Highest rated as cast or director
Alien
1979
The Storyteller
1988 · 1 Season
The Elephant Man
1980
Merlin
2008 · 5 Seasons
Snowpiercer
2013
John Hurt's 5 titles from the 1970s have a median Balasaur Score of 74, led by Alien (87) and The Naked Civil Servant (76), against 69 for those from the 1980s.
Biography
Sir John Vincent Hurt (January 22, 1940 – January 25, 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. He came to prominence for his role as Richard Rich in the film A Man for All Seasons (1966) and gained BAFTA Award nominations for his portrayals of Timothy Evans in 10 Rillington Place (1971) and Quentin Crisp in television film The Naked Civil Servant (1975) – winning his first BAFTA for the latter. He played Caligula in the BBC TV series I, Claudius (1976). Hurt's performance in the prison drama Midnight Express (1978) brought him international renown and earned Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards, along with an Academy Award nomination. His BAFTA-nominated portrayal of astronaut Kane, in the science-fiction horror film Alien (1979), notably included a scene where an alien creature burst out of his chest, named by several publications as one of the most memorable moments in cinema history. Hurt earned his third competitive BAFTA, along with his second Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, as Joseph Merrick in David Lynch's biopic The Elephant Man (1980). Other significant roles during the 1980s included Bob Champion in biopic Champions (1984), Mr. Braddock in the Stephen Frears drama The Hit (1984), Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) and Stephen Ward in the drama depicting the Profumo affair, Scandal (1989). Hurt was again BAFTA-nominated for his work in Irish drama The Field (1990) and played the primary villain, James Graham, in the epic adventure Rob Roy (1995). His later films include the Harry Potter film series (2001–11), the Hellboy films (2004 and 2008), supernatural thriller The Skeleton Key (2005), western The Proposition (2005), political thriller V for Vendetta (2005), action adventure Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), sci-fi action Outlander (2008) and the Cold War espionage film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011). Hurt reprised his role as Quentin Crisp in An Englishman in New York (2009), which brought his seventh BAFTA nomination. He portrayed the War Doctor in the BBC TV series Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor", in 2013. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors; director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in the world". He possessed what was described as the "most distinctive voice in Britain", likened by The Observer to "nicotine sieved through dirty, moonlit gravel". His voice acting career encompassed films such as Watership Down (1978), The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Plague Dogs (1982), The Black Cauldron (1985), Dogville (2003) and Planet Dinosaur (2011) as well as BBC TV series Merlin (2008–2012). In 2012, he was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement BAFTA Award, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to cinema". He was knighted in 2015 for his services to drama.
Acted in 199
2020s
- 2025
Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War
The Doctor (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2024
Doctor Who at the Proms
The Doctor (War) (archive footage)
2010s
- 2017
That Good Night
Ralph
My Name Is Lenny
Leslie Salmon
- 2016
Back to Utopia
Professor Peter Panludic (voice)
ChickLit
Francis Bonar
- 2015
The Last Panthers
Tom · 6 episodes
Break
Jack
The Alchemist's Letter
The Alchemist (voice)
Dmitri Shostakovich: A Man of Many Faces
Narator
- 2014
- 2013
The Day of the Doctor: Cinema Intro
The War Doctor
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
The War Doctor (archive voice)
Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor
The War Doctor
Doctor Who at the Proms
The War Doctor (archive footage) (uncredited)
Swan Lake 3D - Live from the Mariinsky Theatre
The Voice of the Winter Palace / Self
- 2012
The Snipist
The Ministry
- 2011
In Love with Alma Cogan
MC
23 Degrees, 5 Minutes
Professor Orit
The Confession
Priest
The Confession
Priest · 10 episodes
Sailcloth
Man
- 2010
Whistle and I'll Come to You
James Parkin
Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie
Carnak
65Lou
Doyle
2000s
- 2009
- 2008
Lecture 21
Mondrian Kilroy
Verity Lambert: Drama Queen
Movie
- 2007
Masters of Science Fiction
Samswope · 1 episode
Boxes
Fanny's father
- 2006
V for Vendetta: Unmasked
Adam Sutler
- 2005
Once Upon a Halloween
The Horned King (voice) (archive sound)
Short Order
Felix
- 2004
Pride
Harry (voice)
The Alan Clark Diaries
Alan Clark · 6 episodes
- 2003
Meeting Che Guevara & the Man from Maybury Hill
Man from Maybury Hill
- 2002
- 2001
Tabloid
Vince
- 2000
Krapp's Last Tape
Krapp
1990s
- 1999
You're Dead...
Maitland
If... Dog... Rabbit
Sean Cooper
All the Little Animals
Mr. Summers
- 1998
The Climb
Chuck Langer
Love and Death on Long Island
Giles De'Ath
The Commissioner
James morton
Night Train
Michael Poole
- 1997
Brute
Babits
- 1996
Tender Loving Care
Dr. Turner
- 1995
Picture Windows
Marquis de Prey · 1 episode
Picture Windows: Two Nudes Bathing
Marquis de Prey
- 1994
The World of Jim Henson
The Storyteller (archive footage)
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
The Countess
Great Moments in Aviation
Rex Goodyear
- 1993
Monolith
Villano
- 1992
Six Characters in Search of An Author
The Father
Dark at Noon
Anthony / Le Marquis
- 1991
Red Fox
Archie Carpenter
I Dreamt I Woke Up
Boorman's Alter Ego
Lapse of Memory
Conrad Farmer
- 1990
Windprints
Charles Rutherford
Who Bombed Birmingham?
Chris Mullin
Romeo.Juliet
La Dame aux Chats / Mercutio (voice)
1980s
- 1989
Poison Candy
Robert Burger
David Macaulay: Pyramid
Khufu / Second French Explorer (voice)
- 1988
The Bengali Night
Lucien Metz
A Dinner of Herbs
Verse Reader
The Storyteller: The True Bride
The Storyteller
The Storyteller: Sapsorrow
The Storyteller
The Storyteller: The Three Ravens
The Storyteller
The Storyteller: Hans My Hedgehog
The Storyteller
The Storyteller: A Story Short
The Storyteller
The Storyteller: The Luck Child
The Storyteller
The Storyteller: Fearnot
The Storyteller
Deadline
Granville Jones
- 1987
The Hunting of the Snark
The Narrator
From the Hip
Douglas Benoit
- 1986
- 1985
After Darkness
Peter Hunningford
- 1984
Success Is the Best Revenge
Dino Montecurva
Champions
Bob Champion
Journeys through the Darkzone
Father Grant D'arcy
- 1983
King Lear
The Fool
- 1982
Partners
Kerwin
- 1981
- 1980
1970s
- 1979
Crime and Punishment
Rodion Raskolnikov · 3 episodes
- 1978
- 1977
The Disappearance
Atkinson
East of Elephant Rock
Nash
The Hollywood Greats
TV
Three Dangerous Ladies
Lt. George Simmonds
Spectre
Mitri Cyon
- 1976
Stream Line
Chandler
The Peddler
Alec Cassell
- 1975
Shades of Greene
Fred · 1 episode
The Ghoul
Tom Rawlings
- 1974
Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs
Malcolm Scrawdyke
- 1973
Wessex Tales
Joshua Harlborough · 1 episode
- 1972
The Pied Piper
Franz
- 1971
Mr. Forbush and the Penguins
Richard Forbush
10 Rillington Place
Timothy Evans
- 1970
1960s
- 1969
In Search of Gregory
Daniel
Before Winter Comes
Lieutenant Pilkington
- 1967
The Sailor from Gibraltar
John
- 1966
- 1965
- 1964
This Is My Street
Charlie
- 1962
The Wild and the Willing
Phil Corbett
1950s
- 1956
Armchair Theatre
Joe · 1 episode
Appearances58
2020s
- 2025
Henry Fonda for President
Self (archive footage)
- 2021
2010s
- 2018
Ayamé
Narrator (voice)
- 2016
The Final Reel
Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2014
Wimbledon The Official Film 2014
Narrator
Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film
Self
- 2013
Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty
Self
Hello: A Portrait Of Leslie Phillips
Self / Stephen Ward
Muse of Fire
Self
Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict
Narrator (voice)
- 2012
Planet Dinosaur: Ultimate Killers
Narrator (voice)
- 2011
On Borrowed Time
Self
The Journey – Stories from the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
Narrator
2000s
- 2009
Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World
Self (archive footage)
Ballybrando
Self
Centenary: The BP Story
Narrator (voice)
- 2007
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
Self
Interview with John Hurt
Self
- 2006
Whaledreamers
Self
The Plot Against Harold Wilson
Narrator (voice)
- 2005
- 2004
Shadowing the Third Man
Narrator (voice)
Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation
Self
Alpha to Omega: Exposing 'The Osterman Weekend'
Self
- 2003
The Beast Within: Making Alien
Self
Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film
Self / Self - Krapp ("Krapp's Last Tape")
- 2002
The Alien Saga
Narrator (voice)
I, Claudius: A Television Epic
Self
Edge of the Universe
Narrator (voice) · 3 episodes
- 2001
Shaolin: Wheel of Life
Narrator (voice)
The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed
Self
Hidden Wars of Desert Storm
Narrator (voice)
Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged
Self
- 2000
1990s
- 1998
- 1994
Rabbit Ears - Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
Narrator (voice)
Inside the Actors Studio
Self · 1 episode
- 1993
- 1990
Paul McCartney: From Rio to Liverpool
Narrator (voice)
Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch
Self
Resident Alien
Self - Actor
1980s
- 1987
Monolith
Narrator (voice)
Iceberg
Narrator (voice)
- 1986
Thames Film
Narrator
- 1985
The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima
Narrator (voice)
Live Aid
Self
- 1984
Sunset People
Self
- 1983
1970s
- 1974
- 1971
