Legendary British actor John Hurt dies aged 77

January 29, 2017

London, Jan 29: Legendary British actor John Hurt, best known for playing a drug addict in "Midnight Express," Kane in "Alien," the title character in "The Elephant Man," and Winston Smith in "1984" has died. He was 77.

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Hurt's agent confirmed the actor's death, reported Variety.

No cause of death was immediately known, but Hurt revealed in 2015 that he was battling pancreatic cancer.

The actor first came to prominence after appearing in the best picture Oscar-winning "A Man of All Seasons" in 1966.

Hurt, who decided against a career as an art teacher to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, appeared in countless TV and film roles, including roles in Michael Cimino's "Heaven's Gate," Stephen Frears' "The Hit," Sam Peckinpah's "The Osterman Weekend" and the 1984 adaptation of George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four," where Hurt played the novel's protagonist Winston Smith.

Hurt's portrayal of imprisoned heroin addict Max in 1978's "Midnight Express" netted the actor his first Golden Globe and BAFTA win as well as an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

Two years later, Hurt appeared in what was his greatest role as the anguished John Merrick in David Lynch's "The Elephant Man."

In recent years, Hurt appeared as Mr Ollivander, the wand-maker in the first Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone," and for parts 1 and 2 of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," however his scenes in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" were cut.

Hurt's distinct voice also graced characters in animated films like Watership Down and 1978's "Lord of the Rings."

Though he always prioritised film acting, Hurt also made regular appearances on stage, including the first West End production of David Halliwell's cult play "Little Malcolm" and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs in 1967.

Hurt also played numerous roles on TV, including Alan Clark in the 2004 adaptation of "The Alan Clark Diaries" and the "Doctor" in the 50th anniversary special episode of Doctor Who in 2013.

He was married four times, the first time to actress Annette Robertson in the early 1960s, the second time to Donna Peacock, the third time to Jo Dalton.

Survivors include the actor's fourth wife, producer Anwen Rees-Myers, whom Hurt married in 2005, and two children by Dalto.

Many celebrities took to Twitter to express their condolences on Hurt's demise.
"It was terribly sad today to learn of John Hurt's passing. He was a truly magnificent talent," tweeted Mel Brooks.

Stephen Fry tweeted, "Oh no. What terrible news. We've lost #JohnHurt as great on the stage, small screen and big. A great man & great friend of Norfolk & #NCFC".

Chris Evans said, "John Hurt was one of the most powerful, giving, and effortlessly real actors I've ever worked with. Remarkable human being. U will be missed."

"God speed to John Hurt, a legendary actor and good human being," Sharon Stone wrote.

Elijah Wood tweeted, "Very sad to hear of John Hurt's passing. It was such an honor to have watched you work, sir."

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News Network
April 8,2020

Washington, Apr 8: Choosing stethoscope over the crown, Miss England 2019, Bhasha Mukherjee, has returned to work as a doctor as the world battles with coronavirus pandemic.

According to CNN, she was a junior doctor with a specialisation in respiratory medicine, before being crowned as Miss England in August last year. The beauty queen, who has her roots in India's Kolkata city, had taken a career break from the medical field.

She had paused her medical career for some humanitarian work that she was offered by several charities and was on a tour to different countries including India.

"I was invited to Africa, to Turkey, then to India, Pakistan and several other Asian countries to be an ambassador for various charity work," CNN quoted her as saying.

She had been in India at the beginning of March for four weeks. During her stay as an ambassador of the Coventry Mercia Lions Club, the 24-year-old had visited several schools and had donated stationery and other items to the needy.

Mukherjee then returned back UK as the situation worsened there with the coronavirus spreading at a fast rate. She then contacted the hospital and asked them that she wanted to rejoin.

According to CNN, the Miss England beauty pageant winner said that she felt wrong to be wearing the crown while people around the world were dying from the virus.

"When you are doing all this humanitarian work abroad, you're still expected to put the crown on, get ready... look pretty. I wanted to come back home. I wanted to come and go straight to work," CNN quoted her as saying.

"I felt a sense of this is what I'd got this degree for and what better time to be part of this particular sector than now. It was incredible the way the whole world was celebrating all key workers, and I wanted to be one of those, and I knew I could help," she added.

As the beauty queen has a recent travel history, she is currently in self-isolation and will return to work once her quarantine period is over.
She was crowned as Miss England 2019 in August last year.

According to World Health Organisation, 13,53,361people have been affected by coronavirus and over 80,000 people have lost their lives to it.

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News Network
June 16,2020

Mumbai, Jun 16: The International Space University (ISU) in France has paid homage to Sushant Singh Rajput in a statement, saying the news of the actor's death was "deeply saddening".

Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment on Sunday.

According to an official, Mumbai Police found out during the probe that the 34-year-old actor was under medication for depression.

The official Twitter handle of ISU on Monday tweeted how Rajput was supposed to visit the campus last year but was unable to due to scheduling conflict.

"We are deeply saddened by the dramatic news on the death of well known Indian actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Mr Singh Rajput was a believer and strong supporter of STEM education and was following ISU on social media.

"He had even accepted an invitation to visit ISU's Central Campus in the summer of 2019 but other agenda priorities prevented him from travelling to Strasbourg," the statement by the university read.

ISU paid condolences to Rajput's family and friends, saying the actor's memory will "remain among his thousands of followers across India and all over the world".

Rajput had enrolled at Delhi Technical University (DTU) in 2003, which was then known as Delhi College of Engineering, but left the course to pursue his showbiz dreams.

Even after leaving the four-year degree course, he remained fascinated with science and had a deep interest in astronomy.

As part of his research for the film "Chanda Mama Door Ke", he also visited the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 2017.

Rajput had stayed in NASA to train for his role as an astronaut for the film, which was eventually shelved.

The actor also owned Meade 14" LX600 telescope.

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News Network
January 15,2020

Chennai, Jan 15: Superstar Rajinikanth on Tuesday called for neutrality in journalism and urged media outlets to report the truth.

Addressing an event organised by Tamil magazine ''Thuglak' in Chennai, the superstar-turned-politician said that the country needs a journalist like the late Cho S Ramaswamy, who helmed the publication for decades.

"The times, politics and society are going bad. In such a scenario, the media had a huge responsibility towards the people," he said.

Some television channels are biased towards political parties, Rajinikanth said. He added that media, critics and journalists must report the truth impartially.

Comparing true news to milk and fake reportage to water, Rajinikanth said people will not be able to distinguish between the two if they are mixed.

"Only journalists need to tell which portion is milk and which is water...write the truth and don't make a lie seem like truth," he said, amid applause.

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