He portrayed General Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross, a key player in 2008s The Incredible Hulk. Hurt studied acting at Julliard and first emerged on the New York stage with the Circle Repertory Company. He was 71. ", After his torrid 80s run, Hurt fell increasingly out of favor with filmmakers in the '90s, and some reasoned that it was because of his reputation. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File). Join our commenting forum. His mother, Mabel Elizabeth (Davies), was Welsh. Among Williams esteemed classmates? After "The Big Chill," he returned to the stage to star on Broadway in David Rabes "Hurlyburly," for which he was nominated for a Tony. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He will be greatly missed. [3], In the 1970s, Heard appeared on the stage and in television and film. William Hurt, whose laconic charisma and self-assured subtlety as an actor made him one of the 1980s foremost leading men in movies such as "Broadcast News," "Body Heat" and "The Big Chill,". He was educated at Columbia University, then moved to London, England, where he studied drama and began acting in theatre. The Hollywood Reporter said he died at his home in Portland, Oregon. [29] In her 2009 autobiography I'll Scream Later, Matlin said that their relationship involved considerable drug abuse and physical violence from Hurt,[30] including a rape. William Hurt, (born March 20, 1950, Washington, D.C., U.S.died March 13, 2022, Portland, Oregon), American actor who transitioned from roles as a leading man to a series of distinctive character roles in the latter portion of his career. He said Hurt died peacefully, among family. He made his film debut in the 1980 sci-fi, Altered States. (AP Photo/Frazier Moore, File), Hurt, always a intelligent screen presence, gradually morphed into a character actor. William Hurt died on Sunday, March 13. In Lawrence Kasdans 1981 steamy neo noir "Body Heat," Hurt starred alongside Kathleen Turner as a lawyer coaxed into murder. He co-starred as photographer George Cooper in C.H.U.D. 2. [14] Hurt received particular acclaim for his role in A History of Violence, where despite less than 10 minutes of screen time, he received an Academy Award nomination. William Hurt, the Oscar-winning star of "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "The Big Chill," and "Broadcast News," has died, his son Will told The Hollywood Reporter. William Hurt, an Oscar winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman who often played a quiet intellectual in his early acting roles but later took more strident turns in . RIP.. Hurt attended Tufts University and studied theology,[8][9] but turned instead to acting and joined the Juilliard School (Drama Division Group 5: 19721976).[10].