Mel Brooks, Kiefer Sutherland and Other Celebs React to John Hurt's Death

On Sunday, John Hurt celebrated his 77th birthday. It would be his last.

The legendary British actor, whose illustrous career spanned six-decades, passed away today—losing his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Hurt was diagnosed with the disease in 2015. During that same year, he opened up about his battle and said he didn't fear death. "I can't say I worry about mortality, but it's impossible to get to my age and not have a little contemplation of it," he told Radio Times, while doing press for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. "We're all just passing time, and occupy our chair very briefly. But my treatment is going terrifically well, so I'm optimistic."

With so many to choose from, it's nearly impossible to pick which role Hurt will be best remembered for. For our geeky community, he'll be remembered for portraying the War Doctor in Doctor Who, Mr. Ollivander in the Harry Potter film series, High Chancellor Adam Sutler in V for Vendetta, Harold "Ox" Oxley in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm in the Hellboy films, and, of course, the crew member (Kane) that had an alien burst through his chest in Ridley Scott's Alien.

Comedian and filmmaker Mel Brooks, who directed Hurt in Spaceballs' chestburster parody scene, reacted to the sad news by tweeting: "It was terribly sad today to learn of John Hurt's passing. He was a truly magnificent talent."

To see how other celebrities—such as Elijah Wood, Chris Evans, Kiefer Sutherland, and Alfred Molina—reacted to Hurt's death, click on our "Start Slideshow" feature.

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to John Hurt's family and friends.