It was announced on Sunday that Oscar winning actor William Hurt has passed away at the age of 71, a week before his 72nd birthday, due to prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1950, Hurt attended Tufts University before joining Juilliard School’s drama division, where his classmates were Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve.
Hurt began his career in the early 80’s with roles in hit movies like ‘Body Heat,’ ‘The Big Chill,’ and ‘Gorky Park.’ In the mid-80s he was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars three years in a row for his work ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ for which he won, as well as ‘Broadcast News’ and ‘Children of a Lesser God.’ He also received a Tony Award nomination in 1985 for his stage work in the play ‘Hurlyburly.’
The actor would go on to appear in such movies as ‘The Accidental Tourist,’ ‘I Love You to Death,’ ‘Lost in Space,’ ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence,’ ‘The Village,’ ‘Syriana,’ ‘The Good Shepherd,’ Into the Wild,’ ‘Vantage Point,’ and ‘Robin Hood.’ He also received critical acclaim for his performance in the big screen adaption of the graphic novel ‘A History of Violence.’
But Hurt was probably best known to an entire generation as General Thaddeus Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. He first played the Bruce Banner’s nemesis in ‘The Incredible Hulk,’ and followed it up with brief appearances in ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ and ‘Black Widow.’
William Hurt’s final on screen role was as Père La Chaise in the fantasy movie, ‘The King’s Daughter.’ The actor has worked with some of the greatest directors in cinema history including Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, James L. Brooks, Lawrence Kasdan, Wim Wenders, Anthony Minghella, Nora Ephron, Franco Zeffirelli, David Cronenberg, M. Night Shyamalan, and Ridley Scott.
“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,” the actor’s son, Will, said in a statement. “He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.”
William Hurt was married to actress Mary Beth Hurt from 1971 to 1982, before marrying Heidi Henderson from 1989 to 1991. He is survived by Will, and three other children.
