Hurt, John (1940– )

English stage and screen actor who has enjoyed film success on both sides of the Atlantic. A rugged screen presence, he has worked with some of the major film-makers of his generation, turning in a string of accomplished dramatic performances in such films as The Naked Civil Servant (1975), based on the autobiography of English writer Quentin Crisp; The Elephant Man (1980); and Champions (1983).

His other films include Midnight Express (1978), 1984 (1984), Bandyta (1997), Desert Blue (1998), Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (both 2001), and (as narrator) Dogville (2003). He also starred in the television series The Alan Clark Diaries (2004).