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'''John Hurt''' was a [[human]] actor who appeared in the film simply titled ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]''. A particularly memorable scene involved an [[alien]] creature bursting out of his character's chest. [[Toshiko Sato]] compared the body of a dead [[Soldier (Greeks Bearing Gifts)|soldier]] with his [[heart]] ripped out to "that bit in ''Alien'' where that thing bursts out of John Hurt". ([[TW]]: ''[[Greeks Bearing Gifts]]'')
{{real world}}
{{Wikipediainfo}}
{{Infobox Person
[[Category:Human actors]]
| image          = John Hurt.jpg
[[Category:People from the real world]]
| birth date    = [[22 January (people)|22 January]] [[1940 (people)|1940]]
| death date    = [[25 January (people)|25 January]] [[2017 (people)|2017]]
| role          = [[War Doctor]]
| job title      = [[Actor]]
| story          = [[#Credits|See Credits Section]]
| time          = 2013, 2015-17 (posthumous)
| non dwu        =
| imdb          = 0000457
| twitter        = WithJohnHurt
| clip          = {{uc:Doctor Who}} * Exclusive Extended* Inside Look In Awe of John Hurt in "The Day of The Doctor"
}}{{You may|John Hurt (in-universe)|n1=his DWU counterpart}}
'''Sir John Vincent Hurt, CBE''' ([[22 January (people)|22 January]] [[1940 (people)|1940]]-[[25 January (people)|25 January]] [[2017 (people)|2017]]<ref>[https://guide.doctorwhonews.net/person.php?name=JohnHurt Doctor Who Guide]</ref>) played the [[War Doctor]] for the [[50th Anniversary Specials|50th anniversary]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', and later returned to the role in a line of audio stories for [[Big Finish Productions]] until his death in 2017.
 
== Career ==
=== As the Doctor ===
{{Section stub|Info about the [[Paul McGann]]'s appearance in ''[[Shada (webcast)]]'' nedds to be added.}}Hurt's was not a conventional incarnation of [[the Doctor]]; although Hurt portrayed the ninth in chronological order, he is officially known as the War Doctor. He is also the only official incarnation of the Doctor whose tenure was entirely within another actor's tenure, his entire stay in the role being within Matt Smith's run as the lead. Despite this, by portraying the role in ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'', ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]'', and ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'', Hurt appeared in more television stories than [[Eighth Doctor]] actor, [[Paul McGann]]. McGann still has more screen time than Hurt, however. McGann's total screen time is 65 minutes, 27 seconds, while Hurt's is only 38 minutes, 31 seconds (deleted scenes notwithstanding).
 
At 73 years old on his debut appearance as the Doctor, Hurt is the oldest actor to have assumed the role, his nearest rival being [[Richard Hurndall]] who was 72 when he played the [[First Doctor]] in ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'' in 1983. Hurt was also the first actor to play the role since the revival to be born before the original series started, and the first since [[Tom Baker]] to be older than [[Carole Ann Ford]], who played the Doctor's on-screen granddaughter, [[Susan Foreman|Susan]].
 
In 2015, he resumed the role of the War Doctor, this time in a much more expansive venue of adventures that featured him as the chief protagonist, though as a markedly more anti-heroic version of the Doctor, in a range of [[Big Finish Productions]] audio stories.
 
Long before he was cast as the War Doctor, he had been one of many names put forward for the part of the [[Eighth Doctor]].<ref>http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/tvm.html</ref>
 
=== Outside ''Doctor Who'' ===
He is known for portraying various iconic roles, such as Winston Smith in the film adaptation of ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', and his award winning performance of Quentin Crisp in the TV series ''The Naked Civil Servant''. Hurt also appeared in ''[[I, Claudius]]'' alongside [[Derek Jacobi]], and more recently in three of the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' movies as {{iw|harrypotter|Garrick Ollivander}}, ''V For Vendetta'', ''Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy'', ''Hellboy'', and provided the voice of the dragon in the BBC Cymru series ''Merlin''. He was also nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe (for Best Actor) for his role in David Lynch's ''The Elephant Man'', playing the titular character John Merrick. As of 2019, he remains the only actor to play the Doctor to receive a best actor Oscar nomination.
 
Hurt also appeared in the Ridley Scott film ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'', portraying the character of Kane who is central to the infamous "chest-bursting" scene, regarded as one of the most famous scenes in science fiction cinema. As such it has been referenced and parodied several times, which he did himself in ''Spaceballs''. [[Steven Moffat]]'s earlier series ''Coupling'' is another such example.
 
Long before he was the War Doctor, Hurt played another time traveller in ''Frankenstein Unbound''.
 
Hurt also played the role of Sailor John, the central antagonist of the 2015 ''Thomas And Friends'' special, ''Sodor’s Legend Of The Lost Treasure'', along with voicing an Imperial Fists Chaplain in the inaugural ''Warhammer 40, 000'' movie, ''Ultramarines''.
 
=== Honours ===
In 2012, Hurt was presented with the BAFTA Film award for "Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema".
 
He is the only person to have been nominated for an Oscar for acting prior to playing [[the Doctor]]; [[Peter Capaldi]] won one in 1995 for directing ''Franz Kafka's'' ''It's a Wonderful Life''.
 
He was knighted for his services to drama in the {{w|2015 New Year Honours}}, becoming the first knighted actor to have played the Doctor.<ref>http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30625196</ref> He is currently the only "official" Doctor with any honours; although [[Peter Cushing]] received a OBE before him. Several "parody Doctors" have also been honoured, namely [[Clive Dunn]], [[Lenny Henry]], [[Rowan Atkinson]] and [[Joanna Lumley]]. Also, [[Toby Jones]] played the [[Dream Lord]] (said to be a manifestation of the Doctor's dark side) and was later made an OBE and Sir [[Derek Jacobi]] has played the [[Eighth Doctor]] in [[The Master|the Master]]'s body.
 
== Personal life ==
Hurt was married to actress [[Annette Robertson]], who appeared as [[Anne Chaplet]] in ''[[The Massacre (TV story)|The Massacre]]'', from 1962-1964. He was married a further three times, remaining with his fourth wife Anwen Rees-Myers from 2005 until his death in 2017.
 
In June 2015, Hurt announced that he had been diagnosed with early-stage pancreatic [[cancer]], but he continued to work while undergoing treatment and was optimistic about a satisfactory outcome.<ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/john-hurt-diagnosed-with-cancer-10323533.html</ref> He ultimately lost his life to the cancer on [[25 January (people)|25 January]] [[2017 (people)|2017]].
 
== Legacy ==
[[DWM 510|Issue 510]] of ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' paid special tribute to the late ''Doctor Who'' actor. This "John Hurt tribute issue" included interviews with [[David Tennant]], [[Steven Moffat]], and various people he worked with at [[Big Finish]]: [[Nicholas Briggs]], [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]] and [[David Richardson]].<ref>[[DWM 510]]</ref>
 
[[Executive producer]] Steven Moffat is quoted in this issue as having said:
:''"It doesn't need saying – John Hurt was one of the greatest actors who ever lived. That's not even controversial, that's just a fact. I only met him a handful of times, but I can confirm the other thing that everyone else has been saying about him: he was also incredibly nice. Now, nice doesn't seem like much of a compliment, but you have to remember that this man was, quite rightly, worshipped by everyone he met. Worship has been known to go to people's heads – but not John's. If a man can remain humble and kind and warm as the world basically genuflects around him, then that is no ordinary man. [[The Doctor]] would be proud to be John Hurt – and for [[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|one very special day]],'' [[War Doctor|he was]]."
 
In 2018, Steven Moffat also dedicated ''[[The Day of the Doctor (novelisation)|The Day of the Doctor]]'' [[The Day of the Doctor (novelisation)|novelisation]] to John Hurt;
:"In memory of Sir John Hurt, who saved the Day"
Since 2021, [[Jonathon Carley]] recreated the role of the War Doctor for Big Finish's ''[[The War Doctor (audio series)|The War Doctor]]'' audio series.
 
== In the DWU ==
In the ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]'' story ''[[Greeks Bearing Gifts (TV story)|Greeks Bearing Gifts]]'', [[Toshiko Sato]] mentions the iconic scene in ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' where the "[[Xenomorph|thing]]" bursts out of John Hurt.
 
== Credits ==
=== Television ===
==== ''Doctor Who'' ====
* ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]''
* ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]''
 
==== Mini-episodes ====
* ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]''
 
=== Audio ===
==== ''The War Doctor'' ====
* ''[[Only the Monstrous (audio anthology)|Only the Monstrous]]''
** ''[[The Innocent (audio story)|The Innocent]]''
** ''[[The Thousand Worlds (audio story)|The Thousand Worlds]]''
** ''[[The Heart of the Battle (audio story)|The Heart of Battle]]''
* ''[[Infernal Devices (audio anthology)|Infernal Devices]]''
** ''[[Legion of the Lost (audio story)|Legion of the Lost]]''
** ''[[A Thing of Guile (audio story)|A Thing of Guile]]''
** ''[[The Neverwhen (audio story)|The Neverwhen]]''
* ''[[Agents of Chaos (audio anthology)|Agents of Chaos]]''
** ''[[The Shadow Vortex (audio story)|The Shadow Vortex]]''
** ''[[The Eternity Cage (audio story)|The Eternity Cage]]''
** ''[[Eye of Harmony (audio story)|Eye of Harmony]]''
* ''[[Casualties of War (audio anthology)|Casualties of War]]'' (released posthumous)
** ''[[Pretty Lies (audio story)|Pretty Lies]]''
** ''[[The Lady of Obsidian (audio story)|The Lady of Obsidian]]''
** ''[[The Enigma Dimension (audio story)|The Enigma Dimension]]''
 
== External links ==
{{imdb name|id=0000457}}
{{iwx|wiki=indianajones|wiki name=Indiana Jones Wiki}}
{{iwx|wiki=ttte|wiki name=Thomas & Friends Wiki}}
 
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist|2}}
{{NameSort}}
 
[[Category:Doctor Who guest actors]]
[[Category:Actors who have voiced for the Doctor]]
[[Category:Post-2005 Doctor Who cast reprising their roles at Big Finish]]
[[Category:Golden Globe Award winners]]
[[Category:BAFTA award winners]]
[[Category:Academy Award nominees]]
[[Category:People interviewed on Doctor Who Live]]
[[Category:Doctor Who actors that exist in the DWU]]
[[Category:Actors who were credited in the Doctor Who opening titles]]
[[Category:The War Doctor voice actors]]
[[Category:Big Finish regular cast]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed the War Doctor]]
[[Category:OFTA Award nominees]]
[[fr:John Hurt]]
[[ru:Джон Хёрт]]

Latest revision as of 19:46, 10 April 2024

RealWorld.png

You may be looking for his DWU counterpart.

Sir John Vincent Hurt, CBE (22 January 1940-25 January 2017[1]) played the War Doctor for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and later returned to the role in a line of audio stories for Big Finish Productions until his death in 2017.

Career[[edit] | [edit source]]

As the Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

This section's awfully stubby.

Info about the Paul McGann's appearance in Shada (webcast) nedds to be added.

Hurt's was not a conventional incarnation of the Doctor; although Hurt portrayed the ninth in chronological order, he is officially known as the War Doctor. He is also the only official incarnation of the Doctor whose tenure was entirely within another actor's tenure, his entire stay in the role being within Matt Smith's run as the lead. Despite this, by portraying the role in The Name of the Doctor, The Night of the Doctor, and The Day of the Doctor, Hurt appeared in more television stories than Eighth Doctor actor, Paul McGann. McGann still has more screen time than Hurt, however. McGann's total screen time is 65 minutes, 27 seconds, while Hurt's is only 38 minutes, 31 seconds (deleted scenes notwithstanding).

At 73 years old on his debut appearance as the Doctor, Hurt is the oldest actor to have assumed the role, his nearest rival being Richard Hurndall who was 72 when he played the First Doctor in The Five Doctors in 1983. Hurt was also the first actor to play the role since the revival to be born before the original series started, and the first since Tom Baker to be older than Carole Ann Ford, who played the Doctor's on-screen granddaughter, Susan.

In 2015, he resumed the role of the War Doctor, this time in a much more expansive venue of adventures that featured him as the chief protagonist, though as a markedly more anti-heroic version of the Doctor, in a range of Big Finish Productions audio stories.

Long before he was cast as the War Doctor, he had been one of many names put forward for the part of the Eighth Doctor.[2]

Outside Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

He is known for portraying various iconic roles, such as Winston Smith in the film adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four, and his award winning performance of Quentin Crisp in the TV series The Naked Civil Servant. Hurt also appeared in I, Claudius alongside Derek Jacobi, and more recently in three of the Harry Potter movies as Garrick Ollivander, V For Vendetta, Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy, Hellboy, and provided the voice of the dragon in the BBC Cymru series Merlin. He was also nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe (for Best Actor) for his role in David Lynch's The Elephant Man, playing the titular character John Merrick. As of 2019, he remains the only actor to play the Doctor to receive a best actor Oscar nomination.

Hurt also appeared in the Ridley Scott film Alien, portraying the character of Kane who is central to the infamous "chest-bursting" scene, regarded as one of the most famous scenes in science fiction cinema. As such it has been referenced and parodied several times, which he did himself in Spaceballs. Steven Moffat's earlier series Coupling is another such example.

Long before he was the War Doctor, Hurt played another time traveller in Frankenstein Unbound.

Hurt also played the role of Sailor John, the central antagonist of the 2015 Thomas And Friends special, Sodor’s Legend Of The Lost Treasure, along with voicing an Imperial Fists Chaplain in the inaugural Warhammer 40, 000 movie, Ultramarines.

Honours[[edit] | [edit source]]

In 2012, Hurt was presented with the BAFTA Film award for "Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema".

He is the only person to have been nominated for an Oscar for acting prior to playing the Doctor; Peter Capaldi won one in 1995 for directing Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life.

He was knighted for his services to drama in the 2015 New Year Honours, becoming the first knighted actor to have played the Doctor.[3] He is currently the only "official" Doctor with any honours; although Peter Cushing received a OBE before him. Several "parody Doctors" have also been honoured, namely Clive Dunn, Lenny Henry, Rowan Atkinson and Joanna Lumley. Also, Toby Jones played the Dream Lord (said to be a manifestation of the Doctor's dark side) and was later made an OBE and Sir Derek Jacobi has played the Eighth Doctor in the Master's body.

Personal life[[edit] | [edit source]]

Hurt was married to actress Annette Robertson, who appeared as Anne Chaplet in The Massacre, from 1962-1964. He was married a further three times, remaining with his fourth wife Anwen Rees-Myers from 2005 until his death in 2017.

In June 2015, Hurt announced that he had been diagnosed with early-stage pancreatic cancer, but he continued to work while undergoing treatment and was optimistic about a satisfactory outcome.[4] He ultimately lost his life to the cancer on 25 January 2017.

Legacy[[edit] | [edit source]]

Issue 510 of Doctor Who Magazine paid special tribute to the late Doctor Who actor. This "John Hurt tribute issue" included interviews with David Tennant, Steven Moffat, and various people he worked with at Big Finish: Nicholas Briggs, Jason Haigh-Ellery and David Richardson.[5]

Executive producer Steven Moffat is quoted in this issue as having said:

"It doesn't need saying – John Hurt was one of the greatest actors who ever lived. That's not even controversial, that's just a fact. I only met him a handful of times, but I can confirm the other thing that everyone else has been saying about him: he was also incredibly nice. Now, nice doesn't seem like much of a compliment, but you have to remember that this man was, quite rightly, worshipped by everyone he met. Worship has been known to go to people's heads – but not John's. If a man can remain humble and kind and warm as the world basically genuflects around him, then that is no ordinary man. The Doctor would be proud to be John Hurt – and for one very special day, he was."

In 2018, Steven Moffat also dedicated The Day of the Doctor novelisation to John Hurt;

"In memory of Sir John Hurt, who saved the Day"

Since 2021, Jonathon Carley recreated the role of the War Doctor for Big Finish's The War Doctor audio series.

In the DWU[[edit] | [edit source]]

In the Torchwood story Greeks Bearing Gifts, Toshiko Sato mentions the iconic scene in Alien where the "thing" bursts out of John Hurt.

Credits[[edit] | [edit source]]

Television[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Mini-episodes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

The War Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Doctor Who Guide
  2. ↑ http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/tvm.html
  3. ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30625196
  4. ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/john-hurt-diagnosed-with-cancer-10323533.html
  5. ↑ DWM 510
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