John Hurt

John Hurt is a British actor who has appeared in dozens of films and television shows during his nearly five decade-long acting career.

1. Born: January 22, 1940BBC Derby: John Hurt Biography
2. Birthplace: Chesterfield, Darbyshire, EnglandBBC Derby: John Hurt Biography
3. Nominated: Best Supporting Actor in 1978 for Midnight Express; Best Actor in 1980 for Elephant ManYahoo! Movies: John Hurt Biography
4. Provided voice of Aragorn in Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated adaptation of Lord of the RingsYahoo! Movies: John Hurt Biography
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, which was based on the life and writings of the openly gay writer Quentin Crisp. Hurt 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.BBC Derby: John Hurt Biography Yahoo! Movies: John Hurt Biography

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, V for Vendetta, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Outlander.

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• January 22, 1940 Born

• 1962: The Wild and the Willing

• 1979: Alien

• 1980: The Elephant Man

• 1995: Dead Man

• 1998: The Climb

• 2004: Hellboy

• 2005: The Proposition

• 2005: V for Vendetta

• 2005: Shooting Dogs

• 2008: Fourth Installment of The Indiana Jones Adventures

• 2009: Outlander