John Hurt overcame ‘seven bottles of wine a night’ party reputation to become one of the most respected actors in Hollywood
Former wild child John became one of the biggest names in Tinsel Town but only after he put a stop to his notorious party lifestyle
ACTING legend John Hurt was a true wild child of the silver screen – once boasting about polishing off ‘seven bottles of wine a night’.
But the award winning star, who died on Friday following a battle with cancer, overcame his party lifestyle to become one of the biggest names in Hollywood – with iconic roles in The Elephant Man, Harry Potter and most recently the Oscar nominated film Jackie.
John’s friend, producer Don Boyd, recalled the time John was heralded as a “hell-raiser” – regularly holding court in pubs with his famous pals Peter O’ Toole and Oliver Reed.
Don said: “There were times when he was a boring drunk, prickly and contentious.”
John once boasted of drinking “seven bottles of wine a night” and was reported to have been kicked out of gentlemen's club Spearmint Rhino for his “boorish behaviour”.
The father-of-two cleaned up his act however and later became a household name.
He said of getting clean: “Actors don’t drink so much now.
“There were eight of us sitting around the other night and only one was drinking wine.”
Talking about why he stopping drink, John continued: “It wasn't serving me, and the climate has changed.”
Speaking to the Radio Times in 2015, he added: “We’ve become obsessed with the dangers of alcohol – you get newspaper articles that are entirely over the top.
“There’s political correctness as well. I wonder who instigated that? Where does it come from, and who says what is or is not politically correct?
“And as for the way you have to treat women these days …”
John turned his life around but admitted that without his hedonistic past he doubted he would have had such a successful career.
He said: “I've lived publicly and never hidden behind closed doors.
“Therefore if I have gone over the top sometimes, it has been visible. But it was not a way of life.
“Otherwise I wouldn't have the CV I've got, would I?”
During his lifetime John won four Baftas, including a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to British cinema, and he received a Golden Globe for his role in Midnight Express.
Speaking about the roles that defined his career, John named: “The Naked Civil Servant, I, Claudius, The Elephant Man, Midnight Express and Alien.”
John also appeared in the chilling dystopian film 1984, Alien, V for Vendetta and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Other notable appearances in his of career include his work in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Rob Roy, the Hellboy films and Scandal.
His distinctive voice was also used in animated films such as Watership Down, the cartoon version of Lord of the Rings and Dogville, and BBC series Merlin.
Following the news of John's death on Friday night his fans flooded social media with tributes.
The actor was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 and at the time underwent treatment and remained optimistic.
In a statement at the time, he said: “I have always been open about the way in which I conduct my life and in that spirit I would like to make a statement.
“I have recently been diagnosed with early stage pancreatic cancer. I am undergoing treatment and am more than optimistic about a satisfactory outcome, as indeed is the medical team.
“I am continuing to focus on my professional commitments and will shortly be recording Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell (one of life’s small ironies!) for BBC Radio 4.”
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