William Hurt, Academy Award-Winning Actor, Dies at 71

William Hurt, the Academy Award-winning actor best known for his performances in Broadcast News, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Big Chill and more, has died. He was 71.

Hurt's death was confirmed by his son, Will. In a joint statement shared by Rolling Stone, Hurt's family said, "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."

Hurt, who has worked steadily as an actor since 1977, had a career filled with many notable credits, including winning the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as Luis Molina in 1985's Kiss of the Spider Woman. His other credits throughout the '80s included 1981's Body Heat, 1983's The Big Chill and 1987's Broadcast News.

Hurt's other credits included 1998's Lost in Space, 2001's A.I. Artificial Intelligence, 2002's Tuck Everlasting and 2005's A History of Violence, for which he'd earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.

While best known for his film work, Hurt would later work in television appearing on FX's Damages, AMC's Humans, ITV's Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, DirecTV's Condor and Amazon's Goliath.

Hurt also had a recurring role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross appearing in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, 2016's Captain America: Civil War, 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, 2019's Avengers: Endgame and 2021’s Black Widow.