John Hurt was born Shirebrook, England.
He made his film and stage debuts in 1962.
One of Britain's consistanly impressive actors, Hurt is at his best when playing psychologically complex characters.
Small in frame but with a tenor voice built for the theatrical, Hurt is massive scene stealer – see for example, his brilliant Caligula in the TV series I, Claudius (1977).
Other films of note are 'A Man for All Seasons', 'Midnight Express', '1984', 'The Elephant Man', 'The Naked Civil Servant'......the list goes on and on.
In 2012 he was awarded a well deserved BAFTA for his outstanding contribution to British cinema.