William Hurt died on Sunday, March 13. The Oscar winner was 71.
Hurt’s death was confirmed by his son, Will Hurt, who also announced the cause of death. “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 actor’s son, 31, shared on Sunday, according to Deadline. “The family requests privacy at this time.”
Hurt shared son Will as well as son Samuel, 32, with Heidi Henderson. He is also survived by son Alexander, 39, who the Washington, D.C. native shared with Sandra Jennings as well as daughter Jeanne, 28, whose mother is Sandrine Bonnaire.
After attending Tufts University and transferring to Juilliard to study acting, Hurt scored roles on stage and screen. The Body Heat star was a three-time Academy Award nominee for best actor, and the nods came in three consecutive years. He won the statue for 1985’s Kiss of the Spider Woman and enjoyed nominations for 1986’s Children of a Lesser God and 1987’s Broadcast News.
The Big Chill performer certainly didn’t slow down his acting career in later years. He played the patriarch of an immortal family in 2002’s Tuck Everlasting and he portrayed scientist Daniel Purcell in FX’s hit series Damages. He starred in Amazon’s Goliath, which ended last year, and appeared in the January 2022 movie The King’s Daughter.
The thespian also starred in some the highest-grossing movies of all time with his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He portrayed General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, a key player in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Ross returned as the new Secretary of State in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. He appeared in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame before his final appearance in last year’s Black Widow.
Several of Hurt’s colleagues took to Twitter to share tribues to the actor. Albert Brooks wrote, “R.I.P. William Hurt. So sad to hear this news. Working with him on Broadcast News was amazing. He will be greatly missed.”
“Rip #WilliamHurt,” Jennifer Tilly wrote via Twitter alongside a poster for the movie Do Not Disturb. “We worked together on this film that shot in Amsterdam. So sad he is no longer with us. He was a brilliant actor.”
The Village director M. Night Shyamalan tweeted, “I’m so sad to hear of the passing of William Hurt. I had the privilege of directing him in The Village. He was a master of his acting craft. Every take was new and revealing.”
“Wow, another Major loss to the acting community,” Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the MCU, shared in a tweet. “Great actor. Great mind. RIP.”
