The Legacy of Sir John Hurt

By Michaela Bush
 
Last week, a legend passed away. On January 25th, actor Sir John Hurt passed away at his home in Norfolk, England after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015. He is survived by his current wife, Anwen Rees-Myers, and two children. He was involved in many productions, and as a child was involved in theatrical productions at his school, only moving upward from there. He gave life to many well-known characters, including The War Doctor in Doctor Who, the voice of The Great Dragon in Merlin, Mr. Ollivander in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Part 2, as well as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone; Professor Oxley in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Winston Smith in 1984, and Professor Broom in several Hellboy movies, both live-action and animated. He was also in The Elephant Man along with Anthony Hopkins. He also worked on many TV series and documentaries, either involved in narration or appearing as himself. Of course, he was in the movie Alien, his character definitely memorable for his rather dramatic demise. His works total well over 120 films, theatrical productions, and television roles.
 
According to his obituary on BBC’s website, he explained that a lot of his career was “…tied up with victims, people who are ostracized.” This couldn’t be more true, as an actor who acted out many, many character deaths. His career spanned over six decades.
 
He will be dearly missed, but the films mentioned are not his last. According to IMDB, there are four movies that Hurt was working on for 2017. That Good Night is completed, Damascus Cover and My Name Is Lenny are in the post-production phase; however, Darkest Hour is currently in filming, so it is uncertain whether or how his death will affect the production of the movie, but it is scheduled to be released in late November.
 
Hurt’s name joins the list of a handful of other beloved actors and actresses who have already passed away in 2017, including William Christopher, Mary Tyler Moore, and Miguel Ferrer.

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