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Kiss of the Spider Woman star William Hurt has died at the age of 71.
Hurt’s son Will confirmed the actor’s death in a statement: “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.”
Hurt was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 2018.
Hurt was born on March 20, 1950 in Washington, D.C. He attended Juilliard School and was classmates with Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve. He made his professional stage debut in 1977, and he first appeared in film in the 1980 science fiction body horror film Altered States, which also featured a young Drew Barrymore.
In 1982, Hurt cemented his stardom with the neo-noir thriller Body Heat directed by Lawrence Kasdan with co-star Kathleen Turner and the 1983 ensemble dramedy The Big Chill by the same director.
Hurt won Best Actor in 1985 with Kiss of the Spider Woman and was nominated twice for the same award for Children of a Lesser God (1986) and Broadcast News (1987).
Hurt was in a relationship with Children of a Lesser God co-star Marlee Matlin, the details of which were revealed in the latter’s 2009 autobiography I’ll Scream Later. In the autobiography, Matlin claimed that their relationship involved drugs and physical abuse by Hurt.
Hurt released the following statement as a response:
“My own recollection is that we both apologized and both did a great deal to heal our lives. Of course, I did and do apologize for any pain I caused. And I know we have both grown. I wish Marlee and her family nothing but good.”
Hurt received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for A History of Violence in 2005. This became his final nomination. Still, Hurt continued to act in film, on stage, and in television, even reuniting with The Big Chill co-star Glenn Close in 2009 on the FX drama Damages. He went on to receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor.
Hurt is also known for his role of Secretary of State Thadeus Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, and Black Widow, which was Hurt’s final performance.
