Oscar Winning Actor William Hurt Dies At 71

William Hurt, who reached a career zenith with the Academy Award for Best Leading Actor for Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1986, has died. He was 71.

“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,” tweeted his son Will.

“He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.”

Born March 20, 1950 in Washington, D.C., William Hurt began his career in stage productions and was part of the acting group at the Circle Repertory Company from 1977 to 1989. He won the Obie Award for his debut appearance there in My Life, and won a 1978 Theatre Guild Award for his performances in Fifth of July, Ulysses in Traction, and Lulu.

After early appearances on television as a guest star in crime drama Kojak and in miniseries The Best of Families, both in 1977, his first major film role was in the science-fiction film Altered States in 1980. It result in a Golden Globe nomination for Best New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture – Male.

In 1981, Hurt’s performance opposite Kathleen Turner in neo-noir classic Body Heat elevated him to stardom. Two years later, in 1983, he appeared in the widely acclaimed drama The Big Chill.

More to come…

Corinne Jacker’s My Life, and won a 1978 Theatre World Award for his performances in Fifth of July, Ulysses in Traction, and Lulu. In 1979, Hurt played Hamlet under the direction of Marshall W. Mason opposite Lindsay Crouse and Beatrice Straight. His first major film role was in the science-fiction film Altered States where his performance as an obsessed scientist gained him wide recognition. His performance with Richard Crenna, Ted Danson and newcomer Kathleen Turner in Lawrence Kasdan’s neo-noir classic Body Heat elevated Hurt to stardom, and he later also co-starred in Kasdan’s The Big Chill (1983). He appeared in the thriller Gorky Park opposite Lee Marvin. He received the Best Male Performance Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Actor for Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1985. He has received three additional Oscar nominations: Best Actor for Children of a Lesser God (1986) and Broadcast News (1987; he was thus nominated for Best Actor for three consecutive years) and Best Supporting Actor for A History Of Violence (2005). Hurt also starred in Tuck Everlasting as Angus Tuck.