John Hurt

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Birthday:

22 January 1940, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, UK

Birth Name:

John Vincent Hurt

Height:

175 cm

This transatlantic talent was born on January 22, 1940 in Shirebrook, a coal mining village near the busy market town of Chesterfield, in Derbyshire, England. He is the son of Phyllis (Massey), an engineer and one-time actress, and Arnould Herbert Hurt, an Anglican clergyman and mathematician. The youngest of three children, he spent much of his childhood in solitude. Demonstrating little initiative, he was guided into art as a possible direction. The family moved to Grimsby when he turned twelve and, despite an active early passion in acting, his parents thought less of it and enrolled him at the Grimsby Art School and St. Martin's School of Art where he showed some flourish. When he couldn't manage to get another scholarship to art school, his focus invariably turned to acting.Accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, John made his stage debut in 1962 and remained there in typically offbeat form such plays as "Infanticide in the House of Fred Ginger". An odd, somber, pasty-looking fellow with an aquiline nose (injured while playing sports) and a mass of Irish freckles, he was hardly leading man material. His earlier focus as a painter, however, triggered a keen skill in the art of observation and it certainly advanced his talent for getting into the skin of his characters. His movie debut occurred that same year with a supporting role in the ill-received British "angry young man" drama The Wild and the Willing (1962).Appearing in various mediums, John increased his profile (and respect) appearing in such theatre plays as "Inadmissible Evidence" (1965), "Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs" (1966), a role he later took to film as Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs (1974), "Macbeth" (as Malcolm) (1967) and "Man and Superman" (1969), while finding prime parts in such films as A Man for All Seasons (1966), a role he was given after director Fred Zinnemann saw his stellar work in "Little Malcolm." He continued on the stage as an unlikely Romeo in 1973, and went on to garner great applause in Pinter's "The Caretaker" and "The Dumb Waiter", as well as "Travesties" (1974).It was TV, however, that displayed the full magnitude and fearless range of his acting instrument. In the mid-70s he gained widespread acclaim for his embodiment of the tormented gay writer and raconteur Quentin Crisp in the landmark TV play The Naked Civil Servant (1975), adapted from Crisp's autobiography. Way, way ahead of its time, Hurt's bold and unabashed take on the flamboyant and controversial gent who dared to be different was rewarded with the Emmy and the British TV Awards. Far and away one of the most marvelous creations ever captured on the small screen, he was altogether unsettling, unappetizing and unforgettable. Audiences cringed but were mesmerized at the same time -- like a car wreck. He WAS Quentin Crisp.Doors immediately opened for John. He was handed the best parts film and TV had to offer. Once again he was strikingly disturbing as the cruel and crazed Roman emperor Caligula in the epic TV masterpiece I, Claudius (1976). The chameleon in him then displayed a polar side as the gentle, pathetically disfigured title role in The Elephant Man (1980), and when he morphed into the role of a tortured Turkish prison inmate who befriends Brad Davis in the intense drama Midnight Express (1978), he was barely recognizable. The last two films earned Hurt Oscar nominations. Mainstream box-office films were offered as well as art films. He made the most of his role as a crew member whose body becomes host to an unearthly predator in Alien (1979). Who can forget the film's most notorious scene as the creature explodes from Hurt's stomach and scurries away into the bowels of the spaceship?Along with fame, of course, came a few misguided ventures generally unworthy of his talent. Such brilliant work as his steeple chase jockey in Champions (1984) or kidnapper in The Hit (1984) was occasionally offset by such drivel as the comedy misfire Partners (1982) with 'Ryan O'Neal (I)' in which Hurt looked enervated and embarrassed. But those were very few and far between.As for the past couple of decades, the craggy-faced actor continues to draw extraordinary notices. Tops on the list includes his prurient governmental gadfly who triggers the Christine Keeler political sex scandal in the aptly-titled Scandal (1989); the cultivated gay writer aroused and obsessed with struggling "pretty-boy" actor Jason Priestley in Love and Death on Long Island (1997); and the Catholic priest embroiled in the Rwanda atrocities in Shooting Dogs (2005).His rich tones have also been tapped into frequently with a number of animated features and documentaries, often serving as narrator. Presently married to his fourth wife, genius is often accompanied by a darker, more self-destructive side and Hurt was no exception with alcohol being his choice of poison. He has since recovered. He has two children from his third wife. Show less «

I've done some stinkers in the cinema. You can't regret it; there are always reasons for doing something, even if it's just the location.

We are all racing towards death. No matter how many great, intellectual conclusions we draw during our lives, we know they're all only man-m...Show more »

We are all racing towards death. No matter how many great, intellectual conclusions we draw during our lives, we know they're all only man-made, like God. I begin to wonder where it all leads. What can you do, except do what you can do as best you know how. Show less «

People like us, who turn ourselves inside out for a living, we get into an emotional tussle rather than a marriage. It's fire I'm playing wi...Show more »

People like us, who turn ourselves inside out for a living, we get into an emotional tussle rather than a marriage. It's fire I'm playing with and it isn't surprising I'm not the ideal companion on a daily basis. But it takes two. I mean, Christ, I haven't forced anybody. Show less «

St Michael's was one of those very rarefied, very Anglo-Catholic establishments where they rejoiced in more religious paraphernalia and thea...Show more »

St Michael's was one of those very rarefied, very Anglo-Catholic establishments where they rejoiced in more religious paraphernalia and theatricality than the entire Vatican. More incense-swinging, more crucifixes, more gold tassels, more rose petals, more holy mothers, more God knows what. Three times a day they played the Angelus. When you heard it, you had to stop whatever you were doing, do the Hail Marys in your head, and then return to what you were doing. Like it would come in the middle of a Latin class. I'm just conjugating the love verb, amo, amas, amat, and doingggg! you have to stand up, go through the whole Angelus, mother-of-God thing and then crack on with amamus, amatis, amant. Sir! Because, if you didn't, Whack! Cane. Belt. Education by fear. And the really funny thing was they wouldn't tolerate bullying between peers. Prefects could bash you with a slipper, but you weren't allowed to give each other a rough time. Like who do you think you are? You haven't yet earned the privilege of being violent. Show less «

My parents' lot had literally crawled away from the second world war, taking with them two vital commodities by way of a survival mechanism:...Show more »

My parents' lot had literally crawled away from the second world war, taking with them two vital commodities by way of a survival mechanism: respectability and security. It was odd, coming from a Christian household, but the big thing was about not being what they called "common". I got all that, "Don't play with him, he's common". I had a friend called Grenville Barker who'd come round sometimes and play football on the lawn, but not very often. And I wasn't allowed to go to his home very often because they were working class. He was what my mother called a bad influence. Everything had to do with influence. My mother was desperate I should be properly influenced, have a proper, received accent, be sent away to school at eight. So all you can do is go into yourself, immerse yourself in your own life. Show less «

I couldn't possibly do that. To be able to understand being five years old and write as if you were that age through the book till you get t...Show more »

I couldn't possibly do that. To be able to understand being five years old and write as if you were that age through the book till you get to that extraordinary flowery-pretentious age of the 18-/19-year-old. It's so complicated when you're dealing with memory because of the perspective and how it keeps changing. You have to learn how you see things. It's about...lordy-me, I've forgotten the word. This time in the morning. Never mind, come to me in a moment, let's have more coffee...conditioning. Show less «

There is no such thing as all good people and all bad people. We're all capable. It exists within us. In war-time, as we're finding out now,...Show more »

There is no such thing as all good people and all bad people. We're all capable. It exists within us. In war-time, as we're finding out now, things that have been on camera, our wonderful troops, who we felt were absolutely impeccable, were as guilty as everybody else of. If you're given license to kill, it's going to release many an evil. Show less «

Someone once asked me, "Is there anything you regret?" and I said, "Everything!" Whatever you do, there was always a better choice.

I've always felt, and I think I'm qualified to say so because I've won a few awards, that it's a terrible shame to put something in competit...Show more »

I've always felt, and I think I'm qualified to say so because I've won a few awards, that it's a terrible shame to put something in competition with something else to be able to sell something. Confronted with films like Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Capote (2005) and the Johnny Cash movie (Walk the Line (2005)), you can't pit one against the other. Films are not made to be competitive in that sense. Show less «

"If" and "only" are the two words in the English language that should never be put together.

You know, I've never guided my life. I've just been whipped along by the waves I'm sitting in. I don't make plans at all. Plans are what mak...Show more »

You know, I've never guided my life. I've just been whipped along by the waves I'm sitting in. I don't make plans at all. Plans are what make God laugh. You can make plans, you can make so many plans, but they never go right, do they? Show less «

Also, the wonderful thing about film, you can see light at the end of the tunnel. You did realize that it is going to come to an end at some...Show more »

Also, the wonderful thing about film, you can see light at the end of the tunnel. You did realize that it is going to come to an end at some stage. Show less «

I first decided that I wanted to act when I was 9. And I was at a very bizarre prep school at the time, to say high Anglo-Catholic would be ...Show more »

I first decided that I wanted to act when I was 9. And I was at a very bizarre prep school at the time, to say high Anglo-Catholic would be a real English understatement. Show less «

I've spent a great deal of my life doing independent film, and that is partly because the subject matter interests me and partly because tha...Show more »

I've spent a great deal of my life doing independent film, and that is partly because the subject matter interests me and partly because that is the basis of the film industry. That's where the filmmakers come from, it's where they start and sometimes its where they should have stayed. Show less «

Now if I could be David Niven, I'd be content. He knows how to live life. He's charming, he's amusing, he's so up. An up man! I'm sure he's ...Show more »

Now if I could be David Niven, I'd be content. He knows how to live life. He's charming, he's amusing, he's so up. An up man! I'm sure he's also complicated, but he never lays it on you. Show less «

I remember talking to Olivier when we were doing Lear. He said: 'When it comes to your obituary they will only mention two or three performa...Show more »

I remember talking to Olivier when we were doing Lear. He said: 'When it comes to your obituary they will only mention two or three performances, and they will be the ones that defined you early on.' I said: 'What will they write about you?' 'Richard III (1955) and Wuthering Heights (1939)', he replied. And he was right. Show less «

I have done all sorts of extraordinary things, I know. At the time I didn't think anything of it. But when you look back you think, 'Jesus C...Show more »

I have done all sorts of extraordinary things, I know. At the time I didn't think anything of it. But when you look back you think, 'Jesus Christ!' [Would I live it again?] No thank you. I'm with Beckett there. It's not good enough to die. One has to be forgotten. Show less «

On his drinking: "I wasn't like Oliver Reed. He was a competitive drinker. He'd say, 'I can drink you under the fucking table.' And I'd say:...Show more »

On his drinking: "I wasn't like Oliver Reed. He was a competitive drinker. He'd say, 'I can drink you under the fucking table.' And I'd say: 'I'm sure you could, Oliver. But where's the fun in that?' " Show less «

Oh God, yes, there are moments where you say, 'Wouldn't it have been nice?' Look at Daniel Day-Lewis, he's handled himself very well. He kee...Show more »

Oh God, yes, there are moments where you say, 'Wouldn't it have been nice?' Look at Daniel Day-Lewis, he's handled himself very well. He keeps retiring. I wish I'd thought of that! No, I know Danny well, and he's very amusing. But he certainly has a very cute understanding of the game. And he's got them eating out of his hand. Show less «

On playing gay characters: "It's a big deal for some actors, and for some people. But I understand it. I was away at school, you know?"

On making Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008): "I don't suppose we could talk about the lack of enjoyment in making it...Show more »

On making Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008): "I don't suppose we could talk about the lack of enjoyment in making it?" Show less «

It's more like 1984 meets Alien, if you want to do one of those modern meetings, than it is Orwellian in that sense. It's borrowed abit from...Show more »

It's more like 1984 meets Alien, if you want to do one of those modern meetings, than it is Orwellian in that sense. It's borrowed abit from Orwell. Show less «

[on the themes of V for Vendetta (2005)] It's more like Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) meets Alien (1979), if you want to do one of those moder...Show more »

[on the themes of V for Vendetta (2005)] It's more like Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) meets Alien (1979), if you want to do one of those modern meetings, than it is Orwellian in that sense. It's borrowed a bit from Orwell. Show less «

Well, I would say that if you could manage to get to the end of The Elephant Man (1980) without being moved... I don't think you'd be someon...Show more »

Well, I would say that if you could manage to get to the end of The Elephant Man (1980) without being moved... I don't think you'd be someone I'd want to know. Show less «

(2011, on The Osterman Weekend (1983)) The script was pretty difficult. So was Sam [Peckinpah]. It wasn't until I made him laugh that I thou...Show more »

(2011, on The Osterman Weekend (1983)) The script was pretty difficult. So was Sam [Peckinpah]. It wasn't until I made him laugh that I thought, "Thank God." There's a scene in the film where I have to imitate a weatherman, and that had Sam rolling in the aisles. Before that, he would say things like, "Why do you move so fast?" He wasn't exactly encouraging of confidence. But afterwards, I couldn't put a foot wrong. We were terrific, and I saw him until the day that he died. Show less «

(2011, on Spaceballs (1987)) Mel [Brooks] called and said, "Look, John, I'm doing this little movie and there's a bit in there that has to d...Show more »

(2011, on Spaceballs (1987)) Mel [Brooks] called and said, "Look, John, I'm doing this little movie and there's a bit in there that has to do with Alien (1979), so come on over." He made it sound like a bit of a picnic. He also did that to me on History of the World: Part I (1981). He always does that. "Come on, I'll give you a couple grand, we'll put you up in a nice hotel, you'll have a good time, and then you can go back again." And when you get there, you suddenly realize, it's a $3 million scene-God knows how much the animatronic singing and dancing alien cost-and they couldn't possibly have done it if it hadn't been for you. What I'm saying is, I think he got me rather cheap. Show less «

(2011) I'm not interested in awards. I never have been. I don't think they are important. Don't get me wrong, if somebody gives me a prize, ...Show more »

(2011) I'm not interested in awards. I never have been. I don't think they are important. Don't get me wrong, if somebody gives me a prize, I thank them as gratefully as I know how, because it's very nice to be given a prize. But I don't think that awards ought to be sought. It encourages our business to be competitive in absolutely the wrong way. We're not sportsmen; we're not trying to come in first. Show less «

(2011, on The Elephant Man (1980)) It took 12 hours to apply the original makeup. I thought to myself, "They have actually found a way of ma...Show more »

(2011, on The Elephant Man (1980)) It took 12 hours to apply the original makeup. I thought to myself, "They have actually found a way of making me not enjoy a film." Christopher Tucker, who devised the makeup, applied it that first day and when he was done, I hobbled into the studio. I was in terror of anybody laughing, because if anybody had giggled or laughed at all, the whole house of cards would have collapsed. But there was an absolute hushed silence, which was only broken by Anthony Hopkins saying, "Let's do the test." So it started, and that spell lasted. Show less «

(2011, on why he did King Ralph (1991)) Well, the coffers run low every now and then. And my friend Peter O'Toole was doing it, the idea was...Show more »

(2011, on why he did King Ralph (1991)) Well, the coffers run low every now and then. And my friend Peter O'Toole was doing it, the idea wasn't so bad, and I was a big admirer of John Goodman. But I have to say, the director [David S. Ward], who I believe is a good writer, is not a good director. He really did make the whole thing turgid and difficult. It looked like it would be a lot of fun, but it turned out to be not a lot of fun at all. It was take after take after take for no possible reason. You couldn't tell the difference between it and the dirt on the ground. Show less «

(2011, on Roger Corman's Frankenstein Unbound (1990)) Everybody's got to work with Roger Corman. You can't leave out that experience. I was ...Show more »

(2011, on Roger Corman's Frankenstein Unbound (1990)) Everybody's got to work with Roger Corman. You can't leave out that experience. I was amazed when I met him, because I was expecting to see this rather freaky character with hair all over the place-a complete crazy man. But he wasn't. He was dressed in a tie and a suit, with very neat hair. At first, I thought he was a solicitor. Show less «

(2011, on V for Vendetta (2005)) We shot it in Berlin, so it was strange behaving like Hitler in the middle of that city. Some of the locati...Show more »

(2011, on V for Vendetta (2005)) We shot it in Berlin, so it was strange behaving like Hitler in the middle of that city. Some of the locations were exactly where Hitler gave speeches. Show less «

[on Downton Abbey (2010)] I just think it is poxy! I mean, I'm sorry, but it is rotten writing and rotten acting. And he [Julian Fellowes] i...Show more »

[on Downton Abbey (2010)] I just think it is poxy! I mean, I'm sorry, but it is rotten writing and rotten acting. And he [Julian Fellowes] is on the board of the Smith committee! Show less «

I certainly wouldn't go as far as saying proud, but I'm absolutely amazed I've lasted that long [50 years]. I knew I wanted to act from a ve...Show more »

I certainly wouldn't go as far as saying proud, but I'm absolutely amazed I've lasted that long [50 years]. I knew I wanted to act from a very young age - from about nine, really - but I didn't know how to go about it. I had no idea. The world was a much bigger place then. Also you didn't have the communications we have today: now we've all got the internet, we know what's going on everywhere. We didn't then. We'd only just got used to the typewriter. Show less «

I had no idea that Doctor Who (2005) had got so huge; I just thought, "Brilliant, I'll be a Doctor!" I was suddenly - what do they call it? ...Show more »

I had no idea that Doctor Who (2005) had got so huge; I just thought, "Brilliant, I'll be a Doctor!" I was suddenly - what do they call it? You start "trending". This is all new to me! Show less «

I'm very much of the opinion that to work is better than not to work. There are others who'd say, "No, wait around for the right thing" - an...Show more »

I'm very much of the opinion that to work is better than not to work. There are others who'd say, "No, wait around for the right thing" - and they will finish up a purer animal than me. For example, Daniel Day-Lewis will only do what he thinks is right. I couldn't wait that long between films. He's wonderful Danny, but our philosophy is different in that sense. Of course, I don't do everything by any means: I do turn lots of stuff down, because it's absolute crap. But I usually find something interesting enough to do. Show less «

Of course you have to remember that the Doctors are all one person, so I'm not outside of that. I can't talk about it, but I will say I was ...Show more »

Of course you have to remember that the Doctors are all one person, so I'm not outside of that. I can't talk about it, but I will say I was really impressed when I did it. Both the previous doctors - Matt Smith and David Tennant - boy, are they good at it. Whoa-wee! They are so quick, and there's a huge amount of learning and no time to learn it in. All that fake scientific nonsense. Terribly difficult to learn. Show less «

I've done a couple of conferences where you sit and sign autographs for people and then you have photographs taken with them and a lot of th...Show more »

I've done a couple of conferences where you sit and sign autographs for people and then you have photographs taken with them and a lot of them all dressed up in alien suits or Doctor Who (2005) whatevers. I was terrified of doing it because I thought they'd all be loonies, but they are absolutely, totally charming as anything. It's great fun. I'm not saying it's the healthiest thing - I don't know whether it is or isn't - but they are very charming. Show less «

[on the original series of Doctor Who (1963)] I don't think I saw the first episode and I think it escaped me for quite a long time. It was ...Show more »

[on the original series of Doctor Who (1963)] I don't think I saw the first episode and I think it escaped me for quite a long time. It was a kiddies' programme, or it was assumed to be. It was known basically for the fact that all the scenery used to fall over. Show less «

I'm horribly self critical. I destroyed all the early stuff, mistakenly probably.

I've stopped drinking ... It wasn't serving me, and the climate has changed. People don't do it any more.

I can't say I worry about mortality, but it's impossible to get to my age and not have a little contemplation of it. We're all just passing ...Show more »

I can't say I worry about mortality, but it's impossible to get to my age and not have a little contemplation of it. We're all just passing time, and occupy our chair very briefly. Show less «

I've lived publicly and never hidden behind closed doors. Therefore if I have gone over the top sometimes, it has been visible. But it was n...Show more »

I've lived publicly and never hidden behind closed doors. Therefore if I have gone over the top sometimes, it has been visible. But it was not a way of life. Otherwise I wouldn't have the CV I've got, would I? Show less «

I miss the camaraderie, when it was fantastically creative. People love to talk about the drinking bit as though it were hellraising. Actual...Show more »

I miss the camaraderie, when it was fantastically creative. People love to talk about the drinking bit as though it were hellraising. Actually O'Toole put it really well when he said the drinking was to feed something else. Even when you weren't working everybody would meet somewhere. That's all gone, completely. Show less «

We were crawling away from the war and the two essentials were respectability and security. I didn't want to teach. I wanted to act. It was ...Show more »

We were crawling away from the war and the two essentials were respectability and security. I didn't want to teach. I wanted to act. It was quite a long and difficult road to get there but very thrilling when I did. Show less «