- Actor William Hurt, who won an Oscar for his part in 1986’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, has died at the age of 71. Hurt’s roles varied from famous 1980s dramas to Marvel pictures.
- Nominations for Broadcast News and Children of a Lesser God followed in the following years.
- As General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, he has appeared in five Marvel Studios blockbusters.
- “It is with great regret that the Hurt family mourns the departure of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday,” Hurt’s son, Will, said in a statement obtained by Deadline.
- “He died naturally, surrounded by his loved ones, in a tranquil manner. At this time, they ask for respect for their privacy.”
- “Wow, another Major loss to the performing world,” commented fellow Marvel actor Mark Ruffalo on Twitter. Actor to watch. The intellect of this man is astounding. RIP.”
- Matthew Modine referred to him as “a superb professional” who was “always looking for deeper truth and human understanding” in his role.
- “A brilliant actor has departed us,” Antonio Banderas stated, while Russell Crowe and M. Night Shyamalan also paid their respects, as did Rebecca Front and Rebecca Hall.
- Altered States garnered Hurt a contender for best newcomer at the 1981 Golden Globes for his performance as an obsessive scientist in the 1970s.
- As a womanising lawyer in Body Heat, he also appeared in The Big Chill and Gorky Park that year.
- He subsequently said to the Los Angeles Times that winning the Oscar for his performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman as a homosexual guy who shares a cell with a political prisoner was “extremely isolating.”
- “When they handed it to me, I was like, ‘God, what am I going to do with this?’ When I come into a room, how am I going to gain the trust of any other actors?
- After that, he was nominated for two more consecutive awards for parts in The Accidental Tourist, Lost in Space, Contagion, and AI. In 2006, David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence received a fourth Oscar nomination for best picture.
- The role of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in 2011’s Too Big to Fail garnered him an Emmy nomination, as did the courtroom thriller Damages for which he was nominated as well.
- In addition to Henry V, he appeared in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hurlyburly, the latter of which earned him a Tony Award nomination.
- His reputation, on the other hand, was one of a captivating, though often conflicted, presence. He confessed that fame was a “challenge” and “not a pleasant circumstance” for him.
- According to him, “I’m not convinced I did a good enough job at times, which is humiliating,” he said in 2013. “And I’ve had to take a hard look at myself from time to time because of how I’ve acted in certain situations.”
- In a high-profile palimony trial in 1989, his ex-girlfriend Sandra Jennings recalled his rages when he was intoxicated.
- He was subsequently accused of physical and mental abuse by Children of a Lesser God co-star Marlee Matlin. He expressed regret “for whatever grief I may have caused.”
- As of 2018, the actor had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer and had announced his diagnosis in 2018.
