William Hurt

William Hurt (born March 20, 1950) is an Academy Award-winning American actor.

Early life

Born in Washington, D.C., Hurt is the stepson of Henry Luce III (the son of the founder of Time Magazine). Hurt graduated from Middlesex School in 1968 where he was the Vice President of the Dramatics Club and had the lead role in several of the school plays. His high school yearbook predicted, "With characteristics such as these, you might even see him on Broadway." Hurt attended Tufts University and studied theology, but turned instead to acting and joined the Juilliard Drama School.

Career

Hurt appeared first on stage, only later turning to film. He received the Academy Award for Best Actor for Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1985. He received three additional nominations, one for Children of a Lesser God (1986), one for Broadcast News (1987) and one for A History Of Violence (2005).

Often cast as intellectuals, Hurt has put this to good use in many films like Lost in Space and The Big Chill, but he's also effective in other kinds of roles like I Love You to Death, and David Cronenberg's psychological drama A History of Violence (2005). With only 15 minutes of screen time as creepy mob boss Richie Cusack in A History of Violence, Hurt gave one of the most memorable performances of his career, and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. That same year, Hurt could be seen as a mysterious government operative in Stephen Gaghan's ensemble drama about the politics of "Big Oil," Syriana.

Hurt will next be seen in the mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes, in Battleground", as a hitman who receives a package from the widow of a toymaker he killed, unaware of what's waiting inside for him.

Private life

Fluent in French, Hurt maintains a home outside Paris. He has a daughter with actress Sandrine Bonnaire and a son with Sandra Jennings. He was previously married to Mary Beth Hurt from 1971 to 1982 and lived with Marlee Matlin for a period in 1986. Hurt has two sons from his 1989-92 marriage to Heidi Henderson.

Select Filmography

The Legend of Sasquatch, 2006 - John Davis (Voice)
Syriana, 2005 - Stan Goff
A History of Violence, 2005 - Richie Cusack
The King, 2005 - David
The Village, 2004 - Edward Walker
Dune (Sci-Fi Channel miniseries), 2003 - Duke Leto Atreides
A.I. Artificial Intelligence, 2001 - Professor Allen Hobby
Dark City, 1998 - Inspector Frank Bumstead
Lost in Space, 1998 - Professor John Robinson
Jane Eyre, 1996 - Rochester
Smoke, 1995 - Paul Benjamin
The Doctor, 1991 - Dr. Jack MacKee
Alice, 1990 - Doug Tate
I Love You to Death, 1990 - Harlan James
The Accidental Tourist, 1988 - Macon Leary
Broadcast News 1987 - Tom Grunick
Children of a Lesser God, 1986 - James Leeds
Kiss of the Spider Woman, 1985 - Luis Alberto Molina
Gorky Park, 1983 - Arkady Renko
The Big Chill, 1983 - Nick
Body Heat, 1981 Ned Racine
Eyewitness, 1981 - Daryll Deever
Altered States, 1980 - Professor Edward Jessup

External link

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Early life

Career

Private life

Select Filmography

External link