John Hurt biography and movies
Britain's superbly eccentric import John Hurt is a perfect example of how huge, wondrous gifts can come in small, unadorned packages. His magnetic, often bedeviled portraits have touched the souls of film-goers internationally for over four decades, and there seems to be no end to the depth of this man's talent. Stretching the boundaries every which way but loose, he continues to be a definitive textbook in in the art of acting metamorphosis.This transatlantic talent was born John Vincent Hurt on January 22, 1940 in Shirebrook, a coal mining village near the busy market town of Chesterfield, in Derbyshire, England, to a parish vicar and a one-time actress. 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, he remained for two years and made his stage debut in 1962 in typically offbeat form with 'Infanticide in the House of Fred Ginger'. An odd, sombre, pasty-looking fellow with an aquiline nose (injured while playing sports) and a mass of Irish freckles, he was hardly leading man material. His focus as a painter, however, triggered a keen skill in the art of observation and 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 Young and Willing (1962).Transitioning between stage, TV and film for the rest of the decade he increased his respect with such plays as 'Inadmissible Evidence' (1965), 'Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs' (1966), a role he later took to film as Little Malcolm (1974), 'Macbeth' (as Malcolm) (1967) and 'Man and Superman' (1969), as well as 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', and in '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) (TV), 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 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 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 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 his Oscar nominations. Handed mainstream box-office films as a result, 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/I) with 'Ryan O'Neal (I)' in which Hurt looked enervated and embarrassed. But those were 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 Beyond the Gates (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.

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Rate: 5.9 44 Inch Chest

Year: 2009

Genres: Crime, Drama

Director: Malcolm Venville

Artists: Derek Lea, Joanne Whalley, Steven Berkoff, Melvil Poupaud, Andy de la Tour, Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane, Ramon Christian


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Rate: 5.9 44 Inch Chest

Year: 2009

Genres: Crime, Drama

Director: Malcolm Venville

Artists: Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane, Steven Berkoff, Ramon Christian, Andy de la Tour, Melvil Poupaud, Joanne Whalley, Derek Lea


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Rate: 6.2 The Limits Of Control

Year: 2009

Genres: Drama, Thriller, Crime

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Artists: Luis Tosar, Alex Descas, Tilda Swinton, Paz de la Huerta, Youki Kudoh, Norma Yessenia Paladines, Bill Murray, Hiam Abbass, John Hurt


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Rate: 9.7 Hellboy II: The Golden Army (BRAZiLiAN)

Year: 2008

Genres: Adventure, Action, Fantasy

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Artists: Ron Perlman, John Alexander, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt


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Rate: 9.7 Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Year: 2008

Genres: Adventure, Action, Fantasy

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Artists: Ron Perlman, John Alexander, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt


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Rate: 9.7 Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Year: 2008

Genres: Adventure, Action, Fantasy

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Artists: Ron Perlman, John Alexander, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt


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Rate: 9.7 Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Year: 2008

Genres: Adventure, Action

Director: Steven Spielberg

Artists: Jim Broadbent, Harrison Ford, Ray Winstone, Cate Blanchett, John Hurt


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Rate: 9.7 Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Year: 2008

Genres: Adventure, Action

Director: Steven Spielberg

Artists: Jim Broadbent, Harrison Ford, Ray Winstone, Cate Blanchett, John Hurt


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Rate: 9.7 Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Year: 2008

Genres: Adventure, Action

Director: Steven Spielberg

Artists: Jim Broadbent, Harrison Ford, Ray Winstone, Cate Blanchett, John Hurt


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Rate: 7.4 Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Year: 2008

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Action

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Artists: Ron Perlman, John Alexander, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, John Hurt


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Rate: 6.6 Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Year: 2008

Genres: Thriller, Adventure, Action

Director: Steven Spielberg

Artists: Jim Broadbent, Harrison Ford, Ray Winstone, Cate Blanchett, John Hurt


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Rate: 6.4 Outlander

Year: 2008

Genres: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action

Director: Howard McCain

Artists: Sophia Myles, James Caviezel, Ron Perlman, Matt Cooke, John Hurt


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Rate: 6.1 The Oxford Murders

Year: 2008

Genres: Thriller, Romance, Crime

Director: Álex de la Iglesia

Artists: Charlotte Asprey, Ian East, Elijah Wood, John Hurt, Leonor Watling, Julie Cox, Jim Carter, Tim Wallers, Alan David, Danny Sapani, Anna Massey, Dominique Pinon, Burn Gorman, Alex Cox


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Rate: 9.7 The Oxford Murders

Year: 2008

Genres: Crime, Thriller

Director: Álex de la Iglesia

Artists: Elijah Wood, Julie Cox, Leonor Watling, John Hurt, Jim Carter


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Rate: 9.7 Recount

Year: 2008

Genres: Drama, History

Director: Jay Roach

Artists: John Hurt, Laura Dern, Ed Begley Jr., Bob Balaban, Kevin Spacey


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Rate: 9.7 V For Vendetta

Year: 2006

Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Director: James McTeigue

Artists: Natalie Portman, John Hurt, Stephen Fry, Stephen Rea, Hugo Weaving


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Rate: 8.2 V For Vendetta

Year: 2005

Genres: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action

Director: James McTeigue

Artists: Rupert Graves, Eddie Marsan, John Standing, Natalie Portman, John Hurt


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Rate: 7.7 Shooting Dogs

Year: 2005

Genres: History, Drama

Director: Michael Caton-Jones

Artists: Steve Toussaint, Kizito Ssentamu Kayiira, Jack Pierce, Susan Nalwoga, Victor Power, David Gyasi, Louis Mahoney, Nicola Walker, Hugh Dancy, Dominique Horwitz, John Hurt


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Rate: 6.5 The Skeleton Key

Year: 2005

Genres: Mystery, Horror, Thriller, Drama

Director: Iain Softley

Artists: Deneen Tyler, Forrest Landis, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Joy Bryant


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Rate: 5.6 Valiant

Year: 2005

Genres: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family

Director: Gary Chapman

Artists: Tim Curry, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, John Hurt, Olivia Williams


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Rate: 7.9 Dogville

Year: 2003

Genres: Drama, Thriller, Mystery

Director: Lars von Trier

Artists: Philip Baker Hall, James Caan, Paul Bettany, John Hurt, Patricia Clarkson


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Rate: 7.9 Dogville

Year: 2003

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Drama

Director: Lars von Trier

Artists: Patricia Clarkson, John Hurt, Paul Bettany, James Caan, Philip Baker Hall


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Rate: 7.2 Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone

Year: 2001

Genres: Mystery, Fantasy, Family, Adventure

Director: Chris Columbus

Artists: Richard Harris, Richard Griffiths, Robbie Coltrane, Daniel Radcliffe, John Hurt


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Rate: 7.7 Dead Man

Year: 1995

Genres: Western, Drama, Fantasy

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Artists: Michael Wincott, Crispin Glover, Iggy Pop, Johnny Depp, John Hurt


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Rate: 9.7 Frankenstein Unbound

Year: 1990

Genres: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

Director: Roger Corman

Artists: Catherine Rabett, Bridget Fonda, Nick Brimble, Raul Julia, John Hurt


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Rate: 6.2 Champions

Year: 1984

Genres: Sport, Drama, Biography

Director: John Irvin

Artists: Alison Steadman, Judy Parfitt, Ann Bell, John Hurt, Ben Johnson


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Rate: 9.7 The Elephant Man

Year: 1980

Genres: Drama, Biography, History

Director: David Lynch

Artists: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Frederick Treves, John Merrick, Anne Bancroft


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Rate: 9.7 The Elephant Man

Year: 1980

Genres: Biography, Drama, History

Director: David Lynch

Artists: Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, John Hurt, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller


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Rate: 8.5 Alien

Year: 1979

Genres: Thriller, Horror, Sci-Fi

Director: Ridley Scott

Artists: Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Ian Holm


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Rate: 8.5 Alien

Year: 1979

Genres: Sci-Fi, Horror, Thriller

Director: Ridley Scott

Artists: Harry Dean Stanton, Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Ian Holm, John Hurt


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Rate: 9.7 Alien

Year: 1979

Genres: Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi

Director: Ridley Scott

Artists: John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Veronica Cartwright, Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt


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Rate: 9.7 I Claudius S01E09-10

Year: 1976

Genres: Drama, History

Artists: Siân Phillips, John Hurt, Derek Jacobi


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Rate: 7.6 10 Rillington Place

Year: 1971

Genres: Crime, Biography, Thriller, Drama

Director: Richard Fleischer

Artists: George Lee, Douglas Blackwell, Jimmy Gardner, Gabrielle Daye, Tenniel Evans, Edward Evans, Phyllis MacMahon, Miss Riley, Ray Barron, David Jackson, Pat Heywood, Judy Geeson, John Hurt, Richard Attenborough, Isobel Black


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Rate: 9.7 A Man For All Seasons

Year: 1966

Genres: Biography, Drama

Director: Fred Zinnemann

Artists: Paul Aldane'e, Robert Shaw, Wendy Hiller, John Hurt, Orson Welles


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