John Hurt

John Hurt (born 22 January 1940) played the War Doctor for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.

Despite not being a conventional incarnation of the Doctor (although his is the ninth in chronological order, he is officially known as the War Doctor), by portraying the role in TV: The Name of the Doctor, The Night of the Doctor, and The Day of the Doctor, Hurt appeared in more television stories than Eighth Doctor actor, Paul McGann. Despite this, McGann still has more screen time than Hurt (McGann's total screen time is 65 minutes, 27 seconds, while Hurt's is only 38 minutes, 31 seconds).

At 73 years old on his debut appearance as the Doctor, Hurt is the oldest actor to have assumed the role, his nearest rival being Richard Hurndall who was 72 when he played the First Doctor in The Five Doctors in 1983. As well as the first to play the role in the revival to be born before the original series started, and the first since Tom Baker to play the role to be older than Carole Ann Ford, who plays Susan his on-screen granddaughter. He is also the only official incarnation of the Doctor whose tenure was entirely within another actor's tenure, his entire stay in the role being within Matt Smith's run as the lead.

Outside Doctor Who
He is known for various iconic roles such as Winston Smith in the film adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four, and his award winning performance of Quentin Crisp in the TV series The Naked Civil Servant. Hurt also appeared in I, Claudius alongside Derek Jacobi, and more recently in three of the Harry Potter movies as Garrick Ollivander, V For Vendetta, Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy, Hellboy, and provided the voice of the dragon in the BBC Cymru series Merlin.

Hurt also appeared in the Ridley Scott film Alien, portraying the character of Kane who is central to the infamous "chest-bursting" scene, regarded as one of the most famous scenes in science fiction cinema. As such it has been referenced and parodied several times, which he did himself in Spaceballs. Steven Moffat's earlier series Coupling is another such example.

In 2012, Hurt was presented with the BAFTA Film award for "Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema".

He is the only person to have been nominated for an Oscar for acting prior to playing the Doctor - Peter Capaldi would win one for Best Live Action Short Film.

Within the DWU
In TV: Greeks Bearing Gifts, Toshiko Sato compared the body of a dead soldier with his heart ripped out to "that bit in Alien where that thing bursts out of John Hurt."

External link
John Hurt