I think he was a lovely chameleon. Lynch had said he wanted Hurt for the role of Merrick because he had seen Hurt act in I, Claudius and The Naked Civil Servant and had not initially realized it was the same man.
Sad news. He was brilliant in so many different films and roles. Especially in Midnight Express, Alien, The Elephant Man and 1984. May he rest in peace.
Great actor- R.I.P. He's been in so many interesting films you start to lose count- and he was always great! Elephant Man, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Alien, Dead Man, Only Lovers Left Alive, etc.
He made everything he worked on ten times better. Even if the film or TV show couldn't be saved, his scenes were worth watching. In his one appearance, he even managed to be the greatest Doctor Who of the 13 so far.
At least we have his huge catalogue of films and TV shows to remember him by.