Editing John Hurt (section)

=== 1976–1980 ===
[[File:Joseph Merrick carte de visite photo, c. 1889.jpg|thumb|left|160px|Hurt portrayed [[Joseph Merrick]] in ''[[The Elephant Man (1980 film)|The Elephant Man]]'' (1980)]]
He won further acclaim for his bravura performance as the [[ancient Rome|Roman]] emperor [[Caligula]] in the [[BBC]] drama serial ''[[I, Claudius (TV series)|I, Claudius]]'' (1976). In a much later documentary about the series, ''I Claudius: A Television Epic'' (2002), Hurt revealed that he had originally declined the role when it was first offered to him, but that series director [[Herbert Wise]] had invited him to a special pre-production party, hoping Hurt would change his mind, and that he was so impressed by meeting the rest of the cast and crew that he reversed his decision and took the role.<ref name="Foxobit">{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/actor-john-hurt-dead-at-77|title=Actor John Hurt Is Dead At 77|publisher=Fox|access-date=29 April 2017|date=27 January 2017}}</ref>

Hurt appeared in the 1978 film ''[[Midnight Express (film)|Midnight Express]]'', for which he won a [[Golden Globe]] and a BAFTA and was nominated for an [[Academy Award]] for Best Supporting Actor (the latter of which he lost to [[Christopher Walken]] for his performance in ''[[The Deer Hunter]]'').<ref name="Foxobit"/> Around the same time, he lent his voice to [[Ralph Bakshi]]'s animated film adaptation of [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|''Lord of the Rings'']], playing the role of [[Aragorn]]. Hurt voiced [[Hazel (Watership Down)|Hazel]], the heroic rabbit leader of his warren in the film adaptation of ''[[Watership Down (film)|Watership Down]]'' (both 1978) and later played the major villain, [[General Woundwort]], in the [[Watership Down (1999 TV series)|animated television series version]].<ref name="Telegraphobit">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/28/sir-john-hurt-legendary-british-actor-dies-aged-77-battle-pancreatic/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/28/sir-john-hurt-legendary-british-actor-dies-aged-77-battle-pancreatic/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Sir John Hurt, legendary British actor, dies aged 77 after battle with pancreatic cancer|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=28 January 2017|date=28 January 2017|first=Chris|last=Graham}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

His other roles in the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s included [[Executive Officer Kane|Kane]], the first victim of the title creature in the [[Ridley Scott]] directed film ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' (1979). He reprised the role as a parody in ''[[Spaceballs]]''. In 1980 he portrayed the deformed [[Joseph Merrick]] in [[David Lynch]]'s biographical drama film ''[[The Elephant Man (1980 film)|The Elephant Man]]'' (1980). Hurt starred alongside [[Anthony Hopkins]], [[John Gielgud]], and [[Anne Bancroft]]. [[Peter Bradshaw]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' praised his performance writing, "John Hurt, in complex and intricate prosthetics, plays Merrick with an unforgettably distinctive, gentle, quavering voice".<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/12/the-elephant-man-review-david-lynch|title= The Elephant Man review – David Lynch's tragic tale of compassion|website= The Guardian|date= 12 March 2020|accessdate= August 1, 2023|last1= Bradshaw|first1= Peter}}</ref> He won another the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role]]. He was also nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] and the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama]].<ref name="IGNobit"/>

That same year he starred in [[Michael Cimino]]'s epic Western ''[[Heaven's Gate (film)|Heaven's Gate]]'' starring [[Kris Kristofferson]], [[Christopher Walken]], and [[Sam Waterston]]. The following year he portrayed [[Jesus Christ]] in the [[Mel Brooks]] comedy film ''[[History of the World, Part I]]'' (1981). Also in 1981 he starred in [[Delbert Mann]]'s thriller ''[[Night Crossing]]'' (1981). He earned the [[Evening Standard British Film Award]] for Best Actor for his performances as [[Bob Champion]] in the sports drama ''[[Champions (1984 film)|Champions]]'' (1984), Mitchell Braddock in the crime thriller ''[[The Hit (1984 film)|The Hit]]'' (1984), and [[Winston Smith (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|Winston Smith]] in ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984 film)|Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' (1984).  He also played the would-be art school radical Scrawdyke in ''[[Little Malcolm]]'' (1974).