American actor William Hurt, known for his roles in popular films like Friends first (The Big Chill) died on Sunday March 13 at the age of 71.
“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, a week before his 72nd birthday.and birthday “writes his son Will in a press release published by several media. “He died peacefully, with his family, of natural causes”he continues.
In May 2018, the actor was diagnosed with prostate cancer at an incurable stage. His son, however, did not specify whether it was this disease that took him away.
William Hurt built his reputation on portraying eccentric and unusual characters, like a Russian policeman in Gorky Park (1983), A Wealthy and Distant Husband in Alice by Woody Allen (1990), and a man with plans to build a machine that would benefit the blind in Till the end of the world (Until the End of the World) (1991).
“The Oscar isolated me”
His first film role was as an obsessed scientist in the movie Beyond reality (Altered States) by Ken Russell (1980). The 1980s were particularly marked by his torrid interpretation alongside Kathleen Turner in body fever (Body Heat), his sensitive performance in The Children of Silence (Children of a Lesser God) and especially the Oscar for best actor won in 1985 for the role of a gay prisoner in Kiss of the Spider Woman (Kiss of the Spider-Woman).
“The Oscar isolated me”he lamented Telegram in 2004. “It was the opposite of what I wanted. I didn’t want a sign on me saying “He won the Oscar, this is for him”. I wanted to be an actor, so it disturbed me a lot. And sometimes I still am. »
The pace of his career never really slowed down. He notably appeared towards the end of his career in several Marvel films, as well as in episodes of the television series Damages and Goliath.
Despite his growing notoriety, William Hurt said he did not recognize himself in the Hollywood lifestyle. “I’m not comfortable with all of this. I’m not comfortable walking the red carpet in a tuxedo, and seeing all the women with their boobs up and all the men dressed as penguins.”he explained in an interview.
His private life, however, was very Hollywood. He had married then-newbie actress Mary Beth Supinger and followed her to London, but divorced when they returned to New York. He had a child with ballet dancer Sandra Jennings, two more from another marriage, and a daughter, Jeanne, with French actress Sandrine Bonnaire whom he met on the set of the film. Plague (1992).