Sir John Vincent Hurt, (January 22nd, 1940 - January 25, 2017) CBE was an English actor. Hurt initially came to prominence for his role as Richard Rich in the 1966 film A Man for All Seasons, and has since retained a career as a lead and supporting actor of many popular motion pictures.
His filmography includes but is not limited to: Watership Down, Midnight Express, Alien, The Elephant Man (in the title role, no less), Caligula in I, Claudius, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Rob Roy, Contact, Mr. Ollivander in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and both parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, V for Vendetta, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Professor Bruttenholm in the Hellboy film series. He also voiced Aragorn in Ralph Bakshi's animated version of The Lord of the Rings. Hurt is one of England's best-known, most prolific and sought-after actors, and has had a versatile film career spanning five decades. He is also known for his many Shakespearean roles. Hurt has received multiple awards and honours throughout his career including three BAFTA Awards and a Golden Globe, as well as two Academy Award nominations. His character's demise in Alien is generally regarded as one of the most memorable scenes in cinematic history.
Starred in a voice-part in the Warhammer 40000 CG-animated movie Ultramarines and joined the ranks of those great British actors who'd played the Doctor in 2013 as the "War Doctor", the hitherto unknown incarnation of the Time Lord who'd fought in the Last Great Time War, as part of the buildup to the 50th anniversary special.
In New Year 2015, he was granted a long overdue knighthood before, tragically, in June, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Though he remained optimistic about his chances, he sadly passed two years later, a mere three days after his 77th birthday.