Actor John Hurt Has Died at 77

Two-time Oscar nominee John Hurt is dead, ERIC GOSSIP  has confirmed.

The British actor, who appeared in films including 
"Midnight Express," "The Elephant Man" and, more
 recently, the "Harry Potter" franchise, died after 
a battle with pancreatic cancer, his agent said.

He was 77.

"It is with deep sadness that I have to confirm that my
husband, John Vincent Hurt, died on Wednesday 25th 
January 2017 at home in Norfolk," Hurt's wife, Anwen 
Hurt, said in a statement. "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. I ask that we are 
allowed to come to terms with our loss without 
further intrusion."

Hurt began acting in the early-1960s, gaining popularity
 in 1966 for his part in "A Man for All Seasons.

" A few year later, he earned his first BAFTA Award 
nomination for his role in the film"10 Rillington Place,
" and he was lauded in 1975 for playing writer Quentin 
Crisp in the television film "The Naked Civil Servant."

"My advisers all said, don’t touch it with a bargepole,
" Hurt told the Guardian of taking the part, adding 
that he turned down a stint on Broadway to do it. 

"I had huge faith it. It’s funny how you sense these things.

Just instinct tells you, this is an important piece. 

Although I had no idea it was going to be as important
 as it became."

Hurt continued to take on all different kinds of parts,
 including critically acclaimed ones. He earned
 Oscar nominations in 1979 and 1981 for his roles
 in "Midnight Express" and "The Elephant Man,
" respectively. 

And he had roles those that remain deeply
embedded in pop culture: "Alien (1979)" and 
"Spaceballs (1987).”

Younger audiences also grew to know Hurt for playing Mr.

Ollivander in the "Harry Potter" film franchise and Dr. 
Harold Oxley in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
 Crystal Skull (2008)."


He was also a prolific voice actor.

"I enjoy the experiences — you can have fun — but I don’t
 enjoy seeing that waste. I don’t like that at all,
" he told Rotten Tomatoes of making big-budget films.
 "When it comes to'Indiana Jones,' I’d never done one
 before so I wanted to see what it’d be like.

 I’ve never worked with [director Steven] Spielberg before.
 But that is a huge movie. It’s a bit like a circus and
 you’re a part of it; you just have to accept it really.

Ultimately the film industry has always pushed out its 
biggies,and I don’t have a problem with that. I just wish
 that we’d spend more time nurturing the smaller ones."

Hurt revealed in 2015 that he had pancreatic cancer 
and added that he was "undergoing treatment and 
am more than optimistic about a satisfactory outcome."

He continued to work during his treatment and, according 
to his IMDB profile, was working on a film titled 
"Darkest Hour."

"I don't think we do retire," he once told Slant magazine 
when asked whether he'd ever stop working. "We keep 
going, or we try to keep going."

Hurt, who was married four times, is survived by his 
wife, as well as two sons from his third marriage.