William Hurt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William Hurt
Hurt signing autographs at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	William McChord Hurt (1950-03-20)March 20, 1950 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	March 13, 2022(2022-03-13) (aged 71) Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Education	Middlesex School
Alma mater	Tufts University (BA) Juilliard School (GrDip)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1977–2022
Spouse(s)	Mary Beth Hurt (m. 1971; div. 1982) Heidi Henderson (m. 1989; div. 1992)
Partner(s)	Sandra Jennings (1981–1984) Marlee Matlin (1985–1986) Sandrine Bonnaire (1992–1997)
Children	4

William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. He studied at the Juilliard School and began acting on stage in the 1970s. Hurt made his film debut in 1980 as a troubled scientist in Ken Russell's science-fiction feature Altered States, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year. In 1981 he played a leading role, as a lawyer who succumbs to the temptations of a married woman played by Kathleen Turner, in the neo-noir Body Heat.

Hurt garnered three consecutive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor, for Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Children of a Lesser God (1986), and Broadcast News (1987), winning for the first of these.

Hurt remained an active stage actor throughout the 1980s, appearing in Off-Broadway productions including Henry V, Fifth of July, Richard II and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hurt received his first Tony Award nomination in 1985 for the Broadway production of Hurlyburly.

After a variety of character roles in the following decade, Hurt earned his fourth Academy Award nomination for his supporting performance in David Cronenberg's crime thriller A History of Violence (2005). His later career films roles include turns in A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), The Village (2004), Syriana (2005), The Good Shepherd (2006), Mr. Brooks (2007), Into the Wild (2007), Robin Hood (2010), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, in which he portrayed Thaddeus Ross.

Early life and education

Hurt was born March 20, 1950, in Washington, D.C., the son of Claire Isabel (née McGill; 1923–1971), who worked at Time Inc., and Alfred McChord Hurt (1910–1996), who worked for the United States Agency for International Development and State Department. He had two brothers. With his father, he lived in Lahore, Mogadishu and Khartoum. His parents divorced and, in 1960, his mother married Henry Luce III (1925–2005), a son of publisher Henry Luce.

Hurt attended the Middlesex School, where he was vice president of the Dramatics Club and had the lead role in several school plays. He graduated in 1968 and his yearbook predicted, "you might even see him on Broadway." Hurt attended Tufts University and studied theology, but turned instead to acting and joined the Juilliard School (Drama Division Group 5: 1972–1976). Two of his classmates there were Christopher Reeve and Robin Williams.

Career

Hurt began his career in stage productions, only later acting in films. From 1977 to 1989, he was a member of the acting company at Circle Repertory Company. He won an Obie Award for his debut appearance there in 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 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.

Often cast as an intellectual, Hurt starred in films such as Lost in Space, but was also effective in other kinds of roles, as in I Love You to Death and David Cronenberg's psychological drama A History of Violence (2005), where in less than 10 minutes of screen time he plays the creepy mob boss, Richie Cusack. Also in 2005, Hurt played a mysterious government operative in Stephen Gaghan's ensemble drama about the politics of big oil, Syriana.

Hurt was in the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes, in a piece entitled Battleground (also notable for its complete lack of dialogue). He plays Renshaw, a hitman who receives a package from the widow of a toymaker he had killed, unaware of what is waiting inside for him. He appeared in the cast of Vanya, an adaptation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, at the Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, Oregon.

In June 2007, Marvel Studios announced that Hurt would portray General Thaddeus Ross in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk alongside Edward Norton, Liv Tyler and Tim Roth. Hurt reprised his role in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Black Widow (2021).

He appeared in Sean Penn's film Into the Wild, the true story of Christopher McCandless. He appeared as President Henry Ashton in the 2008 action-thriller Vantage Point. Hurt also played Mr. Brooks's alter ego in Mr. Brooks, which starred Kevin Costner.

In 2009, Hurt became a series regular on the FX series Damages playing a corporate whistleblower opposite Glenn Close and Marcia Gay Harden. For his role in the series, he earned a 2009 Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" category. Hurt's 2009 Sundance film The Yellow Handkerchief was released in theaters on February 26, 2010, by Samuel Goldwyn Films. He was in the Thailand-based 2011 thriller Hellgate alongside Cary Elwes and Paula Taylor, directed by John Penney.

In September 2010, Hurt played United States Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson in the HBO film Too Big to Fail, an adaptation of Andrew Ross Sorkin's book. He also starred as Captain Ahab in the 2011 television adaptation of Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick. In 2018, Hurt was cast as the lead in The Coldest Game (2019), but after he was injured in an off-set accident, he was replaced by Bill Pullman.

Hurt had been set to appear in the series Pantheon and films The Fence, Men of Granite, and Edward Enderby before his death in March 2022. It is currently unknown if he ever finished or filmed these roles.

Personal life

Hurt was married to Mary Beth Hurt from 1971 to 1982. In 1981, while he was still married, Hurt and Sandra Jennings began a relationship in Saratoga Springs, New York. Jennings became pregnant in the spring of 1982, which led to Hurt's divorce from Mary Beth Hurt, after which Hurt and Jennings relocated to South Carolina, a state that recognized common-law marriages.

Hurt and Jennings remained officially unmarried and later separated. Jennings sued him in New York, seeking recognition of their relationship as a common-law marriage under South Carolina law. The New York court did not recognize common-law marriage, was reluctant to recognize a common-law marriage originating in South Carolina, and found in Hurt's favor that no common-law marriage existed.

Hurt dated Marlee Matlin for one year, and they cohabited for two years.

Hurt had four children: one with Jennings, two with Heidi Henderson, and one with French actress, film director and screenwriter Sandrine Bonnaire.

Hurt was a private pilot and owner of a Beechcraft Bonanza. He was fluent in French and maintained a home outside Paris.

It was announced in May 2018 that Hurt had terminal prostate cancer that had already metastasized to the bones. Hurt died from complications of the disease on March 13, 2022, at the age of 71, at his home in Portland, Oregon.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes	Ref(s)
1980	Altered States	Edward Jessup, ProfessorProfessor Edward Jessup	Ken Russell	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best New Actor – Motion Picture
1981	Eyewitness	Daryll Deever	Peter Yates
	Body Heat	Ned Racine	Lawrence Kasdan
1983	Big Chill, TheThe Big Chill	Nick Carlton	Lawrence Kasdan
	Gorky Park	Arkady Renko	Michael Apted
1985	Kiss of the Spider Woman	Luis Alberto Molina	Héctor Babenco	Academy Award for Best Actor BAFTA Award for Best Film Actor in a Leading Role Cannes Film Festival – Best Male Interpretation David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actor London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor National Board of Review Award for Best Actor (tied with Raul Julia) Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated – National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor Nominated – New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
1986	Children of a Lesser God	James Leeds	Randa Haines	Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1987	Broadcast News	Tom Grunick	James L. Brooks	Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated – New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
1988	Time of Destiny, AA Time of Destiny	Martin Larraneta	Gregory Nava
	Accidental Tourist, TheThe Accidental Tourist	Macon Leary	Lawrence Kasdan	Golden Horse Award for Best Foreign Actor
1990	I Love You to Death	Harlan James	Lawrence Kasdan
	Alice	Doug Tate	Woody Allen
1991	Until the End of the World	Sam Farber, alias Trevor McPhee	Wim Wenders
	Doctor, TheThe Doctor	Jack MacKee, Dr.Dr. Jack MacKee	Randa Haines	Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
1992	The Plague	Bernard Rieux, DoctorDoctor Bernard Rieux	Luis Puenzo
1993	Mr. Wonderful	Tom	Anthony Minghella
1994	Second Best	Graham Holt	Chris Menges
	Trial by Jury	Tommy Vesey	Heywood Gould
1995	Smoke	Paul Benjamin	Wayne Wang
1996	Couch in New York, AA Couch in New York	Henry Harriston	Chantal Akerman
	Michael	Frank Quinlan	Nora Ephron
	Jane Eyre	Edward Fairfax Rochester	Franco Zeffirelli
1997	Loved	K.D. Dietrickson	Erin Dignam
1998	Lost in Space	John Robinson, ProfessorProfessor John Robinson	Stephen Hopkins
	Dark City	Frank Bumstead, InspectorInspector Frank Bumstead	Alex Proyas
	One True Thing	George Gulden	Carl Franklin
1999	The 4th Floor	Greg Harrison	Josh Klausner
	Sunshine	Andor Knorr	István Szabó	Nominated – Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
	Big Brass Ring, TheThe Big Brass Ring	William Blake Pellarin	George Hickenlooper
	Do Not Disturb	Walter Richmond	Dick Maas	a.k.a. Silent Witness
2000	Contaminated Man	David R. Whitman	Anthony Hickox
	Miracle Maker, TheThe Miracle Maker	Jairus (voice)	Derek W. Hayes and Stanislav Sokolov
2001	Rare Birds	Restaurateur	Sturla Gunnarsson
	A.I. Artificial Intelligence	Allen Hobby, ProfessorProfessor Allen Hobby	Steven Spielberg
	Simian Line, TheThe Simian Line	Edward	Linda Yellen
2002	Tuck Everlasting	Angus Tuck	Jay Russell
	Changing Lanes	Doyle Gipson's AA Sponsor	Roger Michell
	Nearest to Heaven	Matt	Tonie Marshall
2004	Blue Butterfly, TheThe Blue Butterfly	Alan Osborne	Léa Pool
	Village, TheThe Village	Edward Walker	M. Night Shyamalan
2005	King, TheThe King	David Sandow	James Marsh
	History of Violence, AA History of Violence	Richie Cusack	David Cronenberg	Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor North Texas Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – International Cinephile Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
	Neverwas	Peter Reed, Dr.Dr. Peter Reed	Joshua Michael Stern
	Syriana	Stan Goff	Stephen Gaghan
2006	Good Shepherd, TheThe Good Shepherd	Philip Allen, CIA DirectorCIA Director Philip Allen	Robert De Niro
	Legend of Sasquatch, TheThe Legend of Sasquatch	John Davis (voice)	Thomas Callicoat	Also co-producer
2007	Mr. Brooks	Marshall	Bruce A. Evans
	Beautiful Ohio	Simon Messerman	Chad Lowe
	Noise	Schneer, MayorMayor Schneer	Henry Bean
	Into the Wild	Walt McCandless	Sean Penn	Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2008	Vantage Point	Harry Ashton, PresidentPresident Harry Ashton	Pete Travis
	Incredible Hulk, TheThe Incredible Hulk	Thaddeus Ross	Louis Leterrier
2009	Countess, TheThe Countess	György Thurzó	Julie Delpy
2010	Yellow Handkerchief, TheThe Yellow Handkerchief	Brett Hanson	Udayan Prasad
	Robin Hood	William Marshal	Ridley Scott
2011	River Why, TheThe River Why	Henning Hale-Orviston	Matthew Leutwyler
	Late Bloomers	Adam	Julie Gavras
	Hellgate	Warren Mills	John Penney
2013	The Host	Jeb Stryder	Andrew Niccol
	The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby	Julian Rigby	Ned Benson
	Fire in the Blood	Narrator (voice)	Dylan Mohan Gray	Documentary
	Days and Nights	Herb	Christian Camargo
2014	Winter's Tale	Isaac Penn	Akiva Goldsman
2016	Race	Jeremiah Mahoney	Stephen Hopkins
	Captain America: Civil War	Thaddeus Ross	Anthony and Joe Russo
2018	The Miracle Season	Ernie Found	Sean McNamara
	Avengers: Infinity War	Thaddeus Ross	Anthony and Joe Russo	Cameo
2019	Avengers: Endgame
	The Last Full Measure	Tom Tulley	Todd Robinson
2021	Black Widow	Thaddeus Ross	Cate Shortland
2022	The King's Daughter	Père La Chaise	Sean McNamara

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
1977	The Best of Families	James Lathrop	Miniseries
	Kojak	Jake	2 episodes
1978	Verna: USO Girl	Walter	Television movie
1989	Saturday Night Live	Himself	Episode: "Glenn Close/Gipsy Kings"
1998	Lee Marvin: A Personal Portrait by John Boorman	Himself	Documentary
2000	Frank Herbert's Dune	Leto I Atreides, DukeDuke Leto I Atreides	3 episodes
2001	The Flamingo Rising	Turner Knight	Television movie
	Varian's War	Varian Fry	Television movie Nominated for Satellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
2002	The King of Queens	Taber, Dr.Dr. Taber	Episode: "Shrink Wrap"
	Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story	Robert Hanssen	Television movie
2004	Frankenstein	Waldman, ProfessorProfessor Waldman	Television movie
2006	Nightmares & Dreamscapes	Jason Renshaw	Episode: "Battleground"
2009	Damages	Daniel Purcell	10 episodes Nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Drama Series
	Endgame	Willie Esterhuyse	Television movie Nominated for Satellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
2011	Moby Dick	Captain Ahab	2 episodes
	Too Big to Fail	Henry Paulson	Television movie Nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated for Satellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
2013	Bonnie & Clyde	Frank Hamer	2 episodes Nominated for Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
	The Challenger Disaster	Richard Feynman	Television movie
2015	Humans	George Millican	7 episodes
2016	Beowulf	Hrothgar	5 episodes
2016–21	Goliath	Donald Cooperman	14 episodes
2018–20	Condor	Bob Partridge	11 episodes
2021	Mythic Quest	Peter Cromwell	Episode: "Peter"
TBA	Pantheon	Stephen Holstrom (voice)	Filming; Posthumous release

Audiobook narration

Year	Book	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
1989	The Polar Express	Narrator	Cassette tape only
2006	The Sun Also Rises