Academy Award-winning actor William Hurt passes away at 71

The veteran actor, who has appeared in MCU films as well, won the Academy Award for Best Actor for 1985’s Kiss of the Spider Woman

Veteran Hollywood actor William Hurt passed away on Sunday at the age of 71. The cause of death was cited as ‘natural causes’.

In a statement acquired by Variety, the late actor’s family had stated that he had “died peacefully, among family, of natural causes.” His passing came a week before his 72nd birthday, which falls on March 20. Hurt had earlier revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018.

Born in 1950, Hurt, whose career spanned over 40 decades, was a prominent leading man in films of the 1980s. During that period, he had received three consecutive Academy Award nominations for his performances in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Children of a Lesser God (1986), and Broadcast News (1987). His performance as a gay prisoner in the former won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Hurt was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for A History of Violence (2005).

He had also acted on the small screen as well, winning Emmy Award nominations for his work on Damages and Too Big to Fail. Besides that, Hurt also acted in a number of stage productions, receiving a Tony nomination in 1985.

The actor was also a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, essaying the role of Thaddeus Ross, a role he first portrayed in The Incredible Hulk (2008). He went on to reprise his role in the films, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow.

He is survived by his children, grandchildren and brothers.

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