History Creator / JohnHurt

* TheAlcoholic: He might have disagreed, calling it "a silly word", but there is no denying he enjoyed the tip of a glass, though perhaps not to the extremes of his generational cohorts Creator/PeterOToole, Creator/RichardHarris and Creator/OliverReed, which would go some way towards explaining why he outlived all of them. When he died, many completely ordinary people recounted stories of his jovial casual friendliness towards them at the bar stool.

* BadassBaritone: His voice has been described as a mixture of honey and acid, and is a big reason why he was able to chalk up over 200 film and TV roles.

Hurt got the last laugh in the end though. With a proper acting career in both film and television stating in the early 1960s, with his breakthrough role often being considered Richard Rich in the 1966 film adaption of ''Theatre/AManForAllSeasons'', Hurt saw himself becoming one of England's best-known, most prolific and sought-after actors, and had a versatile film career spanning five decades. He was also known for his many Shakespearean roles, and oddly closed the circle on some special ones. For instance, he played Winston, the tyrannized subject of Big Brother in ''Film/NineteenEightyFour'' in 1984, and played Sutler, the Big Brother-like dictator in ''Film/VForVendetta''. He also famously voiced several characters in works inspired by Creator/RichardAdams' novels - one of his most famous animated voice roles was the heroic rabbit leader, Hazel, in the [[WesternAnimation/WaterShipDown film adaptation]] of ''Literature/WatershipDown'', but he also played the primary villain, the tyrannical General Woundwort, in the later television adaptation of the same novel. He also voiced Snitter in the film adaptation of ''Literature/ThePlagueDogs'', by the same author.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePlagueDogs'' (1982) as Snitter (voice)

* LargeHam: While Hurt could give subtle and subdued performances when necessary, he also loved to chew the scenery when playing larger-than-life, colorful characters, e.g. eccentric billionaire S.R. Hadden in ''Film/{{Contact}}'', equally eccentric bounty hunter Jellon Lamb in ''Film/TheProposition'', and the foul-mouthed, wizened old LondonGangster Old Man Peanut in ''Film/FortyFourInchChest''.

* LargeHam: While Hurt could give subtle and subdued performances when necessary, he also loved to chew the scenery when playing larger-than-life, colorful characters, e.g. eccentric billionaire S.R. Hadden in ''Film/{{Contact}}, equally eccentric bounty hunter Jellon Lamb in ''Film/TheProposition'', and the foul-mouthed, wizened old LondonGangster Old Man Peanut in ''Film/FortyFourInchChest''.

Born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Hurt was born as the son of Phyllis and Arnold Herbert Hurt. He was inspired in his childhood to become an actor, after appearing in a school production of ''Theatre/TheBlueBird''. At the age of twelve, Hurt, now enrolled in boarding school, confessed his ambition to his headmaster, who proceed to laugh him off, telling him, "[[ItWillNeverCatchOn Well, you may be all right in school plays but you wouldn't stand a chance in the profession.]]"

* ArtImitatesLife: John Hurt's last reading role, the British drama [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Good_Night_(film) That Good Night]] is about a terminally ill artist of irascible nature trying to make peace with his own mortality and connect with his family during his final days. John Hurt was also a terminally ill artist of irascible nature trying to make peace with his own mortality and trying to connect with his family (as his children also worked in the film's production)during his final days.

** Not only that, at the age of 73 he got to play a brand-new (or at least previously unrevealed) version of The Doctor, adding to his cool old guy cred.
*** It has been said of him that, even in his senior years, he got to play a dragon, a wizard, ''and'' the Doctor, i.e. three of the coolest things in fiction.

Hurt starred in a voice part in the TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} CG-animated movie ''WesternAnimation/{{Ultramarines}}'', and also appeared on ''Series/DoctorWho'' as [[TheNthDoctor/DoctorWho the War Doctor]], a ShellShockedVeteran who shed the name "Doctor" and [[BatmanGrabsAGun became a warrior]].

In June of 2015, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but said he was optimistic about treatment and that the disease would not interfere with his professional duties. It did, however, cause production of Creator/TerryGilliam's ''Film/TheManWhoKilledDonQuixote'' to be delayed since nobody was willing to insure the film while Hurt had cancer (he was eventually replaced by Creator/JonathanPryce). He eventually passed away on January 25, 2017, three days after his 77th birthday. The news of his death was announced two days later.

An amusing story was told by Creator/PaulHiggins ([=Jamie MacDonald=] from ''Series/TheThickOfIt''). On the opening night of ''Black Watch'', a play Higgins was in, Hurt was sitting in the front row. One character had the line: "I don't care who plays me in the movie, so long as it's not that cunt in Film/TheElephantMan." The next day, the production got a card: "Congratulations on a magnificent performance of a very important play - [[SophisticatedAsHell from the cunt in The Elephant Man and his wife]]."

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Pretending to be other people is my game and that to me is the essence of the whole business of acting."'']]

Hurt was one of England's best-known, most prolific and sought-after actors, and had a versatile film career spanning five decades. He was also known for his many Shakespearean roles, and oddly closed the circle on some special ones. For instance, he played Winston, the tyrannized subject of Big Brother in ''Film/NineteenEightyFour'' in 1984, and played Sutler, the Big Brother-like dictator in ''Film/VForVendetta''. He also famously voiced several characters in works inspired by Creator/RichardAdams' novels - one of his most famous animated voice roles was the heroic rabbit leader, Hazel, in the [[WesternAnimation/WaterShipDown film adaptation]] of ''Literature/WatershipDown'', but he also played the primary villain, the tyrannical General Woundwort, in the later television adaptation of the same novel. He also voiced Snitter in the film adaptation of ''Literature/ThePlagueDogs'', by the same author.

* [[BadassMustache Badass Moustache]]: [[http://38.media.tumblr.com/45a35555a3aee1c031fb875bd35c8530/tumblr_n74i17DJlH1qhxiaoo1_500.jpg Just look at it.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' (2015) as Sailor John (voice)

Hurt was one of England's best-known, most prolific and sought-after actors, and had a versatile film career spanning five decades. He was also known for his many Shakespearean roles, and oddly closed the circle on some special ones. For instance, he played Winston, the tyrannized subject of Big Brother in ''Film/NineteenEightyFour'' in 1984, and played Sutler, the Big Brother-like dictator in ''Film/VForVendetta''. He also famously dubbed several characters in works inspired by Creator/RichardAdams' novels - his most famous animated voice role was the heroic rabbit leader, Hazel, in the film of ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'', but he also played the primary villain, the tyrannical General Woundwort, in the later television adaptation of the same novel. He also dubbed Snitter in ''ThePlagueDogs'', an adaptation of a DarkerAndEdgier novel by the same author.

[[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Sir]] John Vincent Hurt, [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever CBE]] (22 January 1940 - 25 January 2017) was an English actor, who initially came to prominence for his role as Richard Rich in the 1966 film ''Film/AManForAllSeasons'', and sustained a career in lead and supporting roles in many popular motion pictures.

Not to be confused with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_John_Hurt Mississippi John Hurt]].

[[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Sir]] John Vincent Hurt, [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever CBE]] (January 22, 1940 - January 25, 2017) was an English actor, who initially came to prominence for his role as Richard Rich in the 1966 film ''Film/AManForAllSeasons'', and sustained a career in lead and supporting roles in many popular motion pictures.

* ''Film/TheShout'' (1978) as Anthony[=/=]husband

Hurt was one of England's best-known, most prolific and sought-after actors, and had a versatile film career spanning five decades. He was also known for his many Shakespearean roles, and oddly closed the circle on some special ones. For instance, he played Winston, the tyrannized subject of Big Brother in ''Film/NineteenEightyFour'' in 1984, and played Sutler, the Big Brother-like dictator in ''Film/VForVendetta''. He also famously dubbed several characters in works inspired by Creator/RichardAdams' novels - his most famous animated voice role was the heroic rabbit leader, Hazel, in the film of ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'', but he also played the primary villain, the tyrannical General Woundwort, in the later television adaptation of the same novel. He also dubbed Snitter in ThePlagueDogs, an adaptation of a DarkerAndEdgier novel by the same author.

In June of 2015, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but said he was optimistic about treatment and that the disease would not interfere with his professional duties. It did however cause production of Creator/TerryGilliam's ''Film/TheManWhoKilledDonQuixote'' to be delayed since nobody was willing to insure the film while Hurt had cancer (he was eventually replaced by Creator/JonathanPryce). He eventually passed away on January 25, 2017, three days after his 77th birthday. The news of his death was announced two days later.

An amusing story was told by Paul Higgins ([=Jamie MacDonald=] from ''Series/TheThickOfIt''). On the opening night of ''Black Watch'', a play Higgins was in, Hurt was sitting in the front row. One character had the line: "I don't care who plays me in the movie, so long as it's not that cunt in Film/TheElephantMan." The next day, the production got a card: "Congratulations on a magnificent performance of a very important play - [[SophisticatedAsHell from the cunt in The Elephant Man and his wife]]."

[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/john-hurt.jpg]]
->''"Pretending to be other people is my game and that to me is the essence of the whole business of acting."''

Hurt was one of England's best-known, most prolific and sought-after actors, and had a versatile film career spanning five decades. He was also known for his many Shakespearean roles, and oddly closed the circle on some special ones. For instance, he played Winston, the tyrannized subject of Big Brother in ''Film/NineteenEightyFour'' in 1984, and played Sutler, the Big Brother-like dictator in ''Film/VForVendetta''. His most famous animated voice role was the heroic rabbit leader, Hazel, in the film of ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'', but he played the primary villain, the tyrannical General Woundwart, in the later television adaptation.