William Hurt, who won Academy Awards for his roles in “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “The Big Chill,” and “Broadcast News,” has passed away. He was 71 years old at the time.
Hurt’s buddy Gerry Byrne verified to CNN that the actor had died.
“The Hurt family mourns the departure of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar-winning actor, one week before his 72nd birthday on March 13, 2022,” the family wrote in a statement obtained by Variety. “He passed away gently, surrounded by his family, from natural causes. At this time, the family begs privacy.”
The family did not reveal the reason of death. In 2018, Hurt was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
In 1980, he made his cinematic debut as a scientist in the science fiction thriller Altered States, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best New Star of the Year. Following that, he starred in Lawrence Kasdan’s Body Heat as a lawyer who is seduced by Kathleen Turner (1981). Hurt was cast as part of the ensemble in Kasdan’s 1983 film The Big Chill. Following that, he played Arkady Renko in Gorky Park.
In the Marvel flicks “The Incredible Hulk,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame,” and “Black Widow,” he played General Thaddeus Ross.
He won an Oscar and a BAFTA Film Award for his performance as a gay prisoner in South America in the 1985 film “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”
According to IMDb, Hurt was nominated for two Emmys and six Golden Globes during his career, in addition to three more Oscar nominations. Hurt made his film debut in 1980 with Ken Russell’s “Altered States.”