“I'd love to claim that what I have done in my life is of my doing, but it's not of my doing at all. I've blown around in the wind like a mad thing, influenced by this and that - like a piece of paper: like the boy in that scene in 'American Beauty' watching a piece of paper blowing hither and thither.”

English actor

Sir John Hurt was an English actor. His career stretched across more than five decades, and he was widely regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation. He was also noted for a highly distinctive voice, and David Lynch once called him “simply the greatest actor in the world.” Over the course of his career, Hurt won four BAFTAs and a Golden Globe, and he received two Academy Award nominations. In 2015, he was knighted for services to drama. His work and reputation made him a major figure in British acting.