John Hurt (1940-), Actor

Sitter in 10 portraits
Actor whose career has stretched from Chekov and Pinter on stage to Hollywood blockbusters on screen. Claimed attention in television productions such as The Naked Civil Servant (1975) and I Claudius (1976), but best known for a series of 'victim-hero' roles in films such as 10 Rillington Place (1971), The Elephant Man (1980, BAFTA Award, 1981) and Champions (1984). Hurt appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and recently gave a poignant and typically rich vocal performance as the narrator in Lars Van Trier's Dogville (2003). He reprised the role of Quentin Crisp in An Englishman in New York (2009).