Oscar-winning actor William Hurt, who is known for his roles in a string of critically acclaimed 1980s films such as Body Heat, The Big Chill, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Children of a Lesser God and Broadcast News, has died at the age of 71. The actor's son, Will, made an official statement on 13 March 2022, Sunday, saying, "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." In May 2018, it was announced that Hurt had terminal prostate cancer that had already metastasized to the bones. He died from complications of the disease at his home in Portland, Oregon.
Hurt was nominated for four Academy Awards, and won Best Actor for 1985’s Kiss of the Spider Woman. Hurt played a Philadelphia mobster for his second Academy Award in David Cronenberg's A History of Violence. He appears in the film for around10 minutes, but he made a significant impact among the critics, who praised his creepy and funny character. His other major films included Altered States in 1980, Gorky Park” in 1983, The Accidental Tourist in 1988 and The Doctor” in 1991.
Among all the other performances mentioned above as well as many more, William Hurt became very well known to the younger viewers as Thaddeus Ross, a high spirited and exuberant military general, who was there to witness the day when Bruce Banner first transformed into the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to The Incredible Hulk, Hurt's character also appeared in four other Marvel films including Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow.
