Line #18 Creator/JohnHurt


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4	%%Per Administrivia/CreatorPageGuidelines, only tropes associated to a creator's works are allowed on this wiki's pages, and tropes that only apply to the creator's personal life as if the creator is a fictional character are not allowed. Please do not apply tropes about the creator's personal life as if they are a fictional character.
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8	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/john_hurt.jpg]]
9	[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Series/DoctorWho Great actors are forged in fire.]]'']]
10	->''"Pretending to be other people is my game and that to me is the essence of the whole business of acting."''
11
12	[[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.
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14	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, "Well, you may be all right in school plays but you wouldn't stand a chance in the profession."
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16	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 ''Literature/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.
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18	Hurt received multiple awards and honours throughout his career including four BAFTA Awards (For ''The Naked Civil Servant'', ''Midnight Express'' and ''The Elephant Man'', as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award) and a Golden Globe, as well as two UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nominations (for the latter two films). His character's demise in ''Film/{{Alien}}'' is generally regarded as one of the most memorable scenes in cinematic history. He even reprised the role in the sci-fi spoof ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', directed by ''Film/TheElephantMan'' producer Creator/MelBrooks.
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20	Hurt starred in a voice part in the TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 CG-animated movie ''WesternAnimation/{{Ultramarines}}'', and also appeared on ''Series/DoctorWho'' as the [[Characters/DoctorWhoWarDoctor War Doctor]], a ShellShockedVeteran between the Eighth and Ninth Doctors who shed the name "Doctor" and [[BatmanGrabsAGun became a warrior]].
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22	He received a knighthood in the 2015's New Year's Honor List, a honor that was no doubt long overdue.
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24	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. Discounting recasts, he was the first Doctor to pass away since Creator/JonPertwee in 1996, and only the fourth overall (Creator/WilliamHartnell died in 1975, Creator/PatrickTroughton died in 1987).
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26	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]]."
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28	A ChronicallyKilledActor, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHk-ooDV2HE a YouTube compilation of his death scenes]] is even longer than it is for Creator/SeanBean. He was also at drama school with Creator/IanMcShane, and they shared an apartment, leading to a lifelong friendship.
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30	Not to be confused with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_John_Hurt Mississippi John Hurt]]. And no, he's not related to Creator/WilliamHurt.
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32	----
33	!!Filmography:
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35	* ''Theatre/AManForAllSeasons'' (1966) as Richard Rich
36	* ''Film/TenRillingtonPlace'' (1971) as Timothy John Evans
37	* ''Series/IClaudius'' (1976) as UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}
38	* ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'' (1978) as Hazel (voice)
39	* ''Film/MidnightExpress'' (1978) as Max
40	* ''Film/TheShout'' (1978) as Anthony Fielding
41	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings'' (1978) as Aragorn (voice)
42	* ''Film/{{Alien}}'' (1979) as Kane
43	* ''Literature/CrimeAndPunishment'' (1979 television serial) as Raskolnikov
44	* ''Film/TheElephantMan'' (1980) as John Merrick
45	* ''Film/HeavensGate'' (1980) as Billy Irvine
46	* ''Film/NightCrossing'' (1981) as Peter Strelzyk
47	* ''Film/HistoryOfTheWorldPartI'' (1981) as Jesus Christ
48	* ''Film/Partners1982'' as Officer Kerwin
49	* ''Literature/ThePlagueDogs'' (1982) as Snitter (voice)
50	* ''Film/TheOstermanWeekend'' (1983) as Lawrence Fassett
51	* ''Theatre/KingLear'' (1983) as the Fool
52	* ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' (1984) as Winston Smith
53	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' (1985) as the Horned King (voice)
54	* ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'' (1987) as [[Film/{{Alien}} Kane]]
55	* ''Series/TheStoryteller'' (1988) as The Storyteller
56	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pyramid\|Documentary}}'' (1988) as Pharaoh Khufu (voice)
57	* ''Film/LittleSweetheart'' (1989) as Robert Burger
58	* ''Film/TheField'' (1990) as "The Bird" O'Donnell
59	* ''Film/KingRalph'' (1991) as Lord Percival Graves
60	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina\|1994}}'' (1994) as Mr. Mole (voice)
61	* ''Film/RobRoy'' (1995) as John Graham, Marquis of Montrose
62	* ''Film/DeadMan'' (1995) as John Scholfield
63	* ''Literature/LoveAndDeathOnLongIsland'' (1997) as Giles De'Ath
64	* ''Film/{{Contact}}'' (1997) as S.R. Hadden
65	* ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'' (1999) as General Woundwort (voice)
66	* ''Film/{{Lost Souls\|2000}}'' (2000) as Father Lareaux
67	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTiggerMovie'' (2000) as the Narrator (voice)
68	* ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' (2001) as Mr. Ollivander
69	* ''Film/{{Dogville}}'' (2003) as the Narrator
70	* ''Film/{{Hellboy\|2004}}'' (2004) as Professor Trevor Bruttenholm
71	* ''Film/TheSkeletonKey'' (2005) as Ben Devereaux
72	* ''Film/TheProposition'' (2005) as Jellon Lamb
73	* ''Film/VForVendetta'' (2005) as Adam Sutler
74	* ''[[{{Literature/Perfume}} Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer]]'' (2006) as the Narrator (voice)
75	* ''WesternAnimation/HellboyBloodAndIron'' (2007) as Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (voice)
76	* ''Series/{{Merlin\|2008}}'' (2008 - 2012) as the Great Dragon (voice)
77	* ''Film/{{Outlander\|2008}}'' (2008) as Hrothgar
78	* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'' (2008) as Dr. Harold Oxley
79	* ''Film/HellboyIITheGoldenArmy'' (2008) as Professor Trevor Bruttenholm
80	* ''Film/BrightonRock'' (2010) as Phil Corkery
81	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ultramarines}}'' (2010) as Carnak
82	* ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Part 1'' (2010) as Mr. Ollivander
83	* ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Part 2'' (2011) as Mr. Ollivander
84	* ''Film/{{Melancholia}}'' (2011) as Dexter
85	* ''Film/TinkerTailorSoldierSpy'' (2011) as Control
86	* ''Film/{{Immortals}}'' (2011) as Old man/Narrator
87	* ''Series/TheConfession'' (2011) as The Priest
88	* ''Series/TheHollowCrown'' (2012) as Choir/Narrator (''Theatre/HenryV'' episode)
89	* ''Series/DoctorWho'' (2013) as the [[Characters/DoctorWhoWarDoctor War Doctor]]
90	* ''Film/{{Snowpiercer}}'' (2013) as Gilliam
91	* ''Film/OnlyLoversLeftAlive'' (2013) as Christopher Marlowe
92	* ''Film/{{Hercules\|2014}}'' (2014) as King Cotys of Thrace
93	* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' (2015) as Sailor John (voice)
94	* ''Film/TheLegendOfTarzan'' (2016) as Professor Porter
95	* ''Film/{{Jackie}}'' (2016) as the Priest
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97	!!Other appearances:
98	* ''[[VideoGame/WingCommanderPrivateer Privateer 2: The Darkening]]'' (1996) as Joe the Bartender
99	* ''The Seduction of Claude Debussy'' by Music/ArtOfNoise (1999) as the narrator (voice)
100	* BBC Radio's dramatization of ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' (2014) as an older Creator/DanteAlighieri (voice)
101	* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' (2015–2017) reprising his War Doctor role (voice)
102	* The Creator/BigFinish version of ''Literature/TheInvisibleMan'' (2017) as Griffin (voice)
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104	!!Tropes seen in his roles:
105	* 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.
106	* ChronicallyKilledActor: To the point [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHk-ooDV2HE his official YouTube channel]] has a death reel. A research shows Hurt dies in about a third of his filmography. He even dies in a ''[[WesternAnimation/PyramidDocumentary documentary]]''!
107	* 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, aging LondonGangster Old Man Peanut in ''Film/FortyFourInchChest''.

Context Creator / JohnHurt