An English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal and Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and Caligula in the TV series, I, Claudius.

Recognisable for his distinctive rich voice, he has also enjoyed a successful voice acting career, starring in films such as Watership Down, The Lord of the Rings and Dogville, as well as BBC television series Merlin.

He initially came to prominence for his role as Richard Rich in the 1966 film A Man for All Seasons, and has since appeared in such popular films as: Alien, Midnight Express, Rob Roy, V for Vendetta, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the Harry Potter film series and the Hellboy film series.

Hurt is one of England's best-known, most prolific and sought-after actors, and has had a versatile film career spanning 6 decades. He is also known for his many Shakespearean roles.