We sadly have to mark the loss of yet another incredible actor of stage and screen. John Hurt passed away yesterday aged 77, after an extended battle with pancreatic cancer. If anyone embodied the phrase "there are no small parts" I would venture to say he fit the bill. A wonderful character actor, whose range in both performance and genre marked him as a fixture of an acting generation. I, Claudius, Alien, Osterman Weekend, 1984, Watership Down, The Elephant Man, Doctor Who, the list can go on and on. He made so many parts, big and small, memorable. And for someone who seems so often to have suffered and died on-screen, it is hard to think we have seen his final performance. May he be remembered and treasured for decades to come through his work. Sir John Vincent Hurt, CBE 22 January 1940 – 27 January 2017
A crushing blow to say the least. This extremely talented man imbued all characters he portrayed with such raw feral emotion the likes of which we will probably never see again. It didn't matter if the role was big or small... he just annihilated his craft and left us begging for more. I put John Hurt in the revered pantheon of amazing visceral actors that crush their roles on the silver screen. Oliver Reed is another individual cut from the same stoic British cloth. Those new to Hurt should check out his body of work which is immense, staggering, and will keep you occupied for quite a long time.
There are very few actors that have had so many roles and done them all so well. Not every movie he was in was stellar, but his performance always was. RIP sir.
Perminantly etched on my brain as the chest burst guy from Alien, in the photo story book I had of the film when I was too young to see the actual film. I think the most recent flick I saw him in was the Proposition, where he plays a bounty hunter. It was a small role and he was perfect. A truly great actor and gentleman that will be missed.
