I watched Alien tonight in honor of John Hurt, only to realize that there's something rather bizarre about watching a movie in which an actor dies a horrible gruesome death to commemorate their passing.
The best part ever of this movie and behind the cameras said everyone in the cast didn't know that it was going to happen XD so the surprise performance is real
It's interesting that John Hurt wasn't even the first choice for that role; another actor, Jon Finch, was originally cast and filmed a few scenes, but had to drop out because of a diabetic attack. I think it worked out for the best; Hurt was very effective in the role.