John Hurt
Born January 22, 1940 (Age: 86)
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Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, UK
Biography
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.
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.
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Filmography
Jackie
2016
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as The Priest
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Age: 76
Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: The Movie
2015
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as Sailor John (voice)
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Age: 75
Hercules
2014
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as Cotys
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Age: 74
Only Lovers Left Alive
2013
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as Christopher Marlowe
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Age: 73
Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor
2013
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as The War Doctor
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Age: 73
Snowpiercer
2013
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as Gilliam
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Age: 73
Sightseers
2012
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as Jerusalem Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
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Age: 72
Immortals
2011
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as Old Zeus
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Age: 71
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2011
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as Control
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Age: 71
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2011
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as Ollivander
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Age: 71
Melancholia
2011
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as Dexter
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Age: 71
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010
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as Ollivander
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Age: 70
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures
2010
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as Grandpa Sammy (voice)
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Age: 70
Waking Sleeping Beauty
2009
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as The Horned King (voice) (archive footage)
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Age: 69
Centenary: The BP Story
2009
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 69
Lecture 21
2008
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as Mondrian Kilroy
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Age: 68
New York, I Love You
2008
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as Bellhop
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Age: 68
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
2008
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as Trevor Bruttenholm
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Age: 68
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2008
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as Professor Harold Oxley
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Age: 68
Outlander
2008
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as Rothgar
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Age: 68
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
2006
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 66
'V for Vendetta' Unmasked
2006
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as Adam Sutler
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Age: 66
V for Vendetta
2006
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as Adam Sutler
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Age: 66
The Proposition
2005
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as Jellon Lamb
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Age: 65
The Skeleton Key
2005
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as Ben Devereaux
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Age: 65
Manderlay
2005
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 65
Valiant
2005
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as Felix (voice)
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Age: 65
Hellboy
2004
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as Prof. Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm
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Age: 64
Dogville
2003
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 63
Owning Mahowny
2003
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as Victor Foss
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Age: 63
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
2001
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as Mr. Ollivander
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Age: 61
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
2001
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as Dr. Iannis
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Age: 61
Lost Souls
2000
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as Father Lareaux
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Age: 60
Krapp's Last Tape
2000
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as Krapp
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Age: 60
The Tigger Movie
2000
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as Narrator (voice)
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Age: 60
All the Little Animals
1999
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as Mr. Summers
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Age: 59
Contact
1997
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as S. R. Hadden
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Age: 57
Dead Man
1995
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as John Scholfield
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Age: 55
Wild Bill
1995
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as Charley Prince
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Age: 55
Rob Roy
1995
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as John Graham
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Age: 55
Second Best
1994
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as Uncle Turpin
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Age: 54
Thumbelina
1994
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as Mr. Mole (voice)
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Age: 54
King Ralph
1991
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as Lord Percival Graves
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Age: 51
Frankenstein Unbound
1990
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as Dr. Joe Buchanan / Narrator (voice)
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Age: 50
Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch
1990
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as Self
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Age: 50
The Field
1990
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as Bird' O'Donnell
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Age: 50
Romeo.Juliet
1990
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as La Dame aux Chats / Mercutio (voice)
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Age: 49
Scandal
1989
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as Stephen Ward
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Age: 49
The Bengali Night
1988
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as Lucien Metz
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Age: 48
The Storyteller: The True Bride
1988
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as The Storyteller
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Age: 48
The Storyteller: The Heartless Giant
1988
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as The Storyteller
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Age: 48
The Storyteller: Hans My Hedgehog
1988
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as The Storyteller
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Age: 48
The Storyteller: A Story Short
1988
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as The Storyteller
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Age: 48
The Storyteller: The Luck Child
1988
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as The Storyteller
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Age: 48
The Storyteller: Fearnot
1988
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as The Storyteller
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Age: 48
The Storyteller: The Soldier and Death
1988
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as The Storyteller
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Age: 48
Spaceballs
1987
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as John Hurt
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Age: 47
Aria
1987
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as The Actor
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Age: 47
From the Hip
1987
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as Douglas Benoit
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Age: 47
The Black Cauldron
1985
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as The Horned King (voice)
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Age: 45
Live Aid
1985
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as Self
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Age: 45
Nineteen Eighty-Four
1984
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as Winston Smith
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Age: 44
The Hit
1984
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as Braddock
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Age: 44
Sunset People
1984
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as Self
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Age: 44
The Osterman Weekend
1983
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as Lawrence Fassett
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Age: 43
The Plague Dogs
1982
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as Snitter (voice)
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Age: 42
Partners
1982
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as Kerwin
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Age: 42
History of the World: Part I
1981
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as Jesus - The Roman Empire
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Age: 41
Heaven's Gate
1980
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as Billy Irvine
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Age: 40
The Elephant Man
1980
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as John Merrick
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Age: 40
Alien
1979
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as Kane
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Age: 39
The Lord of the Rings
1978
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as Aragorn (voice)
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Age: 38
Watership Down
1978
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as Hazel (voice)
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Age: 38
Midnight Express
1978
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as Max
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Age: 38
No Image
Green Julia
1971
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as Bob
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Age: 31
A Man for All Seasons
1966
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as Richard Rich
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Age: 26