Sir John Hurt, 1940-2017

I, Claudius
Crime and Punishment
King Lear opposite Olivier

You know that 3 contains 2, right?

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I’m usually very good at spotting sarcasm but I think I detect a slight note of sarcasm there.

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Oh damn, that blows.
I just heard it on the radio.
He was an incredible actor with a remarkable voice.
What a loss.

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Scandal. As Steven Ward, the upper class pimp of the early 60s. Hurt not only did a great job as an actor. He did them justice.

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and may as well catch the sequel, An Englishman in New York.

ETA: For a great (relatively) early lead role, check out Sinful Davey. John Huston directs Hurt in the “true life” tale of Scottish highwayman Davey Haggart.

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If you can find it watch King Lear from 1983. Lawrence Olivier played Lear; John Hurt played the Fool. He was incredible ( I think it was a TV movie but it might be findable somewhere).

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The Storyteller, “The devils rushed to Hell and slammed shut the doors for fear of being followed by the soldier and his sack. And they trembled and quivered and fumed, fumed, fumed. But the soldier had no time for devils. He was the toast of the town and the star of the Tzar. But howsoever life smiles on us, the last laugh is reserved for death…”

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Wow, that was him? I loved Jim Henson’s Storyteller" but I’d forgotten John Hurt was in it.

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Sadly missed.

From his wife:

“John was the most sublime of actors and the most gentlemanly of gentlemen with the greatest of hearts and the most generosity of spirit … He touched all our lives with joy and magic and it will be a strange world without him.”

Read this for the tributes coming in -

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I’ll second that recommendation. It’s a stage presentation filmed for Britain’s Channel 4, so it’s not filled with production value, but the play’s the thing, and everyone does a great job. It’s out there on DVD.

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One of my favorite actors and the most contagious smile of any actor I can think of. Even now, seeing all these photos of him has me glowing.

Goddammit.

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Don’t forget Snowpiercer.

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pretty much…from God to the BBC to us

didn’t want to have to use this image again so soon.

http://imgur.com/Ep9AxK8

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So, even though it was confirmed, you’re not wrong about jumping to conclusions.

Stay skeptical.

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How about this?

And Alien.

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Being skeptical is fine; talking down to others based upon one’s own assumptions is not.

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It’s amazing how alike he and Joseph Gordon-Levitt look in that black and white photo. RIP John Hurt.

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Yeah very similar.

My first exposure to John Hurt was in the TV drama, “I, Claudius” wherein he played Caligula, and THAT to the hilt. Fun to watch.

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