R.I.P. John Hurt

[Johnny Unusual]

Hurt was an actor I truly loved.  Versatile and truly talented.  He will be missed (and I'll probably post my favourite roles some time later).

[CJones]

And 2016 bleeds into 2017.

John Hurt was one of those people that looked ancient, even when he was young. Kinda gave the impression he would live forever.

Probably best known as Cain, from Alien. But did you know he also played Hazel in Watership Down?

[Darth Geek]

He was perfect as Professor Broom in Hellboy. I will miss him.

I still haven't seen Elephant Man, now I should.

[Johnny Unusual]

I need to watch that one. And read the book.

The Elephant Man was an amazing and beautiful film and it is in no small part to Hurt's moving portrayal.

[The Lurker]

I know him from Jim Henson's The Storyteller.

[SJP]

I know him from Jim Henson's The Storyteller.

The Storyteller was brilliant.  Maybe the effects look a little dated now, but there was nothing quite like it on TV at the time, and Hurt brought a real sense of fun to the part.  Oddly enough, when they did the second series with the Greek myths, the overall themes seemed to be even darker than the original, but even as talented as Michael Gambon is, it never quite felt the same without Hurt.

He seemed to be the kind of guy who brought dignity and class to everything, no matter what he did, and he never appeared to shy away from anything unusual.  Sadly, my wife and I watched the eighth Harry Potter movie the other night, and seeing him as Ollivander just added an extra twinge to the viewing.

[RobThom]

He was really good all the way until the end