R.I.P. Sir John Hurt

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Mister Tee
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Re: R.I.P. Sir John Hurt

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Just about 50 years ago, I first became aware of John Hurt, for his Richard Rich in A Man for All Seasons. Extraordinary that he maintained prominence for so many decades, delivering so many memorable performances along the way. I even forgive hm for that thing popping out of his chest in Alien.

For a few weeks, it seemed 2017 wasn't gong to be the celebrity bloodbath 2016 was. But the past few days have made up for lost time.
Big Magilla
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Re: R.I.P. Sir John Hurt

Post by Big Magilla »

I purposely left the less iconic Mike Connors out because I didn't want John Hurt to be the start of another three.

MTM, Hurt and Emmanulle Riva make three Oscar nominees to die within one week.
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OscarGuy
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Re: R.I.P. Sir John Hurt

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MTM, Mike Connors and Barbara Hale appear to be our three well known TV personalities. I guess John Hurt starts another three?
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Big Magilla
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Re: R.I.P. Sir John Hurt

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Two 1980 Oscar nominees and the one and only Della Street within three days. This year is not starting out good.
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Re: R.I.P. Sir John Hurt

Post by danfrank »

Sad to hear this. He was a prolific and none-too-subtle character actor who always seemed to pull it off. He was the perfect Quentin Crisp. And what an actor's face! I will miss him. Rest In Peace, Sir John.
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R.I.P. Sir John Hurt

Post by Reza »

British actor John Hurt has died, aged 77

January 28 2017



Veteran actor Sir John Hurt has died at the age of 77, according to British media.

The Elephant Man star had been battling pancreatic cancer in recent years. He announced his cancer diagnosis in June 2015, and a year later he shared he was in "full remission".

Hurt, who had a six-decade career, was a two-time Oscar nominee and appeared in films such as Midnight Express, Alien, Indiana Jones, The Naked Civil Servant, Hellboy and in three Harry Potter movies, where he played wandmaker Mr Ollivander.

His most recent role was a priest in the Oscar-nimonated film Jackie, about the widow of President John F Kennedy.

Hurt was knighted in 2015 for services to drama.

John Hurt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015.
In 2012 he won a Lifetime Achievement BAFTA for his outstanding contribution to British cinema. At the time, he told the BBC, "The first time I got a BAFTA, which was for The Naked Civil Servant, I can remember somebody coming on and getting some kind of achievement and they seemed to be 105 and they talked ... forever."

Born in Derbyshire, the son of a devout vicar and brother of a monk, Hurt grew up opposite a cinema but was forbidden from seeing films there or from fraternising with local children because his parents considered these things "too common".

His decision to become an actor was a great disappointment to his parents. They wanted him to become an art teacher, but after winning a scholarship to RADA the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Hurt dropped out of St Martins' art school, burnt all his paintings, and took to drama with a vengeance.

Hurt said he had two main rules he always applied when choosing roles: "I have to like the piece, first and foremost. And then secondly I have to feel there's something I can offer personally to the character I'm being asked to portray. After that, you just have to hope everything comes together after it has passed through so many people's hands."

In an interview last year, he said he felt blessed to have been offered so much interesting work over such a sustained period.

"Really, I consider myself a victim of other people's imagination. If someone says: 'I think you should play this', I don't question it; if they've done good work in the past, I just think, 'Oh, well, let's have a crack'. That way you play a lot of very different parts, which opens up the possibility of still more interesting parts in the future."

Hurt is survived by his wife of 12 years, Anwen Rees-Myers.
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