William Hurt, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1986, has reportedly died at age 71.
Deadline and other outlets cite a statement by Hurt’s son, Will, that reads, “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.”
It had been reported in May of 2018 that the elder Hurt had terminal prostate cancer.
In the ’80s, Hurt was nominated for Best Actor three years running; he won for Kiss of the Spider Woman, but was also nominated for 1987’s Broadcast News and 1986’s Children of a Lesser God. He earned his fourth Oscar nomination, for Supporting Actor, for 2005’s A History of Violence, the latter for a role that featured fewer than ten minutes of total screen time.
Hurt was also known for his roles in Altered Images, The Big Chill, Body Heat and Gorky Park, among others. To younger fans, he was familiar for his recurring role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in five Marvel movies: The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow.
Hurt also had a distinguished career as a theater actor, winning an Obie, a Theatre World Award and a Tony nomination.
Hurt was married and divorced twice, and leaves behind four children.
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