(Sir) John Vincent Hurt was born on 22 January 1940, in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, and was an actor, known for his film and stage career spanning more than five decades, being regarded as one of the finest actors from Britain. All of his efforts helped put his net worth to where it was, prior to his passing in 2017.
How rich was John Hurt? As of mid-2017, sources estimate a net worth that of $30 million, mostly earned through a successful career in acting. Some of his most popular performances include “Midnight Express”, “Alien” and “The Elephant Man”. He also had a successful voice acting career, and all of these ensured the position of his wealth.
John Hurt Net Worth $30 million
John grew up in a strict family; despite living near a cinema, he was not allowed to see films. He developed his passion for acting when he attended St. Michael’s Preparatory School – his first production was “The Blue Bird” in which he played a girl. He then moved to Lincoln School, then enrolled in Grimsby Art School (East Coast School of Art and Design). In 1960, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where he trained for two years.
Hurt’s first role was in “The Wild and the Willing”, but his first major role was in “A Man for All Seasons” playing Richard Rich. In 1971, he had his first BAFTA nomination for “10 Rillington Place”, playing Timothy Evans. He started rising to prominence after the television production “The Naked Civil Servant” which led him to more opportunities, increasing his net worth. He got more acclaim in the serial “I, Claudius”, in which he played Roman emperor Caligula. In 1978, he won a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for “Midnight Express” which also earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. During this time, he also ventured into voice work, with the adaptation of “Lord of the Rings” into an animated film. In 1980, he was cast as John Merrick in “The Elephant Man”, for which he received another nomination for an Academy Award.
His net worth continued to build – he became the first victim in the film “Alien”, and other projects during this time included “Little Malcolm”, “King Lear”, and “The Plague Dogs”. In 1985, John starred in Disney’s “The Black Cauldron”, voicing the Horned King. In 1990, he was nominated for his role in the film “The Field”, directed by Jim Sheridan. In 2001, he became a part of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” as wand-maker Mr Ollivander, a role which he would reprise in several other Harry Potter films. He was also cast in “V for Vendetta” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. He continued with his voice work during this period too, working on “Merlin” and “Planet Dinosaur”, all contributing to his net worth.
In 2009, he reprised his “The Naked Civil Servant” role in “An Englishman in New York”, winning the award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. In 2013, he appeared as a forgotten incarnation of the Doctor in “Doctor Who”. At the time of his death, he was set to complete the film “That Good Night”.
Among many awards and honours, John was knighted in 2005 ‘for services to drama’.
For his personal life, it is known that Hurt married actress Annette Robertson in 1962 but their marriage only lasted for two years. In 1967, he then began a relationship with French model Marie-Lise Volpeliere-Pierrot, but after 15 years together, she passed away after an accident when they were supposed to plan their marriage. In 1984, he married actress Donna Peacock and they moved to Kenya, however, their marriage only lasted until 1990. In the same year, he married production assistant Joan Dalton and they had two sons, before ended their marriage in 1996, and he then had a relationship with writer Sarah Owens. In 2005, Hurt married film producer Anwen Rees-Meyers. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015, and it later went into remission. However, he passed away in 2017, a few days after his birthday.
