John Hurt

Sir John Vincent Hurt was born in 1940, in the small town of Widnes, in Cheshire, England. He was raised in the town of Macclesfield, and began his acting career at the age of eleven, appearing in a local production of The Boy Friend. After being scouted by the London-based agent Maurice Evans, Hurt made his professional stage debut in 1962 in the play The Big Fire. He later won a BAFTA Award for his role as Richard Rich in A Man for All Seasons (1966), and also received nominations for his portrayals of Timothy Evans in 10 Rillington Place (1971) and Quentin Crisp in television film The Naked Civil Servant (1975). In 1976, Hurt starred in the BBC TV series I, Claudius, for which he won a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination. He also starred in the horror film Alien (1979), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award, and the science-fiction horror film The Elephant Man (1980). His other significant roles during the 1980s included Bob Champion in biopic Champions (1984), Mr. Braddock in the Stephen Frears drama The Hit (1984), Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) and Stephen Ward in the drama depicting the Profumo affair, Scandal (1989). Hurt was again BAFTA-nominated for his work in Irish drama The Field (1990) and played the primary villain, James Graham, in the epic adventure Rob Roy (1995). His later films include the Harry Potter film series (2001–11), the Hellboy films (2004 and 2008), supernatural thriller The Skeleton Key (2005), western The Proposition (2005), political thriller V for Vendetta (2005), action adventure Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), sci-fi action Outlander (2008) and the Cold War espionage film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011). Hurt reprised his role as Quentin Crisp in An Englishman in New York (2009), which brought his seventh BAFTA nomination. He portrayed the War Doctor in the BBC TV series Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor", in 2013. Sir John Hurt is one of the most celebrated and influential actors of his generation, and his incredible body of work spans over five decades. He is renowned for his incredible range and versatility as an actor, and has appeared in a wide range of films, from horror to action adventure. His incredible voice has been used in a variety of roles, from voice acting in films such as Planet Dinosaur (2011) to BBC TV series Merlin (2008–2012). He is also a highly respected stage actor, and has won several awards for his work on stage. Sir John Hurt is a true legend of the acting world, and his influence will continue to be felt for years to come.