Legendary actor Sir John Hurt dies aged 77

One of the greatest British actors of his generation is no longer with us.

Actor Sir John Hurt has passed away aged 77, his agent confirmed. Despite getting the all-clear for cancer, he pulled out of Sir Kenneth Branagh's production The Entertainer on the advice of his doctors. Hurt appears in over 120 films and many television and stage roles over his glittering six-decade career. He was Oscar nominated for his performances in Midnight Express and the Elephant Man. Older fans will remember him for his turns in The Naked Civil Servant, Alien and I Claudius; younger viewers will recognise him for his roles in Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Merlin and The Gruffalo. Most recently he portrayed Father Richard McSorley in Jackie, the biopic of President John F. Kennedy's wife. He was knighted in 2015 for his services to drama.