Guide Note:

John Hurt is a British actor who has appeared in dozens of films and television shows during his nearly five decade-long acting career. He has been nominated for an Academy Award twice, once in 1978 for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Midnight Express and once in 1980 for Best Actor for his performance as the disfigured John Merrick in The Elephant Man.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: January 22, 1940
2. Birthplace: Chesterfield, Darbyshire, England
3. Nominated: Best Supporting Actor in 1978 for Midnight Express; Best Actor in 1980 for Elephant Man
4. Provided voice of Aragorn in Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated adaptation of Lord of the Rings
5. Spoofs his role from Alien (1979) in Spaceballs (1987)
6. Marriages: 4
7. Divorces: 3
8. Children: 2

Born to a parish vicar and a retired actress, Hurt turned to acting despite being a quiet, reserved, and shy child. After attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Hurt began appearing on stage and in small film roles in the 1960s. In 1975, he appeared in the British teleplay The Naked Civil Servant based on the life and writings of the openly gay writer Quentin Crisp and received rave reviews for his bold and visionary performance. He soon began garnering a variety of major roles, including the two which would establish him as one of the screen's finest and most versatile actors and for which he would be nominated for Academy Awards. In 1979, right in between his nominations, he would appear in a relatively minor role which would paradoxically become the one most people would remember him by: as the doomed Kane, the character eaten apart from within by the malevolent title creature in Alien.

Recent Work

Hurt's career has shown no signs of slowing down, and he has played prominent characters in dozens of major films over the past two decades. He has appeared in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and V for Vendetta, as well as the upcoming mega-release Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.