RIP John Hurt, The Storyteller!

John Hurt, who many Muppet fans fondly as the The Storyteller, has died.

In addition to portraying the titular Storyteller the 1988 Henson series, Hurt appeared in many film and television roles in his 6 decade career including Midnight Express,
Nineteen Eighty-Four, V for Vendetta,  Mr Ollivander, the wand-maker, in the Harry Potter films, both Hellboy films, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and the War Doctor in Doctor Who.

He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Midnight Express. 

He won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, and an Academy Award for Best Actor for The Elephant Man.

He memorably portrayed Kane in 1979's Alien, a role which he reprised and parodied in Spaceballs.

Hurt also had a successful voice acting career, voicing characters in Watership Down , the animated The Lord of the Rings, and the Horned King in Disney's The Black Cauldron.

For us Muppet fans though, he will always be The Storyteller. 
While he appeared in each episode of the series, the third episode, "A Story Short", was the only one to focus on the Storyteller himself. 

Fan favorite, "The Soldier and Death" feels particularly poignant now as well.

Below Jim Henson shows how they turned Hurt into The Storyteller as part of The Jim Henson Hour: Secrets of The Muppets. (Jump to the 36:45 mark)

The Jim Henson Company put together a short behind the scenes look at the sereis:

In 2015, he was knighted for his services to drama.

He died just 6 days after his 77th birthday. No cause of death was reported.

His talents will missed.