William Hurt, who often played quiet intellectuals in his early acting roles and later appeared in sci-fi and Marvel films, died just a week short of his 72nd birthday.
William Hurt’s son, Will, announced today that his father has died. In May 2018, it was announced that the elder Hurt had terminal prostate cancer that had spread to the bones.
“It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar-winning actor, on March 13, 2022, a week before his 72nd birthday. He died peacefully, in the family circle, a natural death. The family is asking for privacy at this time.”
In the mid-1980s, Hurt was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times in a row. Among them are Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Children of a Lesser God (1986) and Broadcast News (1987). He won for Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Hurt was also an active theater actor in the 1980s, appearing in off-Broadway productions and receiving his first Tony Award nomination in 1985 for the Broadway production of Hurlyburly.
His film debut came in 1980 when he played a scientist in the sci-fi thriller Altered States, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year. From there, he played a memorable role as a lawyer seduced by Kathleen Turner in Body Heat (1981) and then appeared as Arkady Renko in Gorky Park.
Hurt received his fourth Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in David Cronenberg’s crime thriller A History of Violence (2005).
His career has continued with films such as AI, The Village, Siriana, The Big Chill, The Good Shepherd, Mr. Brooks, Into the Wild, and Robin Hood.
For younger fans, Hurt was part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films as the rambunctious Thaddeus Ross, the general who was there on the fateful day that Bruce Banner became the Hulk. The character Ross has appeared in five Marvel films, including The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Widow, as well as the Marvel One-Shot animated series The Consultant and the Disney+ animated series What If. …?, the latter voiced by Mike McGill.
Hurt was born March 20, 1950 in Washington, DC. His father worked for the US Agency for International Development, so the family moved to Lahore, Mogadishu and Khartoum. His parents divorced and his mother married Henry Luce III, son of the publisher Henry Luce.
He then enrolled at Tufts University where he studied theology. But an acting bug bit him, and he entered the drama department of the Juilliard School, where he spent four years surrounded by such future stars as Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve.
Beginning in 1977, Hurt was a member of the Circle Repertory Company, winning an Obie Award for his role in Corinne Jacker’s My Life. He had an extensive theater resume and won a Theater World Award in 1978 for his many performances in Fifth of July, Ulysses on the Move and Lulu.
Hurt is survived by four children. Details of the memorial have not been released.