The son of a clergyman, John Vincent Hurt was born January 22, 1940, in Shirebrook, England, later escaping his restrictive life to train as a painter. He studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and spent much of his early career in the theatre, finally making a name for himself as a film actor in A Man for All Seasons (1966).Usually opting for roles in darker works, Hurt took parts in the epic miniseries I, Claudius (as Caligula) and movies such as Midnight Express (for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination), Alien (as the chest-bursting Kane), 1984 and Scandal. Hurt earned a Best Actor nomination for his title role in The Elephant Man (1980).
Beginning in the 1990s, Hurt took on more mainstream work in films such as Contact (1997), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) and Hellboy (2004).
AddThe HitAfter living in Spain for a decade, English mobster-turned-informant Willie (Terence Stamp) finds his sun-drenched retirement interrupted by two hit men -- Braddock (John Hurt) and his protégé, Myron (Tim Roth) -- who have come to transport him to Paris, where he will be killed. Featuring... Read More
SaveAn Englishman in New YorkJohn Hurt plays celebrated, iconic gay author-artist Quentin Crisp (the subject of Sting's song, "Englishman in New York") in this pseudo biopic that chronicles Crisp's high-profile move from London to New York's Bowery in the 1980s. Cynthia Nixon, Swoosie Kurtz, Denis O'Hare and Jonathan Tucker... Read More
AddNight CrossingNight Crossing tells the incredible true-life story of two intrepid East German families who hatch a plan (during the Cold War, of course) to escape and head west by using hot-air balloons. Starring John Hurt, Jane Alexander, Beau Bridges and Glynnis O'Connor, this family drama is an inspiring tale... Read More
AddLove and Death on Long IslandWell-known British author Giles De'ath (John Hurt) abhors the modern world and avoids it at all costs. When he gets locked out of his home, however, he ends up attending the movies -- for the first time in decades. De'ath is about to walk out on the decidedly lowbrow teen flick when he spots a young... Read More
AddThe Plague DogsWhen it seems as if they might live out the rest of their lives as the subjects of experiments at a laboratory, two brave dogs decide to escape. On their way out of the lab, the canines accidentally knock over a vial that could contain the plague and soon become the subject of an intense manhunt.... Read More
