Versatile actor John Hurt, who could move audiences to tears in The Elephant Man, terrify them in Alien and spoof that very same scene in Spaceballs, has died.
He was 77.
Hurt, who battled pancreatic cancer, died on Friday in London, according to his agent Charles McDonald.
Photo: AFP
Twice nominated for an Oscar for playing the tortured John Merrick in David Lynch’s The Elephant Man and for his role as the heroin addict Max in Midnight Express, Hurt’s career spanned more than 50 years and included playing Mr Ollivander in the Harry Potter movies.
Born on Jan. 22, 1940, in Chesterfield, England, Hurt first began his career as a teacher of drawing.
However, he quickly moved to a life on camera and, after entering the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, he began his career in British film in the 1960s.
After minor television and film appearances, his breakout came in 1966 as Richard Rich in Fred Zinnemann’s A Man For All Seasons, followed by his portrayal of Caligula in the BBC miniseries I, Claudius in 1976.
The wiry Hurt brought gravitas to Alan Parker’s 1978 film Midnight Express, for which he received a supporting actor Oscar nomination and an uneasy humor to Kane in Ridley Scott’s Alien, immortalized by his disturbing death scene, which Mel Brooks later poked fun at with Hurt’s help in Spaceballs.
Hurt is unrecognizable in perhaps his most memorable role as the lead in The Elephant Man.
He endured eight hours in the makeup chair daily to transform into John Merrick. The elaborate mask prohibited him from sleeping lying down or even eating while it was on. He would eat his last meal midmorning as the mask was being applied — usually raw eggs mixed in orange juice — and not again until after midnight.
“To be quite honest, the film was misery to make because of the physical problems, so if it’s working I’m jumping for joy,” Hurt said in a 1980 interview.
The actor, who received a total of four BAFTAs, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014.
“We’re all just passing time, and occupy our chair very briefly,” Hurt said in a 2015 interview while undergoing treatments for the early-stage cancer.
Additional reporting by AFP
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