John Hurt

Sir John Vincent Hurt CBE (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose illustrious career has spanned over five decades, firmly establishing him as one of Britain's finest actors. Trained at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he first shot to prominence starring as Richard Rich in the film A Man for All Seasons (1966) followed by him winning the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for The Naked Civil Servant (1975). He demonstrated his versatility by taking on diverse roles such as Caligula in the BBC TV series I, Claudius (1976), and earning Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Midnight Express (1978), and Best Actor for The Elephant Man (1980). Hurt's voice, described as the most distinctive in Britain, landed him significant roles in films like Alien (1979), Heaven's Gate (1980), Champions (1984), Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), The Hit (1984), Rob Roy (1995), and Contact (1997). He won the BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award in 2012, and Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in 2015 for his services to drama.

Hurt continued to demonstrate his immense talent into the 21st century with prominent roles in the Harry Potter film series, the Hellboy films, V for Vendetta (2005), and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). He reprised his role as Quentin Crisp in An Englishman in New York (2009), earning his seventh BAFTA nomination. Hurt displayed his voice acting skills in numerous animated films and TV series such as Watership Down, The Lord of the Rings, and BBC's Merlin. In 2009, Hurt had the honor of portraying an incarnation of the Doctor known as the War Doctor in Doctor Who. Despite being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015, Hurt continued to work until his death in 2017.