William Hurt Biography

William Hurt was born on March 20, 1950, in Washington, D.C., U.S.A, to Claire Isabel and Alfred McChord Hurt. His mother was employed at Time Inc., whereas his father served in the State Department. Because of his father’s job, he spent parts of his childhood in Lahore, Mogadishu and Khartoum.

He studied at Middlesex School, where he served as the vice president of the dramatic clubs and performed in several plays.

After obtaining his high school diploma in 1968, he briefly studied theology at Tufts University. However, he ultimately dropped out and began his training at the Juilliard, where he was part of the Drama Division Group 5 (1972–76).

In 1980, William Hurt had his screen debut in an episode of the CBS action crime-drama series ‘Kojak’. He portrayed Duke Leto I Atreides in the 2000 three-part science fiction TV miniseries ‘Frank Herbert's Dune’.

In 2009, Hurt worked with fellow industry veteran Glenn Close in the second season of the FX legal drama series ‘Damages’. His character, scientist Daniel Purcell, garnered him a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Drama Series as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

For his outing as Varian Fry in the 2011 telefilm ‘Varian’s War’, he was nominated for a Satellite Award for best actor.

Hurt won a Satellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for playing Henry Paulson, the real-life banker and the 74th Secretary of the Treasury, in the 2011 HBO telefilm ‘Too Big to Fall’. He was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for the telefilm.

In 2016, Hurt portrayed Hrothgar in the ITV adaptation of ‘Beowulf’ and Donald Cooperman in the first season of Amazon Prime series ‘Goliath’. 

From 2018 to 2020, William Hurt starred in the Audience Network series ‘Condor’.

In 2021, he was seen in an episode of the television series ‘Mythic Quest’.

After making his film debut in ‘Altered States’, William Hurt starred in films like ‘Eyewitness’ and ‘Gorky Park’ before he was cast as Luis Molina, a transgender woman imprisoned for having a sexual relationship with an underage boy, in Héctor Babenco’s 1985 film ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’.

His performance in the film ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor twice more for playing James Leeds in the romance drama ‘Children of a Lesser God’ (1986) and Tom Grunick in the romantic comedy-drama ‘Broadcast News’ (1987). Hurt also received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for playing Richie Cusack in ‘A History of Violence’.

William Hurt played comic-book character Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross in several Marvel Cinematic Universe films. In 2006, he co-produced the family animation film ‘The Legend of Sasquatch’.

Towards the end of his career, he was seen in films like ‘The Last Full Measure’ (2018)  and ‘The King’s Daughter' (2022)

William Hurt was twice married. From December 2, 1971, to December 9, 1982, he was married to actress Mary Beth Hurt. On March 5, 1989, he exchanged wedding vows with Heidi Henderson. They had two sons together, Samuel (born 1989) and William (born 1991). Their divorce was finalised on August 1, 1993.

He was in a relationship with a woman named Sandra Jennings between 1981 and 1984. Their son, Alexander, was born in 1983. He dated actress, author, and activist, Marlee Matlin, from 1985 to 1986.

William Hurt also had a daughter named Jeanne (born 1994) with the French actress, film director, and screenwriter Sandrine Bonnaire, whom he dated between 1992 and 1997.

In 2018, William Hurt was diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to bone.

He died of natural causes at his home in Portland, Oregon, on March 13, 2022.