Hurt's career spanned half a century and he managed to find popularity with each succeeding generation. He first gained notice in 1966 for his portrayal of Richard Rich in A Man For All Seasons. Hurt would gain acclaim on British TV for his portrayal of Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and Caligula in I, Claudius.
In the late 1970's and early 1980's, Hurt's popularity made its way to this country gaining Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor Oscar nominations for Midnight Express and The Elephant Man. In between those films, Hurt gained cinematic immortality in Alien (even if it did turn his stomach and ours).
Other film credits include the unfairly maligned Heaven's Gate, History of the World, Part 1, Nineteen Eighty Four, Spaceballs, Scandal and Rob Roy. Younger movie and TV fans remember Hurt from his portrayal of Mr. Ollivander in the Harry Potter movies, the Hellboy movies, the War Doctor in Doctor Who.
But when I hear John Hurt's name what immediately springs to mind is his appearance on Paul McCartney's video for his 1982 hit "Take It Away". R.I.P.
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