The elaborate mask prohibited him from sleeping lying down or even eating while it was on. He was award a knighthood in 2014. Hurt recently appeared alongside Natalie Portman in the Oscar-nominated film “Jackie” as a priest who consoles the recently widowed first lady. “I can’t say I worry about mortality, but it’s impossible to get to my age and not have a little contemplation of it,” Hurt said in an interview, sometime ago. Hurt was also a prolific voice actor, as Hazel in the animated “Watership Down,” and as Aragorn in Ralph Bakshi’s “The Lord of the Rings.” He also provided the narration for “Dogville.” .
“It was terribly sad today to learn of John Hurt’s passing. He was a truly magnificent talent.” Mel Brooks wrote on Twitter and many others was giving great recognition for Hurt’s talent.