American actor and screenwriter William Hurt, who will be remembered for his work in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Broadcast News, and The Big Chill, has died at the age of 71. In 2008, Hurt revealed he had terminal prostate cancer. According to reports, he “passed away among family” just a week before his 72nd birthday.
Will Hurt, the son of William Hurt, released a statement announcing the death:
“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, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday.
His castmates were among the first to send their condolences. Marlee Matlin, who dated Hurt for two years, remarked: “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.”
Hurt got his start in the film business playing Eddie Jessup in the 1980 film Altered States, which was directed by Ken Russell.
Prior to his Oscar-winning performance as Luis Molina in the 1985 film Kiss of the Spider Woman, he was cast in a slew of major pictures including Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983) and Gorky Park (1983). Hurt was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the television series Damages.
If his acting received accolades, Hurt’s personal life was stormy. He had a turbulent relationship with his co-star in “Children of a Lesser God,” Marlee Matlin, who later described it as abusive. In 1989, Sandra Jennings, a dancer whom he had been dating for three years, sued him for breach of promise to marry after they entered into an exclusive agreement that granted her sole control over any children they might have together. His relationships with Mary Beth Hurt and Heidi Henderson both ended in divorce.
Hurt is survived by two sons from his marriage to Ms. Henderson, Samuel and William Jr., as well as a daughter from his relationship with Sandrine Bonnaire, Jeanne Bonnaire-Hurt; two brothers, James O’Sullivan and Ken Eilers; and two granddaughters.
What I’ll remember about my father is “the pride he took in the work he did, and the pride we took — all of my siblings and I — in the work he did.” said Alexander Hurt.
“He had a pure spirit,” he added, “and that’s what we’re all going to miss the most, and the way he challenged us all.”
Rest in peace, William. You will be greatly missed!
