His roles ranged from acclaimed 1980s dramas to playing General Thaddeus Ross in five Marvel films.
Image source, Getty Images
William Hurt, the Oscar-winning US actor whose roles ranged from acclaimed 1980s dramas to Marvel films, has died at the age of 71, US media say.
Hurt won the best actor Oscar in 1986 for playing a prisoner in a Brazilian jail in Kiss of the Spider Woman.
He was nominated two more times in the next two years, for Children of a Lesser God and Broadcast News.
In recent years, he has been known as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in five Marvel blockbusters.
Image source, Getty Images
Hollywood website Deadline quoted a statement from Hurt’s son Will as saying: “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, one week before his 72nd birthday.
“He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.”
Variety said the news was confirmed by Hurt’s friend Gerry Byrne.
Image source, Getty Images
Fellow Marvel actor Mark Ruffalo wrote on Twitter: “Wow, another Major loss to the acting community. Great actor. Great mind. RIP.”
Matthew Modine described him as “a consummate professional” who was “continually searching for greater truth and human understanding”.
Antonio Banderas said “a great actor has left us”, while other tributes came from Russell Crowe, Rebecca Front and Albert Brooks.
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)
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)
R.I.P. William Hurt. So sad to hear this news. Working with him on Broadcast News was amazing. He will be greatly missed.
— Albert Brooks (@AlbertBrooks)
Hurt began acting on stage in the 1970s before making his big-screen breakthrough in Altered States, which earned him a best newcomer nomination at the Golden Globes in 1981.
That year, he also starred as a sleazy lawyer in erotic thriller Body Heat, before being cast in The Big Chill and Gorky Park.
After his run of three consecutive Oscar nominations, he appeared in films including The Accidental Tourist, Lost in Space, Contagion and AI before earning his fourth Oscar nomination for David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence in 2006.
He also received Emmy nominations for playing Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in 2011’s Too Big to Fail, and for legal TV drama Damages.