Chynna’s 5 Favorite John Hurt Roles

John Hurt passed away on Friday at the age of 77 after a long battle with cancer. Though he's gone, his laundry list of cinematic accomplishments is still with us. I thought I'd share my top 5 favorite John Hurt roles.

(In no particular order)

5. Only Lovers Left Alive - Christopher "Kit" Marlowe

Honestly, I didn't care for this movie. The only part I enjoyed WAS John Hurt.

I can't find a a good clip of him in the movie, which is a damn shame, because he plays a vampire Christopher Marlowe. Yes, THE 16th century Christopher Marlowe. The same Christopher Marlowe that some have accredited with actually writing the works of Shakespeare.

Why I loved his character so much was because, even though his character was dying, he brought so much life into it. Also, he sh*t talked Shakespeare til his last breath. It was the only highlight of the movie.

4. Merlin - The Great Dragon; Kilgharrah

John Hurt could read the phone book and I'd be enraptured. He's just got one of those voices. Put that voice with a dragon? I'M IN. I don't even care what the show is about! GIMME MY JOHN HURT DRAGON!

Side note: Merlin was an awesome TV show, and I highly recommend it. It's about Camelot and the famous King Arthur, BEFORE he was a famous king and how he and his wizard Merlin first met. But be warned: the series finale WILL leave you emotionally compromised.

3. Doctor Who - The War Doctor

Lucky John got to be a part of the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special AS one of the Doctor's. A missing Doctor. The War Doctor.

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Ollivander

The man who started it all. He gave Harry his wand, kick starting his journey as a great wizard. You ever think about that? Without Ollivander, Harry might not have been as great as he was. True, the wand chooses the wizard, but Ollivander helps the wizard discover the wand.

"I wonder..."

1. Alien - Kane

Let's face it, the movie Alien wouldn't have been as memorable without the chestburster scene. It was also probably one of the first times we truly noticed John Hurt and his acting.

(NSFW...Like you didn't know.)

BONUS: Spaceballs - himself

"Oh no...not again..."

You can reminisce John Hurt's acting career and his other great roles over on his IMDb page. In my opinion, some John Hurt classics every needs to see are 'The Elephant Man', '1984', and 'I, Claudius' (You ever want see Caligula in drag? 'I, Claudius' is your go-to.)