William Hurt, who won Academy Awards for “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “The Big Chill,” and “Broadcast News,” has died, according to his son Will. He was 71 years old at the time.
Hurt’s friend Gerry Byrne confirmed the actor’s death
“The Hurt family mourns with the passing of William Hurt, loving father and Oscar winner, on 13 March 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday,” the family said in a statement. “He passed away gently, surrounded by his family, from natural causes. At this time, the family wants privacy.”
The family did not reveal the reason for death. But In 2018, Hurt was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Hurt performed in films such as “Body Heat,” “Children of a Lesser God,” “Broadcast News,” and “The Big Chill” in the 1980s.
Hurt was nominated for 4 Oscar over his long career, including two best actor nominations for “Children of a Lesser God.” Another one is for “Broadcast News,” He also received a nomination for supporting actor in “A History of Violence,” in which he appeared for less than 10 minutes. He became a cerebral sex symbol and a reluctant, albeit bankable, movie star in the 1980s, becoming one of the most heralded performers of the decade.
In 1988, William hurt was nominated for his third Oscar in three years for Broadcast News.
More recently, Hurt became well known to a younger generation of movie lovers because of His most recent roles on-screen, including General Thaddeus Ross in the Marvel films “Captain America: Civil War,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Black Widow.”
Fellow Marvel actor :
Mark Ruffalo wrote on Twitter: “Wow, another Major loss to the acting community. Great actor. Great mind. RIP.” while other tributes came from Russell Crowe, M Night Shyamalan Rebecca Front.
William Hurt has passed. On Robin Hood, I was aware of his reputation for asking character based questions, so I had compiled a file on the life of William Marshall. He sought me out when he arrived on set. I handed him the stack. Not sure if I’ve ever seen a bigger smile. RIP.
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) March 13, 2022
I’m so sad to hear of the passing of William Hurt. I had the privilege of directing him in The Village. He was a master of his acting craft. Every take was new and revealing. #rip
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) March 13, 2022
So sad to hear William Hurt has died. He was a truly brilliant actor. Filming scenes with him in Humans was like having a front row seat at a masterclass.
— Rebecca Front (@RebeccaFront) March 13, 2022
Hurt was born in Washington, D.C., on 20 March 1950. His mother, Claire Isabel, worked for Time Inc., and his father, Alfred Hurt (1910–1996), worked for the US Agency for International Development and the State Department as a career bureaucrat. When he was six years old, his parents divorced. His mother remarried Henry Luce III, son of Time Magazine publisher Henry Luce.
Hurt, raised in relative affluence, went on to Tufts University to study theology before transferring to Juilliard to pursue acting. Hurt landed the leading role in Ken Russell’s quirky film “Altered States,” portraying a disturbed scientist in a notable entry in the body horror genre. But a year later, Hurt climbed to new heights when he acted with Kathleen Turner in “Body Heat” Both actors were converted into great stars due to their on-screen chemistry. Hurt went on to play another leading role in “Gorky Park” and was a member of the cast in “The Princess Bride.
“Marlee Matlin, his co-star in “Children of a Lesser God,” had a tense relationship with him. According to Matlin’s memoir, Hurt was emotionally and physically abusive to Matlin. Hurt said in a statement at the time:
“My recall is that we both apologized and worked hard to put our lives back together. Of course, I apologized and continue to apologize for any harm I may have caused. And I’m sure we’ve both matured”. From 1971 until 1982, Hurt was married to actress Mary Beth Hurt, and then from 1989 to 1991, he was married to Heidi Henderson.
The actor revealed in 2018 that he had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.
