William Hurt, Oscar winner and star of Broadcast News and Children of a Lesser God, has died, our sister site Deadline reports. He was 71.
“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,” his son Will said in a statement Sunday. “He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.”
Hurt was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, which later spread to the bone.
Years after starring opposite Kathleen Turner in the steamy thriller Body Heat, Hurt in 1986 won the Oscar for Best Actor, for his portrayal of Luis Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman. He was nominated three other times for the films A History of Violence, Children of a Lesser God and Broadcast News.
Later in his career, he transitioned to a variety of character roles including performances in The Village, Syriana, Into the Wild and Robin Hood. In 2008, the actor joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thaddeus Ross, appearing in The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow.
On the TV side of things, Hurt was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2009 for his role of Daniel Purcell in the FX/Audience Network legal drama Damages. He also played Donald Cooperman in Prime Video’s Goliath, in which he appeared in 14 episodes alongside Billy Bob Thornton.
He was also nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Emmy for Too Big to Fail in 2011. His other TV credits include Condor, Beowulf and most recently, a guest spot on Mythic Quest.
