Archive 2009
Die Europa - The European Actors Award: John Hurt
John Hurt plays Giles, an unworldly London writer, who ends up by mistake in a cinema. The film is called 'Hotpants College II' and is a Ronnie Bostock sequel where excited college boys show their bare bums to campus girls. Giles falls in love with Ronny and follows him to Long Island. LOVE AND DEATH ON LONG ISLAND is the name of this comedy which is John Hurt’s favourite film, directed by the (at that time) little-known Richard Kwietniowski. For John Hurt, however, it is the script and the role that has to be right when he plays, and “I put everything I can into the mulberry of my mind and hope that it is going to ferment and make a decent wine”. And John Hurt has always made decent wine in his 40-year career.
John Hurt was born in Chesterfield on 22. January 1940 and already at the age of nine decided to become an actor. After studying briefly at the Saint Martins School of Art, he won a theatre scholarship to the famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He played in theatre and television, and in 1966 had a minor part in the historical drama, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (which won six Oscars). His national breakthrough came in 1975 with the TV film THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT where he played the English eccentric Quentin Crisp. The scene in Alien , where the monster burst out of his chest, made him world-famous. His roles as a tormented junkie in a Turkish prison in MIDNIGHT EXPRESS and his memorable portrayal of the physically deformed John Merrick in David Lynch’s ELEPHANT MAN in 1980 rewarded him with Oscar nominations. Four years later he played the part of Winston Smith in the film version of George Orwell’s 1984 in which Richard Burton played his final role as Hurt’s tormentor.
John Hurt does not always play inwardly torn, tormented characters. He played an ice-cold killer in Stephen Frear’s The Hit, an unscrupulous casino manager in Owning Moneyand a brilliantly clever professor in OXFORD MURDERS. He portrayed an autocratic grand chancellor in V FOR VENDETTA, a jockey in CHAMPIONS and even played a sword-swinging Viking king in OUTLANDER. He won a “Golden Globe” for MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. From time to time John Hurt plays in Hollywood films but then always returns to the challenges of European arthouse cinema.
In June 2004 John Hurt was knighted with a COBE by the Queen.
On 15th November Sir John Hurt will receive the ”European Actors Award”, for his outstanding artistic performances and for his services to the European film.