The Biggest Actors Knighted By Queen Elizabeth

Sir John Hurt was a prolific actor who appeared in a lot of franchises throughout his 56-year career. He was the first victim to have a Xenomorph burst from his chest in "Alien," he gave Harry Potter his wand in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," and he played the War Doctor on "Doctor Who." Hurt wore many hats over the years and appeared in dozens of popular movies, television series, and theater productions, touching many lives.

Hurt was honored for his contributions to the arts by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2015. He was 75 at the time and was welcomed to Windsor Castle for the ceremony held there. According to USA Today, Hurt had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and he only regretted that his parents weren't alive to see him knighted. When he arrived, he'd completed half a course of chemotherapy and told the press he felt well, though his hair was thinning (per the Daily Mail).

Hurt spoke of the honor of being knighted a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), saying, "It does make one inordinately proud." Despite his comments at the ceremony, Hurt's cancer, which had gone into remission in 2015, had returned. He died on January 25, 2017, at the age of 77. News of his death spread quickly, and those who worked with him, including Mel Brooks, J.K. Rowling, and others, took to Twitter to express their love for the actor and condolences for his family.

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