profile

John Hurt

1940-01-22 (84 years old) in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, UK

Sir John Vincent Hurt (January 22, 1940 – January 25, 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. He came to prominence for his role as Richard Rich in the film A Man for All Seasons (1966) and gained BAFTA Award nominations for his portrayals of Timothy Evans in 10 Rillington Place (1971) and Quentin Crisp in television film The Naked Civil Servant (1975) – winning his first BAFTA for the latter. He played Caligula in the BBC TV series I, Claudius (1976). Hurt's performance in the prison drama Midnight Express (1978) brought him international renown and earned Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards, along with an Academy Award nomination. His BAFTA-nominated portrayal of astronaut Kane, in the science-fiction horror film Alien (1979), notably included a scene where an alien creature burst out of his chest, named by several publications as one of the most memorable moments in cinema history. Hurt earned his third competitive BAFTA, along with his second Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, as Joseph Merrick in David Lynch's biopic The Elephant Man (1980). Other significant roles during the 1980s included Bob Champion in biopic Champions (1984), Mr. Braddock in the Stephen Frears drama The Hit (1984), Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) and Stephen Ward in the drama depicting the Profumo affair, Scandal (1989). Hurt was again BAFTA-nominated for his work in Irish drama The Field (1990) and played the primary villain, James Graham, in the epic adventure Rob Roy (1995). His later films include the Harry Potter film series (2001–11), the Hellboy films (2004 and 2008), supernatural thriller The Skeleton Key (2005), western The Proposition (2005), political thriller V for Vendetta (2005), action adventure Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), sci-fi action Outlander (2008) and the Cold War espionage film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011). Hurt reprised his role as Quentin Crisp in An Englishman in New York (2009), which brought his seventh BAFTA nomination. He portrayed the War Doctor in the BBC TV series Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor", in 2013. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors; director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in the world". He possessed what was described as the "most distinctive voice in Britain", likened by The Observer to "nicotine sieved through dirty, moonlit gravel". His voice acting career encompassed films such as Watership Down (1978), The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Plague Dogs (1982), The Black Cauldron (1985), Dogville (2003) and Planet Dinosaur (2011) as well as BBC TV series Merlin (2008–2012). In 2012, he was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement BAFTA Award, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to cinema". He was knighted in 2015 for his services to drama.

Movies

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Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
43 %|Mar 26, 2021
Documentary
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Ayamé
0 %|Aug 25, 2018
Science Fiction
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Damascus Cover
55 %|Oct 23, 2017
Thriller, Mystery
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That Good Night
69 %|Jun 20, 2017
Drama
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My Name Is Lenny
58 %|Jun 9, 2017
Drama
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The Journey
64 %|Mar 30, 2017
Drama
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Jackie
65 %|Dec 2, 2016
Drama
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Back to Utopia
0 %|Nov 6, 2016
Documentary
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The Final Reel
60 %|Sep 9, 2016
Documentary
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ChickLit
55 %|Sep 2, 2016
Comedy
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A.K.A Nadia
77 %|Jul 1, 2015
Drama
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Break
70 %|May 1, 2015
Drama
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The Alchemist's Letter
70 %|Apr 21, 2015
Family, Mystery, Animation, Fantasy
actor
Dmitri Shostakovich: A Man of Many Faces
0 %|Jan 1, 2015
Music, Documentary
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Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film
48 %|Aug 25, 2014
Documentary
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Hercules
58 %|Jul 23, 2014
Action, Adventure
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Only Lovers Left Alive
72 %|Dec 12, 2013
Drama, Romance
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Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty
90 %|Nov 23, 2013
Documentary, TV Movie
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Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor
81.89 %|Nov 23, 2013
Science Fiction, Adventure
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The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
79 %|Nov 23, 2013
Comedy, TV Movie
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Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor
80 %|Nov 14, 2013
Adventure, Science Fiction, Drama
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Hello: A Portrait Of Leslie Phillips
75 %|Sep 28, 2013
Documentary
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Muse of Fire
65 %|Sep 26, 2013
Documentary
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Snowpiercer
69.06 %|Aug 1, 2013
Action, Science Fiction, Drama
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Jayne Mansfield's Car
59 %|Jul 25, 2013
Drama, Romance
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Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict
55 %|May 24, 2013
Documentary, Drama, Music
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Sightseers
63 %|Nov 30, 2012
Comedy, Crime, Romance
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Planet Dinosaur: Ultimate Killers
81 %|Aug 19, 2012
Documentary
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More Than Honey
72.36 %|Aug 11, 2012
Documentary
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The Snipist
90 %|May 24, 2012
Drama, Science Fiction
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The Gruffalo's Child
68 %|Dec 25, 2011
Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy
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Immortals
60 %|Nov 10, 2011
Fantasy, Action, Drama
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On Borrowed Time
53 %|Nov 4, 2011
Documentary
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In Love with Alma Cogan
70 %|Oct 4, 2011
Comedy, Drama, Romance
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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
66.26 %|Sep 16, 2011
Drama, Thriller, Mystery
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
80.92 %|Jul 12, 2011
Fantasy, Adventure
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23 Degrees, 5 Minutes
55 %|Jul 9, 2011
Animation
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Melancholia
72 %|May 26, 2011
Drama, Science Fiction
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The Confession
65 %|May 2, 2011
Crime, Drama
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Sailcloth
90 %|Jan 1, 2011
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Whistle and I'll Come to You
58 %|Dec 24, 2010
Horror, TV Movie
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Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie
58 %|Dec 10, 2010
Animation, Science Fiction
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
77.47 %|Nov 17, 2010
Adventure, Fantasy
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Love at First Sight
80 %|Nov 16, 2010
Drama, Romance
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Brighton Rock
57 %|Sep 13, 2010
Drama, Thriller, Crime
actor
Behind Jim Jarmusch
0 %|Sep 1, 2010
Documentary
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A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures
60 %|Aug 4, 2010
Animation, Family
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Lou
67 %|Jun 17, 2010
Drama
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The Gruffalo
73 %|Dec 25, 2009
Animation, Family
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Ballybrando
100 %|Dec 12, 2009
Documentary
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44 Inch Chest
55 %|Oct 8, 2009
Drama, Crime
actor
Remembrance
0 %|Sep 6, 2009
Drama
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Waking Sleeping Beauty
72 %|Sep 5, 2009
Documentary
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The Limits of Control
60 %|May 1, 2009
Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
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An Englishman in New York
64 %|Feb 7, 2009
Drama
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Lecture 21
62 %|Oct 17, 2008
Fantasy, History, Drama
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New York, I Love You
59 %|Sep 6, 2008
Comedy, Drama, Romance
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Hellboy II: The Golden Army
67.64 %|Jul 11, 2008
Fantasy, Adventure, Action
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Recount
68 %|May 25, 2008
Drama, History, TV Movie
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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
60 %|May 21, 2008
Adventure, Action
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Outlander
64.47 %|Apr 24, 2008
Science Fiction, Action
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The Oxford Murders
60 %|Jan 18, 2008
Crime, Mystery, Thriller
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Boxes
53 %|Jun 6, 2007
Drama
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Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron
63 %|Mar 10, 2007
Animation, Fantasy, Horror, Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
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The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
0 %|Feb 3, 2007
Documentary, TV Movie
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Interview with John Hurt
90 %|Jan 22, 2007
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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
74 %|Sep 13, 2006
Crime, Fantasy, Drama
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Whaledreamers
58 %|Jun 15, 2006
Documentary
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Shooting Dogs
74.24000000000001 %|Mar 8, 2006
Drama, History
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V for Vendetta
78.97999999999999 %|Feb 23, 2006
Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
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The Proposition
70 %|Oct 6, 2005
Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Thriller, Western
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Once Upon a Halloween
62 %|Sep 26, 2005
Animation, Family
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Hiroshima
71 %|Aug 6, 2005
Documentary, Drama
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The Skeleton Key
66 %|Jul 29, 2005
Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
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Manderlay
69 %|Jun 3, 2005
Drama
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Valiant
55 %|Mar 25, 2005
Family, Animation, Adventure, Comedy, War
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Short Order
44 %|Jan 1, 2005
Drama, Comedy, Romance
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Shadowing the Third Man
61 %|Oct 11, 2004
Documentary
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Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation
80 %|Jul 27, 2004
Documentary
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Pride
62 %|Jun 21, 2004
Adventure, Drama, Family
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Hellboy
66.74000000000001 %|Apr 2, 2004
Fantasy, Action
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The Beast Within: Making Alien
81.67 %|Dec 2, 2003
Documentary
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Dogville
78 %|May 21, 2003
Crime, Drama, Thriller
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Owning Mahowny
68 %|May 2, 2003
Crime, Drama, Thriller
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The Alien Saga
64 %|Nov 13, 2002
Documentary, Science Fiction
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I, Claudius: A Television Epic
70 %|Sep 30, 2002
Documentary
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Crime and Punishment
50 %|Jun 1, 2002
Drama
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Bait
70 %|Feb 20, 2002
Thriller, TV Movie
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Miranda
56 %|Jan 18, 2002
Comedy, Drama, Romance, Thriller
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Shaolin: Wheel of Life
70 %|Dec 11, 2001
Action, Documentary
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The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed
60 %|Dec 11, 2001
Documentary
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
79 %|Nov 16, 2001
Adventure, Fantasy
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Captain Corelli's Mandolin
60 %|Apr 18, 2001
Drama, Romance, War
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The Hidden Wars of Desert Storm
75 %|Apr 7, 2001
Documentary, War
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Tabloid
47 %|Jan 1, 2001
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Lost Souls
50 %|Oct 13, 2000
Horror, Thriller, Drama
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Krapp's Last Tape
74 %|Sep 8, 2000
Drama, TV Movie
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The Tigger Movie
65 %|Feb 11, 2000
Animation, Family, Comedy
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New Blood
52 %|Nov 15, 1999
Action
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You're Dead...
64 %|Oct 1, 1999
Comedy, Crime
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One Last Score
37 %|Sep 29, 1999
Thriller, Crime, Drama
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All the Little Animals
61.71 %|Jul 9, 1999
Drama, Adventure, Thriller
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Love and Death on Long Island
64 %|Jul 3, 1998
Drama, Romance
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The Climb
69 %|Mar 11, 1998
Drama
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The Commissioner
58 %|Feb 22, 1998
Drama, Action, Thriller, Crime
actor
Night Train
70 %|Jan 1, 1998
Drama, Romance
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Bandyta
57 %|Nov 7, 1997
Drama
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Contact
74 %|Jul 11, 1997
Drama, Science Fiction, Mystery
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Tender Loving Care
25 %|May 16, 1996
Horror, Thriller
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Dead Man
73 %|Dec 23, 1995
Drama, Fantasy, Western
actor
Saigon Baby
0 %|Dec 16, 1995
Thriller, Drama, TV Movie
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Wild Bill
57 %|Dec 1, 1995
Western
actor
On Jupiter
0 %|Aug 3, 1995
Documentary
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Rob Roy
67.06 %|Apr 13, 1995
Adventure, History, Drama, Action, War
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Two Nudes Bathing
20 %|Mar 24, 1995
Drama, Comedy
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The World of Jim Henson
73 %|Nov 23, 1994
Documentary
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Second Best
67 %|Sep 30, 1994
Drama, Family
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Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
44 %|May 13, 1994
Comedy, Drama, Romance, Western
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Great Moments in Aviation
53 %|May 1, 1994
Drama, Romance
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Thumbelina
64 %|Mar 30, 1994
Animation, Family, Fantasy, Romance, Music
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Monolith
44 %|Sep 16, 1993
Action, Science Fiction
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Six Characters in Search of An Author
10 %|Dec 12, 1992
Drama, TV Movie
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Dark at Noon
64 %|Oct 1, 1992
Comedy, Fantasy
actor
Red Fox
50 %|Dec 8, 1991
Thriller
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I Dreamt I Woke Up
60 %|Nov 16, 1991
Documentary
actor
Journey to Knock
0 %|Sep 17, 1991
TV Movie, Drama
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Lapse of Memory
65 %|Jun 2, 1991
Romance, Thriller
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King Ralph
53.53 %|Feb 15, 1991
Comedy
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Paul McCartney: From Rio to Liverpool
0 %|Dec 17, 1990
Documentary, Music
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Frankenstein Unbound
56.879999999999995 %|Nov 2, 1990
Horror, Science Fiction
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The Field
70 %|Sep 21, 1990
Drama
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Resident Alien
53 %|Sep 14, 1990
Documentary
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Windprints
65 %|Jun 29, 1990
Action, Drama, Thriller
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Who Bombed Birmingham?
70 %|Apr 22, 1990
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Romeo.Juliet
0 %|Jan 1, 1990
Drama, Romance
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Little Sweetheart
54 %|Oct 19, 1989
Thriller
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Scandal
59 %|Mar 3, 1989
Drama, History, Romance
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David Macaulay: Pyramid
0 %|Jan 4, 1989
Documentary, History
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The Bengali Night
58 %|Oct 26, 1988
Drama
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The Storyteller
0 %|Jul 31, 1988
Fantasy, Family, Horror, Drama, Adventure
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Deadline
58 %|Jan 1, 1988
Drama
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White Mischief
60 %|Nov 10, 1987
Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
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Vincent
67 %|Oct 8, 1987
History, Animation
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Aria
56 %|Sep 15, 1987
Music
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Spaceballs
68.49000000000001 %|Jun 24, 1987
Comedy, Science Fiction
actor
The Hunting of the Snark
80 %|Apr 1, 1987
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From the Hip
59 %|Feb 6, 1987
Comedy, Drama
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Monolith
0 %|Jan 1, 1987
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Iceberg
0 %|Jan 1, 1987
actor
Frightmares
0 %|Jan 1, 1987
Horror
actor
Rocinante
0 %|Nov 1, 1986
Drama
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Thames Film
0 %|Aug 10, 1986
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Jake Speed
44 %|May 30, 1986
Action, Comedy, Thriller
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The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima
43 %|Dec 3, 1985
Documentary
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The Black Cauldron
64 %|Jul 24, 1985
Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
poster
Live Aid
79 %|Jul 13, 1985
Music, Documentary
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After Darkness
44 %|Feb 1, 1985
Drama, Horror, Thriller
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Nineteen Eighty-Four
68 %|Nov 9, 1984
Drama, Science Fiction, Romance
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The Hit
64.38 %|Sep 7, 1984
Drama, Thriller, Crime, Action
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Success Is the Best Revenge
55 %|May 26, 1984
Drama
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Champions
68 %|Apr 20, 1984
Drama, Romance
poster
Sunset People
0 %|Mar 3, 1984
Documentary
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The Osterman Weekend
56.11 %|Oct 14, 1983
Action, Drama, Thriller
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King Lear
65 %|Apr 3, 1983
Drama, TV Movie
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The Plague Dogs
79 %|Oct 1, 1982
Adventure, Animation, Drama
actor
Paul McCartney - Take It Away
0 %|Jun 21, 1982
Music
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Partners
55 %|Apr 30, 1982
Comedy, Crime
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Night Crossing
61 %|Feb 5, 1982
Adventure, Drama, Action
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History of the World: Part I
67.77 %|Jun 12, 1981
Comedy
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Heaven's Gate
67.74 %|Nov 19, 1980
Drama, Western, Romance
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The Elephant Man
80.35 %|Oct 9, 1980
Drama, History
actor
An Evening with Quentin Crisp
100 %|Jan 1, 1980
Documentary, Comedy
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Alien
82 %|May 25, 1979
Horror, Science Fiction
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The Lord of the Rings
66 %|Nov 15, 1978
Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
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Watership Down
72 %|Oct 14, 1978
Adventure, Animation, Drama
poster
Midnight Express
75 %|Aug 31, 1978
Drama, Crime
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The Shout
58.89 %|Jun 16, 1978
Thriller, Mystery, Horror
poster
The Disappearance
56 %|Nov 30, 1977
Drama, Thriller
poster
East of Elephant Rock
35 %|Oct 22, 1977
Drama
poster
Three Dangerous Ladies
50 %|Jun 5, 1977
Horror
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Spectre
62 %|May 21, 1977
TV Movie, Horror
poster
Stream Line
0 %|May 6, 1976
Drama, War
poster
The Peddler
0 %|Mar 23, 1976
Drama, TV Movie
poster
The Naked Civil Servant
67 %|Dec 17, 1975
Drama, Comedy, TV Movie
poster
The Ghoul
49 %|Jul 11, 1975
Horror, Mystery
actor
The Playboy of the Western World
0 %|Jan 1, 1974
TV Movie
poster
The Pied Piper
59 %|Dec 27, 1972
Fantasy, Drama
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Mr. Forbush and the Penguins
55 %|Jul 29, 1971
Adventure
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10 Rillington Place
73 %|Feb 10, 1971
Crime, Thriller
poster
In Search of Gregory
56 %|Nov 1, 1969
Romance, Drama
poster
Sinful Davey
55 %|Feb 10, 1969
Crime, Adventure, Comedy
poster
Before Winter Comes
59 %|Jan 17, 1969
Drama, Comedy
poster
The Sailor from Gibraltar
57.14 %|Jan 1, 1967
Drama, Romance, Adventure
poster
A Man for All Seasons
73 %|Dec 13, 1966
Drama, History
poster
This Is My Street
61 %|Jan 15, 1964
Drama
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The Wild and the Willing
57.5 %|Oct 16, 1962
Romance, Drama
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The StoryTeller
0 %|Invalid Date
Drama, Fantasy, Family, Adventure, Horror

Series

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The Last Panthers
63 %|Nov 12, 2015
Crime, Drama
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Labyrinth
56 %|Nov 24, 2012
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
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The Hollow Crown
74 %|Jun 30, 2012
Drama,
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Planet Dinosaur
81.62 %|Sep 14, 2011
Documentary
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The Confession
73 %|Mar 28, 2011
Action & Adventure, Drama, Crime
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Human Planet
82.72 %|Jan 13, 2011
Documentary
poster
Merlin
78.37 %|Sep 20, 2008
Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
poster
Masters of Science Fiction
61.7 %|Aug 4, 2007
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
poster
The One Show
46 %|Aug 14, 2006
Talk
poster
Doctor Who
75 %|Mar 26, 2005
Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
poster
Doctor Who
75 %|Mar 26, 2005
Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
poster
Who Do You Think You Are?
65.67999999999999 %|Oct 12, 2004
Documentary, Family
poster
The Alan Clark Diaries
65 %|Jan 15, 2004
Drama, Comedy
actor
HypaSpace
40 %|May 13, 2002
poster
Edge of the Universe
0 %|Jan 7, 2002
Documentary
poster
Watership Down
75 %|Sep 28, 1999
Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
poster
Parkinson
0 %|Jan 9, 1998
Talk
poster
Picture Windows
0 %|Oct 1, 1995
Drama
poster
Inside the Actors Studio
74.42999999999999 %|Aug 14, 1994
Talk
poster
GMTV
58 %|Jan 1, 1993
News
poster
Performance
60 %|Feb 22, 1991
Drama
poster
The Jim Henson Hour
90 %|Apr 14, 1989
Family, Comedy
poster
The Storyteller
81.02000000000001 %|May 15, 1988
Action & Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
poster
Natural World
70 %|Oct 30, 1983
Documentary
poster
Crime and Punishment
73 %|May 22, 1979
Drama, Crime, Reality
poster
The Hollywood Greats
35 %|Aug 4, 1977
Documentary
poster
I, Claudius
78 %|Sep 20, 1976
Drama, War & Politics
poster
I, Claudius
78 %|Sep 20, 1976
Drama, War & Politics
poster
The Sweeney
76.5 %|Jan 2, 1975
Action & Adventure, Drama, Crime
poster
NOVA
69 %|Mar 3, 1974
Documentary
poster
Wessex Tales
60 %|Nov 7, 1973
poster
A Ghost Story for Christmas
74 %|Dec 24, 1971
Drama
poster
Great Performances
52 %|Jan 28, 1971
Comedy, Documentary, Drama
poster
Play for Today
61 %|Oct 15, 1970
Drama
poster
Gideon's Way
68 %|Mar 18, 1965
Drama
poster
Armchair Theatre
58 %|Jul 8, 1956
poster
Golden Globe Awards
68 %|Jan 20, 1944
Talk