Acclaimed British actor Sir John Hurt has died at the age of 77. The actor often joked about his reputation of playing characters that died on screen, telling The Talks back in 2014:
“I think I’ve got the record… It got to a point where my children wouldn’t ask me if I died, but rather how do you die?”
Hurt had an extensive career in film and television and received two Academy Award nominations for his roles as Max in Midnight Express and John Merrick in David Lynch’s The Elephant Man. He’s also known for playing Kane in Ridley Scott’s Alien (which he reprised in Spaceballs), Jesus Christ in Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part I, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Ollivander the wand shop salesman in three of the Harry Potter films, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm in Hellboy and Hellboy II, Adam Sutler in V For Vendetta, Dr. Harold Oxley in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Control in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Gilliam in Snowpiercer. Hurt can be seen in theaters now in Jackie.
Fans will also recall his voice from the animated features Watership Down, The Lord of the Rings (where he voiced Aragorn), and Disney’s The Black Cauldron. He had a long line of television appearances, including the title host in Jim Henson’s The Storyteller and the role of The War Doctor in Doctor Who.
Hurt is survived by his wife Anwen Rees-Myers and two sons, Alexander Hurt and Nicholas Hurt.
(Photo Credit: Lia Toby/WENN.com)
