Brooks paid tribute to Sir John, who had starred in Brooks’ comedy Spaceballs, saying on Twitter: “No one could have played The Elephant Man more memorably.”

Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood said: “It was such an honour to have watched you work, sir.”

British actor Alfred Molina said Sir John was “a gloriously talented actor, one of the best, of this or any era.”

Hurt was born on January 22, 1940, in Chesterfield in Derbyshire. Veteran character actor John Hurt, star of movies including Alien and Harry Potter, has died at 77 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015, the Oscar nominated actor who rose to fame playing flamboyant gay icon Quentin Crisp, died on Friday, McDonald said. But my treatment is going terrifically well, so I’m optimistic.”

John Hurt was nominated for an Academy Award for best lead actor in 1981 for his portrayal of John Merrick, a severely deformed man in late 19th century London, in David Lynch’s classic film, The Elephant Man. On Twitter, Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood said, “It was such an honor to have watched you work, sir.”

During an interview in 2015, Hurt was quoted as saying, “We’re all just passing time, and occupy our chair very briefly.” Speaking about his performances during an interaction with film critic Geoff Andrews, Hurt had said, “The only way I can describe it is that I put everything I can into the mulberry of my mind and hope that it is going to ferment and make a decent wine,” BBC reported.
British actor Sir John Hurt dies at the age of 77.