John Hurt

John Hurt (born 22.01.1940) John Hurt is an English actor whose best known films include 'The Elephant Man' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'.

Childhood: John Hurt was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. His parents were Phyllis an actress and engineer, and Arnould Hurt, a mathematician and vicar. He had a strict upbringing, not being allowed to attend the cinema which they lived near or have certain friends. He attended the Anglican St Michael's Preparatory School in Otford, Kent where he got involved in school plays. He has revealed that he was sexually abused by the Senior Master; an experience that he was hugely affected by. He boarded at Christ's Hospital School in Lincoln and later enrolled in Grimsby Art School studying art at his parents' encouragement. He won a scholarship to study art at Central St. Martin's College but still struggled financially so he sold nude portraits of willing friends. He also landed a scholarship at RADA before he started television acting.

Acting career: John Hurt made his film debut in 'The Wild and the Willing' in 1962. He landed his first big role in 1966 in 'A Man for All Seasons' which also starred Paul Scofield and Orson Welles. In 1975, he earned a British Academy Television Award for his part in the TV play 'The Naked Civil Servant'. In 1978, he won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for his appearance in 'Midnight Express' alongside Brad Davis. That year he also voiced Hazel in 'Watership Down'and Aragorn in Ralph Bakshi's animated version of 'Lord of the Rings'. In 1979, he starred in 'Alien' opposite Sigourney Weaver and the following year earned a BAFTA award for playing John Merrick in 'The Elephant Man' alongside Anthony Hopkins - the role also earned him an Academy Award nomination. In 1983, he appeared alonside Rutger Hauer and Burt Lancaster in 'The Osterman Weekend'. 1984 saw him as the main character in the adaptation of George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' alongside Richard Burton. In 1985, he voiced the Horned King in Disney's 'The Black Cauldron'. In 1988, he was the narrator in Jim Henson's TV series 'The StoryTeller'. He appeared with Richard Harris in Jim Sheridan's 1990 film 'The Field' for which he was nominated a BAFTA. In 2001, he made an appearance in 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', reprising his role as Ollivander in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1' and 'Part 2' alongside Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. In 2006, he played the fascist dictator in 'V for Vendetta' which also starred Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving. In 2008, he appeared opposite Harrison Ford in Steven Spielberg's 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'. He made an appearance in the popular BBC series 'Merlin'. 2009 saw him play Big Brother in a theatre adaptation of 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' which premiered in Bradford.

Personal life: John Hurt married actress Annette Robertson in 1962, though they were divorced two years later. In 1967, he met French model Marie-Lise Volpeliere-Pierrot. They planned to marry 15 years later but she was killed after getting thrown off her horse in 1983. He married Donna Peacock in 1984 and moved to Kenya. They divorced in 1990. In 1990, he married Joan Dalton and had two sons, Sasha John Vincent and Nick Hurt. They were divorced in 1996. He had a seven year relationship with Sarah Owens but separated in 2002. He married Anwen Rees Meyers in 2005 and lives with her in Cromer, Norfolk. In 2004, he was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In 2006, he became a patron for Project Harar, a charity for children with facial disfigurements in Ethiopia. He is also a patron of QUAD.