Oscar-winning actor William Hurt, who died Sunday at the age of 71, left behind some remarkable work, including classics such as The Big Chill, Broadcast News and Kiss of the Spider Woman. for which Hurt won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
But Oregonians may have their own memories of Hurt thanks to his time in the state. The Hollywood Reporter noted that one of Hurt’s sons, Will, told the publication that Hurt died Sunday morning at his home in Portland, surrounded by family.
Connected: William Hurt, star of Broadcast News and Body Heat, has died.
In the early days of his career, Hurt performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. It was there that Hurt met and befriended Allen Naus, who later became Artistic Director of the Portland Artists’ Repertory Theatre.
This friendship helped Hurt come to Portland to act in four productions of the Artists’ Repertory Theatre. He appeared in “The Drawer Boy” in 2004 and returned in 2007 for “Vanya”, followed by “A Long Day’s Gone Into Night” in 2010 and “No Man’s Land” in 2011.
As The Oregonian/OregonLive reported in 2010, “Hurt’s mother was born in Harney County, near the base of Mount Steins, and he first came to Oregon in the mid-70s to bury her at Fort Harney.”
An Associated Press article from 2004, while Hurt was filming Box Boy, stated that “Portland is among Hurt’s favorite cities. According to him, this is a place where he can immerse himself in art, culture and nature, while remaining in the shadows. He is an avid golfer and started cycling four or five years ago. The rainy season in Western Oregon doesn’t seem to bother him.
“I don’t mind the rain,” Hurt says in the article. “Seventy percent of our bodies are made up of it.”
More of our coverage:
Artist rep gets hurt again (William) for “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”
‘No Man’s Land’ review: William Hurt shines as a battered man in last line at Artists Rep
Passionate about the art of stage acting, William Hurt helps lead the Long Day’s Journey into Night in Portland.
— Christy Turnquist
[email protected] 503-221-8227 @kristiturnquist