British actor John Hurt has passed away at the age of 77, the Hollywood Reporter confirmed on Friday, January 27. The two-time Oscar nominee was best known for his acclaimed role in The Elephant Man. The legendary actor, who played deformed character John Merrick in the award-nominated 1980 film, announced in June 2015 that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The Oscar-winning film earned Hurt a Best Actor nomination, which he lost to Robert De Niro for his performance as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull.
The Brit was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1979 for his role in Midnight Express. He again missed out on the Oscar, but scored a Golden Globe that year for his role as a heroin addict in a Turkish prison.
The star was also known for appearing in three Harry Potter films, and he portrayed a fascist leader of Great Britain in V for Vendetta and Professor Oxley in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. More recently, he appeared in 2013’s Snowpiercer as well as Natalie Portman’s Oscar-nominated film Jackie.
His last appearances will be in three upcoming films: That Good Night, My Name Is Lenny and Darkest Hour, playing Neville Chamberlain.
In 2012, Hurt was honored with a lifetime achievement award by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2015.
He is survived by his fourth wife, Anwen Rees-Myers, and sons Alexander and Nicholas.
