William Hurt–an Oscar winner for 1985’s Kiss of the Spider Woman–passed away this last weekend at the age of 71.
Hurt’s son Will took to social media to announce the sad news, according to a report on Deadline. Hurt reportedly suffered from terminal prostate cancer that had spread to the bone.
“It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt–beloved father and Oscar-winning actor–on March 13, one week before his 72nd birthday,” his son wrote. “He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes.”
A theology student at Tufts University, the acting bug bit Hurt early in life, and he joined the Juilliard School’s drama division. His debut film role was as a scientist in 1980’s horror/science fiction thriller Altered States, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.
Hurt’s other genre films included The 4th Floor (1999), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), The Village (2004), A History of Violence (2005) and Hellgate (2011).
During his long, distinguished career, Hurt worked with such genre directors as David Cronenberg, Steven Spielberg, M. Night Shyamalan, Ridley Scott and Anthony and Joe Russo.
Hurt scored three consecutive Best Actor Academy Award nominations in the 1980s–for Kiss of the Spider Woman (for which he took home the coveted statuette), Children of a Lesser God and Broadcast News. He also garnered two Emmy Award nominations and a Tony Award nom.
More recently, Hurt was a key part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in his role as Gen. Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, appearing in The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, two Avengers films and Black Widow.
Hurt is survived by four children. Memorial details were not announced.
The staff of Horror News Network extends its sincere condolences to Hurt’s family, friends and colleagues.
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