It was recently announced publicly that actor Sir John Hurt passed away on the 27th Jan. 2017 aged 77. It would be remiss if we didn't take a moment to recognise his impact on film and television culture. But where do we even start? He was the original victim of the chest buster in Alien ...
...which he brilliantly parodied it in Spaceballs ...
...he was the first Aragorn in cinema...
...helped traumatise children in Watership Down ...
...had an Oscar nominated role as John Merrick...
...lived the Trump administration early in 1984 ...
...before becoming the other side of the coin in V For Vendetta ...
...he was Jim Henson's Storyteller...
...he chose Harry Potter's wand...
...and raised Hellboy...
...AND he was The Doctor.
Damn. This guy was good.
Born in Derbyshire in 1940, John Hurt was the son of an actress and a mathematician turned clergyman. He developed a passion for acting at an early age and spent time at the theatre with his mother. His parents and school did not support his goal to act professionally and he worked towards becoming an art teacher. In addition to attending college and learning art (painting nudes of his friends to pay tuition) Hurt continued to pursue acting and began landing major roles a few years later.
It wasn't long before John Hurt started getting acclaim for his performances, and early roles in I, Claudius and Midnight Express. His career went on to include major film, television and theatre roles over the course of six decades. During this time he received multiple awards and honours, including being knighted in 2015.
Usually at this point we would highlight a particularly good stand out role, but I think the run down of key roles for geeky types better represents the legacy of John Hurt.
R.I.P. Sir John Hurt
