William Hurt 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. He played another leading role, as Arkady Renko, in Gorky Park (1983).

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. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Sources

• Haring, Bruce. "William Hurt Dies: Oscar-Winning Actor For ‘Kiss Of The Spider Woman’ Was 71." Deadline, published 13 March 2022. < link > Accessed 13 March 2022.
• "William Hurt." Wikipedia, revision of 13 March 2022. < link > Accessed 13 March 2022.
• "William Hurt, Oscar-winning 'Kiss of The Spider Woman' actor, dies at 71." KHOU-11, published 13 March 2022. < link > Accessed 13 March 2022.