Actor John Hurt arrives for a memorial service for actor and director Richard Attenborough at Westminster Abbey in London March 17, 2015. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Files

LONDON (Reuters) - British actor John Hurt, 75, who had starring roles in "The Elephant Man" and "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", revealed on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but says he intends to go on working.

"I have recently been diagnosed with early stage pancreatic cancer. I am undergoing treatment and am more than optimistic about a satisfactory outcome, as indeed is the medical team," Hurt said in a statement released to Britain's Press Association.

Hurt was quoted as saying that he intends to continue working, with one of his projects in the near future being to record "Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell" for BBC radio.

Hurt was nominated for Oscars for his roles in "The Elephant Man" and "Midnight Express" and also had a starring role in the space science fiction film "Alien" of 1979.

He has recently finished filming for a new version of "Tarzan" and will appear with Gemma Arterton and Derek Jacobi in "The History of Love".

(Reporting by Michael Roddy; Editing by Ralph Boulton)