Celebrity News January 27, 2017
John Hurt, 'The Elephant Man,' 'Alien' and Harry Potter Actor, Dead at 77
British stage and screen actor John Hurt, who garnered two Academy Award nominations throughout his long career, has died of pancreatic cancer at age 77, THR reports.
Hurt's made his first big impression in the acclaimed film "A Man for All Seasons" in 1966. Among his most memorable roles were flamboyant raconteur Quentin Crisp in "The Naked Civil Servant" (1975); a heroin addict in "Midnight Express" (1978), for which he received an Oscar nomination; and the first victim in "Alien" (1979).
The defining role of Hurt's career was in 1980's black-and-white David Lynch film "The Elephant Man," the story of John Merrick, a deformed man living in the late 1800s in London. Buried in makeup, Hurt delivered the classic lines, "I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I ... am ... a ... man!" He received his second Oscar nomination for his work in the film.
In more recent years, Hurt played Mr. Ollivander in three Harry Potter films, and appeared as the War Doctor on the long-running British TV series "Doctor Who."
In spite of his cancer diagnosis, Hurt continued working until the end of his life. He will be seen in two upcoming films, "That Good Night" and "My Name Is Lenny."
Hurt, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2015, is survived by his wife Anwen Rees-Myers and two sons, Alexander and Nicholas.