... |
The Countess | |
| 1994 | Rabbit Ears: Aladdin and the Magic Lamp | Storyteller | Direct-to-video release |
| 1994 | Thumbelina Thumbelina (1994 film) Thumbelina is a 1994 American animated film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman from a screenplay by Bluth based on Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina. The film was produced by Don Bluth Entertainment and was released to movie theaters by Warner Bros... |
Mr. Mole | Voice |
| 1994 | Felidae Felidae (film) Felidae is a 1994 German animated mystery directed by Michael Schaack, written by Martin Kluger, Stefaan Schieder and Akif Pirinçci based on the novel Felidae, produced by Trickompany, and starring Ulrich Tukur, Mario Adorf and Klaus Maria Brandauer. The famed nightmare sequence was directed,... |
Pascal (Claudandus) | Voice (English dub) |
| 1994 | Second Best Second Best (film) Second Best is a 1994 film produced by Sarah Radclyffe and directed by Chris Menges. It closely follows the 1991 novel of the same name by David Cook, who also wrote the screenplay.-Plot:... |
Uncle Turpin | |
| 1995 | Two Nudes Bathing Two Nudes Bathing Two Nudes Bathing is a 1995 British short film directed by John Boorman. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* John Hurt – Marquis de Prey* Charley Boorman – The Painter* Angeline Ball – Simone... |
Marquis de Prey | |
| 1995 | Saigon Baby | Jack Lee | |
| 1995 | Rob Roy Rob Roy (film) Rob Roy is a 1995 historical drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Liam Neeson stars as Robert Roy MacGregor, an 18th century Scottish historical figure who battles with feudal landowners in the Scottish Highlands. Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, and Jason Flemyng also star... |
John Graham, Marquis of Montrose James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose James Graham, 1st Duke and 4th Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish aristocratic statesman in the early eighteenth century.... |
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| 1995 | Dead Man Dead Man Dead Man is a 1995 American Western film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. It stars Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Billy Bob Thornton, Iggy Pop, Crispin Glover, John Hurt, Michael Wincott, Lance Henriksen, and Robert Mitchum . The film, dubbed an "Acid Western" by its director, includes twisted... |
John Scholfield | |
| 1995 | Wild Bill | Charley Prince | |
| 1997 | Tender Loving Care Tender Loving Care Tender Loving Care is an interactive movie released in 1999 by Aftermath Media. It is a psychological thriller starring Michael Esposito, Beth Tegarden, and John Hurt as Dr. Turner... |
Dr. Turner | Interactive CD-ROM film |
| 1997 | Love and Death on Long Island Love and Death on Long Island Love and Death on Long Island is a 1997 UK / Canadian film directed by Richard Kwietniowski and starring Jason Priestley, John Hurt, Fiona Loewi, Sheila Hancock and Anne Reid.... |
Giles De'Ath | FIPRESCI Prize – Special Mention of Chicago International Film Festival Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America.... Shared with: Richard Kwietniowski Richard Kwietniowski Richard Kwietniowski is an English film director and screenwriter of Polish descent. During the 1980s he was a film lecturer at Bulmershe College of Higher Education Richard Kwietniowski (born 17 March 1957) is an English film director and screenwriter of Polish descent. During the 1980s he was a... Nominated – British Independent Film Awards British Independent Film Awards The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British... for Best Performance by a British Actor in an Independent Film |
| 1997 | Contact Contact (film) Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact.... |
S.R. Hadden | |
| 1997 | Bandyta | Babits | |
| 1998 | James Morton | ||
| 1998 | Night Train | Michael Poole | Verona Love Screens Film Festival for Best Actor |
| 1998 | All the Little Animals All the Little Animals All the Little Animals is a 1999 feature film, directed and produced by Jeremy Thomas, based on the novel of the same name by Walker Hamilton. It was adapted for the screen by Eski Thomas, and starred Christian Bale and John Hurt.... |
Mr. Summers | |
| 1999 | Chuck Langer | ||
| 1999 | New Blood | Alan White | |
| 1999 | Sebastian | English dub of French film Le Château des singes | |
| 1999 | If... Dog... Rabbit... | Sean Cooper | |
| 1999 | You're Dead... | Maitland | |
| 2000 | Narrator | Voice | |
| 2000 | Lost Souls Lost Souls (film) Lost Souls is a 2000 American horror film directed by Janusz Kamiński, and stars Winona Ryder, Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas, and John Hurt. It is about a man who is told he will become the Antichrist.-Plot:... |
Father Lareaux | |
| 2001 | Tabloid | Vince | |
| 2001 | Captain Corelli's Mandolin Captain Corelli's Mandolin (film) Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a 2001 film directed by John Madden and based on the novel of the same name by Louis de Bernières. It stars Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz.-Plot:... |
Dr. Iannis | |
| 2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released in the United States and India as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series,... |
Mr. Ollivander | |
| 2002 | Miranda Miranda (2002 film) Miranda is a 2002 British comedy film starring Christina Ricci, Kyle MacLachlan, John Simm, John Hurt, Tamsin Greig and Julian Rhind-Tutt. Classified as a Romance/Thriller according to IMDb.-Plot:... |
Christian | |
| 2002 | Crime and Punishment Crime and Punishment (2002 film) Crime and Punishment is a 2002 film adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel of the same name. The film starred Crispin Glover and Vanessa Redgrave and was directed by Menahem Golan.-Plot:... |
Porfiry | |
| 2003 | Owning Mahowny Owning Mahowny Owning Mahowny is a 2003 movie about gambling addiction with a cast that includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Maury Chaykin and John Hurt.-Plot:... |
Victor Foss | |
| 2003 | Meeting Che Guevara & the Man from Maybury Hill | Man from Maybury Hill | |
| 2003 | Dogville Dogville Dogville is a 2003 drama written and directed by Lars von Trier, and starring Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Chloë Sevigny, Paul Bettany, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, and James Caan... |
Narrator | Voice |
| 2004 | Hellboy Hellboy (film) Hellboy is a 2004 supernatural superhero film, starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt and Selma Blair, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is based on the Dark Horse Comics work Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. It was produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures... |
Professor Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm Trevor Bruttenholm Professor Trevor Bruttenholm is a fictional character in the Hellboy comic book universe, created by Mike Mignola and John Byrne. His first appearance was in the comic book Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, issue #1 .-Fictional character biography:... |
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| 2004 | Pride | Harry | Voice |
| 2005 | Short Order Short Order Short Order is a 2005 Irish drama film written and directed by Anthony Byrne. It was released in Ireland on 1 March, 2005. It was later released as Life Is a Buffet in the United States on 16 May, 2008.-Plot:... |
Felix | |
| 2005 | Valiant | Felix | Voice |
| 2005 | Jellon Lamb | Nominated – Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. It has been awarded annually since 1974.-Previous winners:*1974: Barry Humphries – The Great McCarthy... |
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| 2005 | Shooting Dogs Shooting Dogs Shooting Dogs, released in the United States as Beyond the Gates, is a 2005 film, directed by Michael Caton-Jones and starring John Hurt, Hugh Dancy and Claire-Hope Ashitey. It is based on the experiences of BBC news producer David Belton, who worked in Rwanda during the Rwandan Genocide... |
Christopher | |
| 2005 | Manderlay Manderlay Manderlay is the 2005 sequel to the film Dogville. It is the second part of Lars von Trier's projected USA - Land of Opportunities trilogy. Bryce Dallas Howard replaces Nicole Kidman in the role of Grace Mulligan. The film co-stars Willem Dafoe, replacing James Caan... |
Narrator | Voice |
| 2005 | Ben Devereaux | ||
| 2006 | V for Vendetta V for Vendetta (film) V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd... |
Adam Sutler | |
| 2006 | Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (film) Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a 2006 German thriller film directed by Tom Tykwer and written by Andrew Birkin, Bernd Eichinger and Tykwer. It is based on the 1985 novel Perfume by Patrick Süskind. Set in 18th century France, the film tells the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille , an olfactory... |
Narrator | Voice |
| 2007 | Boxes Boxes (film) Boxes is a 2007 French film and the directorial debut of Jane Birkin. Birkin also stars alongside Geraldine Chaplin and Michel Piccoli. The film is based on Birkin's own family life, chronicling three marriages and the three children she bore from these marriages. The title alludes to the way in... |
Le père de Fanny | |
| 2008 | Outlander Outlander (film) Outlander is a 2008 science fiction film directed by Howard McCain and starring James Caviezel. Caviezel has described Outlander as a light combination of Braveheart and Highlander.-Plot:... |
Rothgar | |
| 2008 | Arthur Seldom | ||
| 2008 | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Dr. Harold Oxley | |
| 2008 | Hellboy II: The Golden Army | Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm | Cameo |
| 2008 | Lecture 21 Lecture 21 Lecture 21 is a 2008 British-Italian film written and directed by Alessandro Baricco and starring John Hurt, Noah Taylor and Leonor Watling... |
Mondrian Kilroy | |
| 2009 | Guitar | ||
| 2009 | New York, I Love You New York, I Love You New York, I Love You is a 2009 romance film released in the United States on October 16, 2009. From the producer of Paris, je t'aime, it stars an ensemble cast, among them Bradley Cooper, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Anton Yelchin, Hayden Christensen, Orlando Bloom, Irrfan Khan, Rachel Bilson,... |
Waiter | |
| 2009 | 44 Inch Chest 44 Inch Chest 44 Inch Chest is a 2009 British film starring Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson and Ian McShane. The script was written by Louis Mellis and David Scinto, who wrote another British gangster drama Sexy Beast, and produced by Richard Brown and Steve Golin... |
Old Man Peanut | Nominated – London Film Critics' Circle for Best British Supporting Actor |
| 2010 | Lou | Doyle | |
| 2010 | Ultramarines: The Movie Ultramarines: The Movie Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie is a science fiction thriller CGI film set in Games Workshop's fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe and based around the Ultramarines Chapter of the Space Marines... |
Carnak | Voice |
| 2010 | Brighton Rock | Phil Corkery | |
| 2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | Mr. Ollivander | |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David... |
Mr. Ollivander | |
| 2011 | Melancholia | Dexter | |
| 2011 | Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (film) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 2011 English-language espionage film directed by Tomas Alfredson, from a screenplay written by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan based on the 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré... |
Control | |
| 2011 | Immortals | Old Zeus |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Drama 61–67 | Private Briggs | Episode 1.16: "Drama '61: Local Incident" |
| 1962 | Z-Cars Z-Cars Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by... |
James Hogan | Episode 1.29: "Assault" |
| 1963 | First Night | Garry | Episode 1.12: "Menace" |
| 1964 | Armchair Theatre Armchair Theatre Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series, which ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television after 1968.... |
Unknown | Episode 4.102: "A Jug of Bread" |
| 1964 | Thursday Theatre | Orpheus | Episode 1.11: "Point of Departure" |
| 1964–1965 | ITV Play of the Week | Various characters | Appeared in three episodes |
| 1965 | Gideon's Way Gideon's Way Gideon's Way is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment in 1964/65, based on the novels by John Creasey . The series was made at Elstree in twin production with The Saint TV series... |
Freddy Tinsdale | Episode 1.14: "The Tin God" |
| 1973 | Wessex Tales Wessex Tales Wessex Tales is an 1888 collection of tales written by Thomas Hardy, many of which are set before Hardy's birth in 1840.Through them, Thomas Hardy talks about nineteenth century marriage, grammar, class status, how men and women were viewed, medical diseases and more.-Contents:In 1888, Wessex Tales... |
Joshua Harlborough | Episode 1.3: "A Tragedy of Two Ambitions" |
| 1974 | Christopher "Christy" Mahon | television film | |
| 1975 | Quentin Crisp Quentin Crisp Quentin Crisp , was an English writer and raconteur. He became a gay icon in the 1970s after publication of his memoir, The Naked Civil Servant.- Early life :... |
television film British Academy Television Award for Best Actor British Academy Television Award for Best Actor - 1950s :*1955 Paul Rogers — *1956 Peter Cushing — *1957 Michael Gough — *1958 Michael Hordern — *1959 Donald Pleasence — - 1960s :*1960 Patrick McGoohan — *1961 Lee Montague —... ; #4 in BFI TV 100 |
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| 1976 | Shades of Greene Shades of Greene Shades of Greene is a British television series based on short stories written by the author Graham Greene. The series began in 1975, with each hour-long episode featuring a dramatisation of one of Greene's stories, many of which dealt with issues such as guilt and the Catholic faith, as well as... |
Fred | Episode 2.6: "A Drive in the Country" |
| 1976 | Play for Today Play for Today Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted... |
Alec Cassell | Episode 6.22: "The Peddler" |
| 1976 | Tony Grey | Episode 3.4: "Tomorrow Man" | |
| 1976 | I, Claudius I, Claudius (TV series) I, Claudius is a 1976 BBC Television adaptation of Robert Graves' I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Written by Jack Pulman, it proved one of the corporation's most successful drama serials of all time... |
Caligula Caligula Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most... |
TV mini-series |
| 1977 | Spectre Spectre (film) Spectre is a 1977 made-for-television movie produced by Gene Roddenberry. It was co-written by Roddenberry and Samuel A. Peeples, and directed by Clive Donner.-Plot summary:... |
Mitri Cyon | television film |
| 1979 | Crime and Punishment | Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the fictional protagonist of Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoyevsky. The name Raskolnikov derives from the Russian raskolnik meaning "schismatic"... |
TV mini-series |
| 1983 | King Lear | The Fool | television film |
| 1988 | Deadline | Granville Jones | television film |
| 1988 | The Storyteller | Appeared in all nine first series episodes | |
| 1990 | Chris Mullin Chris Mullin (politician) Christopher John Mullin is a British Labour Party politician and diarist who was the Member of Parliament for Sunderland South from 1987 to 2010... |
television film | |
| 1991 | Journey to Knock | Alfred | television film |
| 1991 | Red Fox | Archie Carpenter | TV mini-series |
| 1992 | Six Characters in Search of an Author | The Father | television film |
| 1993 | Great Moments in Aviation Great Moments in Aviation Great Moments in Aviation is a 1994 romantic drama film, set on a 1950s passenger liner. The film follows Gabriel Angel , a young Caribbean aviator who falls in love with the forger Duncan Stewart on her journey to England... |
Rex Goodyear | |
| 1995 | Prisoners in Time | Eric Lomax | |
| 1998 | Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture... |
March Hare | Episode 23.17 |
| 1999–2000 | Watership Down Watership Down (TV series) Watership Down is an animated television series, adapted from the novel of the same name by Richard Adams. It was a co-production of Alltime Entertainment of the United Kingdom and Decode Entertainment of Canada, and produced by Martin Rosen, the director of the 1978 feature film... |
General Woundwort | Multiple episodes; voice |
| 2001 | Beckett on Film Beckett on Film Beckett on Film was a project aimed at making film versions of all nineteen of Samuel Beckett's stage plays, with the exception of the early and unperformed Eleutheria. This endeavour was successfully completed, with the first films being shown in 2001.The project was conceived by Michael Colgan,... – Krapp's Last Tape |
Krapp | television film |
| 2002 | Bait | Jack Blake | |
| 2004 | Alan Clark Alan Clark Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark was a British Conservative MP and diarist. He served as a junior minister in Margaret Thatcher's governments at the Departments of Employment, Trade, and Defence, and became a privy counsellor in 1991... |
TV serial | |
| 2004 | Pride | Harry | television film; voice |
| 2005 | Hiroshima | Narrator | Voice |
| 2007 | Hellboy: Blood and Iron | Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm | television film; voice |
| 2007 | Masters of Science Fiction Masters of Science Fiction Masters of Science Fiction is an American television anthology series by the same creators as Masters of Horror. The show debuted on ABC on August 4, 2007 at 10PM for a run of four episodes... |
Samswope | Episode 1.4: "The Discarded The Discarded "The Discarded" is a short story by Harlan Ellison.A television adaptation, directed by Jonathan Frakes, aired on August 25, 2007 as an episode of Masters of Science Fiction.- Plot summary :This summary is based on the television adaptation.... " |
| 2008 | Recount Recount (film) Recount is a 2008 made-for-TV film about the 2000 Presidential election in the United States. The political drama was written by Danny Strong, directed by Jay Roach, and produced by Kevin Spacey, who also stars in the film.... |
Warren Christopher Warren Christopher Warren Minor Christopher was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician. During Bill Clinton's first term as President, Christopher served as the 63rd Secretary of State. He also served as Deputy Attorney General in the Lyndon Johnson administration, and as Deputy Secretary of State in the Jimmy... |
television film |
| 2008–Present | Merlin Merlin (TV series) Merlin is a British fantasy-adventure television programme by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps. It began broadcasting on BBC One on 20 September 2008. The show is based on the Arthurian legends of the wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur but differs from... (Seasons 1,2,3,4 – pres) |
The Great Dragon | Voice; does not appear in every episode, yet is credited in the opening title sequence for each episode. |
| 2009 | Gruffalo | The Owl | television film (Children's), voice |
| 2009 | Himself | Penultimate episode | |
| 2009 | Quentin Crisp Quentin Crisp Quentin Crisp , was an English writer and raconteur. He became a gay icon in the 1970s after publication of his memoir, The Naked Civil Servant.- Early life :... |
television film Berlin International Film Festival Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978... – Teddy Award Nominated – British Academy Television Award for Best Actor British Academy Television Award for Best Actor - 1950s :*1955 Paul Rogers — *1956 Peter Cushing — *1957 Michael Gough — *1958 Michael Hordern — *1959 Donald Pleasence — - 1960s :*1960 Patrick McGoohan — *1961 Lee Montague —... |
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| 2010 | Whistle and I'll Come to You Whistle and I'll Come to You Whistle and I'll Come to You is the name of two BBC television drama adaptations based on the ghost story "Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad" by Victorian and Edwardian academic and supernatural writer M. R. James. The story tells the tale of an introverted academic who happens upon a... |
James Parkin | television film |
| 2010 | Human Planet Human Planet Human Planet is an 8-part British television documentary series. It is produced by the BBC with co-production from Discovery and BBC Worldwide... |
Narrator | Documentary |
| 2011 | Harry's Arctic Heroes | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2011 | Planet Dinosaur Planet Dinosaur Planet Dinosaur is a six-part documentary television series produced by the BBC, narrated by John Hurt, first aired in the United Kingdom in 2011, produced by VFX studio Jellyfish Pictures. It is the first major dinosaur-related series for BBC One since Walking with Dinosaurs... |
Narrator | Documentary |
Video games
- Privateer 2: The Darkening (1996) – Joe the Bartender
- Tender Loving Care (1998) – Dr. Turner
Other projects, contributions
- When Love SpeaksWhen Love SpeaksWhen Love Speaks is a compilation album that features interpretations of William Shakespeare's sonnets and excerpts from his plays by famous actors and musicians, released under EMI Classics in April 2002.-Track listing:...
(2002, EMI ClassicsEMI ClassicsEMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....
) – "Sonnet 145Sonnet 145Sonnet 145 one of Shakespeare's sonnets. It forms part of the Dark Lady sequence of sonnets. It is written as a description of the feelings of a man who is so in love with a woman that hearing her say that "she hates" something immediately creates a fear that she is referring to him...
"
("Those lips that Love's own hand did make") - Hurt performs in drag for the promotional video for Attitude by the music group SuedeSuede (band)Suede are an English alternative rock band from London, formed in 1989. The group's most prominent early line-up featured singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Bernard Butler, bass player Mat Osman and drummer Simon Gilbert. By 1992, Suede were hailed as "The Best New Band in Britain", and attracted...
. - Hurt is seen as the 'Brian Epstein' esque mogul in Paul McCartney's 1982 video for the song 'Take It Away'. McCartney explains in the video commentary section of The McCartney Years DVD (for the song 'Take it Away') that Hurt himself was a friend of The Beatles and Brian Epstein, and that The Beatles had watched Hurt act in the mid-60's and thought him a fine actor.
- Hurt is the narrator on the album The Seduction of Claude DebussyThe Seduction of Claude DebussyThe Seduction of Claude Debussy is a 1999 concept album by Art of Noise, featuring a line-up of Trevor Horn, Anne Dudley, Paul Morley, and Lol Creme. Also appearing on the album are John Hurt, soprano Sally Bradshaw, Rakim, and Donna Lewis...
by the band Art of Noise (1999). - John Hurt is the narrator of the 4 part series released in 1999 on The Universe for Channel 4 International, available on DVD.
- Hurt co-starred along side Kiefer Sutherland in the 10 part web series The Confession.