RIP William Hurt

[Drunk Monk]

Mar 13, 2022 1:50pm PT
William Hurt, Oscar-Winning Actor for ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ Dies at 71

By J. Kim Murphy
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William Hurt, an acclaimed actor best known for his Oscar-winning performance in 1985’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and his work in “The Big Chill” and “Body Heat,” died Sunday of natural causes. He was 71 years old. Hurt’s death was confirmed to Variety by his friend, Gerry Byrne.
Hurt was nominated for four Oscars over the course of his long career, scoring two best actor nominations for “Broadcast News” and “Children of a Lesser God” and a supporting actor nod for less than 10 minutes of screen time in “A History of Violence.” He was one of the most heralded performers of the 1980s, becoming something of a cerebral sex symbol and a reluctant, albeit bankable, movie star. Hurt later transitioned into character roles in the 1990s and successfully alternated between big screen projects and television roles, such as his Emmy nominated turn as a whistleblower in “Damages.”
More recently, Hurt became well known to a younger generation of movie lovers with his portrayal of the no-nonesense General Thaddeus Ross in 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk.” He later reprised the role in “Captain America: Civil War” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Black Widow.”
Hurt was born March 20, 1950, in Washington, D.C. His mother, Claire Isabel, worked at Time Inc., and his father Alfred Hurt (1910–1996), was a career bureaucrat, working for the United States Agency for International Development and the State Department. His parents separated when he was 6 years old, and his mother re-married Henry Luce III, the son of Time Magazine publisher Henry Luce. 
Raised in relative privilege, Hurt went on to attend Tufts University, where he studied theology, before moving to Juilliard to study acting. After appearing on stage, Hurt secured a lead role in “Altered States,” playing a troubled scientist in Ken Russell’s off-beat film, a notable entry in the body horror genre. But a year later, Hurt achieved a new level of prominence, appearing opposite Kathleen Turner in “Body Heat,” a steamy noir that updated the kind of treachery and double-crossing seen in the likes of “The Big Sleep” and “Double Indemnity” with a bracing sexuality. It made both performers, who positively ignited on screen, into major stars. Hurt followed that with another lead role in “Gorky Park” and was part of the ensemble of “The Big Chill,” a drama about a group of friends reuniting that became a touchstone for the baby boomer generation. 
That was all a lead up to one of the most stunning periods of dominance ever enjoyed by a movie star. From 1986 to 1988, Hurt was nominated for three consecutive best actor Oscars, winning for his portrayal of a gay window dresser in “The Kiss of the Spider Woman.” Roger Ebert, writing in the Chicago Sun Times, praised Hurt’s work, crediting him with creating “…a character utterly unlike anyone else he has ever played – a frankly theatrical character, exaggerated and mannered – and yet he never seems to be reaching for effects.” His Oscar-nominated work in “Children of a Lesser God” and “Broadcast News,” playing a teacher at a school for the deaf and an affable, slightly dim-witted newsman, showcased his range. The commercial and critical success of those films rocketed Hurt to the A-list, but he didn’t seem to relish the celebrity. 
“It’s not right that my privacy is invaded to the extent that it is,” Hurt told the New York Times during a 1989 interview. “I’m a very private man, and I have the right to be. I never said that because I was an actor you can have my privacy, you can steal my soul. You can’t.”
Perhaps it was that aversion to notoriety that led Hurt to turn some major movies over the course of his career, with the actor passing on opportunities to star in the likes of “Jurassic Park” and “Misery.” It was also a time of personal trouble for the actor, one in which he struggled with drugs and alcohol. 
“I was utterly miserable and, finally, I had been miserable enough, long enough, and I said, ‘I’m finished, I can’t hack it, can’t do it,'” Hurt told the Washington Post, remembering the time before he went to rehab. 
A relationship with Marlee Matlin, his co-star in “Children of a Lesser God,” was trouble. Matlin later wrote in a memoir that Hurt was emotionally and physically abusive to her. In a statement at the time, Hurt, through a spokesperson, said: “My own recollection is that we both apologized and both did a great deal to heal our lives. Of course, I did and do apologize for any pain I caused. And I know we have both grown. I wish Marlee and her family nothing but good.”
Hurt was married to the actress Mary Beth Hurt from 1971 to 1982 and was married to Heidi Henderson from 1989 to 1991.

Altered States rocked my world.

[Drunk Monk]

March 14, 2022 1:35pm PT
Marlee Matlin, Who Accused William Hurt of Abuse, Reacts to His Death: ‘We’ve Lost a Great Actor’
By Zack Sharf
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AP
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Marlee Matlin reflected on William Hurt’s death during a brief interview with Entertainment Tonightat the Critics Choice Awards. Hurt died March 13 at 71 years old following a battle with prostate cancer. Matlin and Hurt starred opposite one another in the 1986 drama “Children of a Lesser God,” which won Matlin the Oscar for best actress. The two performers began dating when Matlin was 19 years old and Hurt was 35.
“You’re the first person to ask me about him,” Matlin told ET. “We’ve lost a really great actor and working with him on set in ‘Children of a Lesser God’ will always be something I remember very fondly. He taught me a great deal as an actor and he was one-of-a-kind.”
Matlin detailed Hurt’s alleged abuse against her in her autobiography, “I’ll Scream Later.” The actor said Hurt “threw me on the bed, started ripping off his clothes and mine” and raped her. Hurt also allegedly berated Matlin after her Oscar win, telling her, “What makes you think you deserve it? There are hundreds of actors who have worked for years for the recognition you just got handed to you. Think about that.”
Hurt issued a statement following the publication of Matlin’s memoir in which he said, “My own recollection is that we both apologized and both did a great deal to heal our lives. Of course, I did and do apologize for any pain I caused. And I know we both have grown. I wish Marlee and her family nothing but good.”
Matlin was in attendance at the Critics Choice Awards on behalf of “CODA,” which was nominated for best picture and several other awards. Matlin’s co-star Troy Kotsur won the prize for supporting actor, an honor he also collected at the BAFTA Film Awards and Independent Spirit Awards. “CODA” is nominated for three Oscars, including best picture.
Hurt’s death was confirmed to Variety by his friend, Gerry Byrne. The actor’s son, Will, said in a statement, “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.”

[thatguy]

I was looking for movies the other night and this was suggested:



Oh, the pain...the pain...

--tg