John Hurt’s 12 Greatest Sci-Fi/Fantasy Roles

In honour of John Hurt, we take a look at the legendary actor’s finest science fiction and fantasy roles…

 

Aragorn – The Lord of the Rings (1978)

Before Peter Jackson brought J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth saga to live-action in the 2000s, there was this half-forgotten animated version, featuring Hurt as Aragorn.

 

Kane – Alien (1979)

While Kane had the misfortune to be infected with a Chestbuster creature in Alien, John Hurt had the fortune to be the star of one of the most famous sequences in sci-fi movie history.

 

Winston Smith – 1984 (1984)

Hurt played protagonist Winston Smith in this timely adaptation of George Orwell’s seminal dystopian sci-fi novel, about a man rebelling (or trying to) against a totalitarian, fascist state.

 

The Horned King – The Black Cauldron (1985)

The terrifying Horned King, the villain of Disney’s dark fantasy The Black Cauldron, was brought to life by Hurt – and emotionally scarred a generation of kids in the process.

 

Kane (Sort Of) – Spaceballs (1987)

In one hilarious scene from cult sci-fi parody Spaceballs, John Hurt spoofs his own iconic scene from Alien. Hurt only appears for a few moments but it’s the highlight of the movie.

 

Storyteller – The Storyteller (1987-88)

In Jim Henson’s TV series of fairy tale retellings, John Hurt served as the elfin narrator of the tales, aided by Jim’s son Brian Henson as his talking dog. Watch the first episode above.

 

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