LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 The versatile actor Sir John Hurt, who could move audiences to tears in \u201cThe Elephant Man,\u201d terrify them in \u201cAlien,\u201d and spoof that very same scene in \u201cSpaceballs,\u201d has died. He was 77.
Hurt, who battled pancreatic cancer, died Friday in London according to his agent Charles McDonald.
Twice nominated for an Oscar for playing the tortured John Merrick in David Lynch\u2019s \u201cThe Elephant Man\u201d and for his role as the heroin addict Max in \u201cMidnight Express,\u201d Hurt\u2019s career spanned over 50 years. After minor television and film appearances, his breakout came in 1966 as Richard Rich in Fred Zinnemann\u2019s \u201cA Man For All Seasons,\u201d followed by his portrayal of Caligula in the BBC miniseries \u201cI, Claudius\u201d in 1976.
The wiry Hurt brought gravitas to Alan Parker\u2019s 1978 film \u201cMidnight Express,\u201d for which he received a supporting actor Oscar nomination (he lost to Christopher Walken for \u201cThe Deer Hunter\u201d) and an uneasy humor to Kane in Ridley Scott\u2019s \u201cAlien,\u201d immortalized by his disturbing death scene, which Mel Brooks later poked fun at with Hurt\u2019s help in \u201cSpaceballs.\u201d
\u201cIt was terribly sad today to learn of John Hurt\u2019s passing,\u201d Mel Brooks wrote on Twitter. \u201cHe was a truly magnificent talent.\u201d
Hurt is unrecognizable in perhaps his most memorable role as the lead in David Lynch\u2019s \u201cThe Elephant Man.\u201d He endured eight hours in the makeup chair daily to transform into John Merrick. The elaborate mask prohibited him from sleeping lying down or even eating while it was on. His would eat his last meal midmorning as the mask was being applied \u2014 usually raw eggs mixed in orange juice \u2014 and not again until after midnight.
\u201cTo be quite honest, the film was misery to make because of the physical problems, so if it\u2019s working I\u2019m jumping for joy,\u201d Hurt said in a 1980 interview. Hurt did score a lead actor Oscar nomination for the role, but lost out to Robert De Niro\u2019s performance in \u201cRaging Bull.\u201d
Hurt was also a prolific voice actor, appearing as Hazel in the animated \u201cWatership Down,\u201d and as Aragorn in Ralph Bakshi\u2019s \u201cThe Lord of the Rings.\u201d He also voiced The Horned King in \u201cThe Black Cauldron\u201d and provided the narration for \u201cDogville.\u201d
In the \u201cHarry Potter\u201d films, Hurt played the wand-maker Mr. Ollivander. In recent years, he appeared in notable fare such as \u201cMelancholia,\u201d \u201dTinker Tailor Soldier Spy,\u201d \u201dOnly Lovers Left Alive\u201d and \u201cSnowpiercer.\u201d
\u201cWe\u2019re all just passing time, and occupy our chair very briefly,\u201d Hurt said in a 2015 interview while undergoing treatments for the early stage cancer.
As prolific as ever, Hurt recently appeared alongside his \u201cV for Vendetta\u201d co-star Natalie Portman in the Oscar-nominated film \u201cJackie\u201d as a priest who consoles and advises the recently widowed first lady.
Hurt leaves behind a few in production credits, including Joe Wright\u2019s \u201cDarkest Hour\u201d which is listed as still filming. Hurt plays Neville Chamberlain in the film about Winston Churchill\u2019s charge against Hitler. Gary Oldman plays Churchill.
\u201cI have lots of favorite memories but I can\u2019t say that I have a favorite film. I have favorite parts which are not in particularly successful films,\u201d Hurt told The Guardian in 2000. \u201cI\u2019ve worked with people from Fred Zinnemann, John Huston, through to Richard Fleischer, all of those boys from Hollywood and so on and Sam Peckinpah and then the Mike Radfords\u2026 I\u2019ve been incredibly lucky with the directors I\u2019ve worked with. You don\u2019t realize it at the time, it\u2019s just in retrospect if you look back you think, \u2018Jeez, when I saw that CV it nearly frightened the life out of me.\u2019 I thought, \u201cThat\u2019s not bad for an old drunk.\u201d
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