Henry Ford Music Box Theatre, Los Angeles, California, United States
William Hurt and Bryce Dallas Howard during Hollywood Life's 4th Annual Breakthrough of the Year Awards at Henry Ford Music Box Theatre in Los Angeles, California, United States.
8687 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069, United States
William Hurt, Maria Bello and Kristen Stewart attend the "The Yellow Handkerchief" Los Angeles premiere at Pacific Design Center, on February 18, 2010, in West Hollywood, California.
(A Harvard scientist conducts experiments on himself with ...)
A Harvard scientist conducts experiments on himself with a hallucinatory drug and an isolation chamber, that may be causing him to regress genetically.
(Joey Boca (Kevin Kline) owns a pizza parlor and is marrie...)
Joey Boca (Kevin Kline) owns a pizza parlor and is married to Rosalie (Tracey Ullman). He's also a serial womanizer. Rosalie goes to extremes, when she finds he has been cheating.
(Two tabloid reporters, checking out a report of the Archa...)
Two tabloid reporters, checking out a report of the Archangel Michael, living with an old woman, find, that it's true. But that's not the only surprise.
(The story of what happens one day in New York City, when ...)
The story of what happens one day in New York City, when a young lawyer and a businessman share a small automobile accident on F.D.R. Drive, and their mutual road rage escalates into a feud.
(A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act o...)
A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions, that will shake his family to its very core in this action thriller.
(In twelfth century England, Robin Longstride (Russell Cro...)
In twelfth century England, Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown, that will forever alter the balance of world power.
(Told from the female perspective, the story of a couple, ...)
Told from the female perspective, the story of a couple, trying to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past, that may be too far gone.
(After the devastating events of "Avengers: Infinity War" ...)
After the devastating events of "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to reverse Thanos' actions and restore balance to the universe.
William Hurt is a well-known American actor, who transitioned from roles as a leading man to a series of distinctive character roles in the latter portion of his career. He appeared in such films, as "Body Heat" (1981), "Gorky Park" (1983), "Kiss of the Spider Woman" (1985), "Children of a Lesser God" (1986), "Broadcast News" (1987), "Syriana" (2005), "Captain America: Civil War" (2016) and "Black Widow" (2020), among others.
Background
Ethnicity:
William has English, German, Scottish and Irish roots.
William Hurt was born on March 20, 1950, in Washington, District of Columbia, United States. He is a son of Alfred McChord Hurt, who served for the State Department, and Claire Isabel (McGill) Luce, who worked at Time Inc.
As a boy, William lived in Lahore, Mogadishu and Khartoum during his father's tours of duty. When his parents divorced, Hurt's mother married Henry Luce III (a son of publisher Henry Luce and actress-writer Clare Boothe Luce) and he became William's stepfather.
Education
In his early years, William studied at the Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts. While at the school, Hurt was vice president of the Dramatics Club and was given the lead role in several school plays. In 1968, he finished the school.
Later, William enrolled at Tufts University, where he first studied Theology and then dropped it in favor of acting, entering the Juilliard School, where he studied between 1972 and 1976. It's worth mentioning, that Christopher Reeve and Robin Williams were Hurt's classmates at the school.
On May 25, 2005, William was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Tufts University.
William embarked on his career in stage productions. During the period from 1977 to 1989, he was part of acting staff at the Circle Repertory Company. Corinne Jacker's "My Life" was Hurt's debut appearance at the company, for which he received the Obie Award. Hurt then performed in "Fifth of July", "Ulysses in Traction" and "Lulu" and attained the Theatre World Award for his performances in 1978. In 1979, William assumed the role of Hamlet under the direction of Marshall W. Mason opposite Lindsay Crouse and Beatrice Straight.
Hurt made his screen debut in "Altered States" (1980), acting as an obsessed scientist, the role, that gained him wide recognition. Later, he was made a leading actor in "Body Heat" (1981), the film, in which he played a lawyer, who kills his lover's husband. Hurt then appeared in the ensemble drama "The Big Chill" (1983). In 1986, William attained an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of a gay prisoner in "Kiss of the Spider Woman" (1985).
Later, William appeared in "Children of a Lesser God" (1986) and "Broadcast News" (1987), the films, for which he received Oscar nominations for Best Actor for his roles. He also received a nod for Best Supporting Actor in "A History of Violence" (2005). Earlier, in 2002's "Tuck Everlasting", the actor appeared as Angus Tuck.
In 2005's "Syriana", directed by Stephen Gaghan, William appeared as a mysterious government operative. The following year, in 2006, he acted in the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's "Nightmares and Dreamscapes", in a piece, entitled "Battleground" (also notable for its complete lack of dialogue). In 2007, Hurt performed in "Into the Wild", directed by Sean Penn. In "Mr. Brooks" (2007), William played Mr. Brooks's alter ego.
In 2008's "The Incredible Hulk", alongside Edward Norton, Liv Tyler and Tim Roth, Hurt assumed the role of the Hulk character General "Thunderbolt" Ross. William reprised the role in "Captain America: Civil War" (2016), "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) and "Avengers: Endgame" (2019).
In the 2008 action-thriller "Vantage Point", directed by Pete Travis, William assumed the role of President Henry Ashton. In 2009, Hurt began acting as a corporate whistleblower in "Damages" television series and attained a 2009 Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role.
In 2011, William appeared in "Hellgate", acting alongside Cary Elwes and Paula Taylor. Moreover, in 2011's film "Too Big to Fail", he acted as the United States Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson. It's also worth mentioning, that William performed as Captain Ahab in the 2011's television adaptation of Herman Melville's novel "Moby-Dick".
In 2018, William was granted the lead role as Joshua Mansky, which he would perform in "The Coldest Game" (2019). However, he suffered an accident, while returning from the film set to his apartment, and was replaced by Bill Pullman.
William Hurt is a well-known screen and stage actor. Hurt was particularly popular in the 1980's for his ability to masterfully personate psychologically complex characters of a very wide range. He is best known for his roles in such films, as "Altered States" (1980), "Body Heat" (1981), "Gorky Park" (1983), "Kiss of the Spider Woman" (1985), "Broadcast News" (1987), "A History of Violence" (2005), "Syriana" (2005), "The Good Shepherd" (2006), "The Incredible Hulk" (2008), "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) and others.
During his career, William attained a number of prestigious awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, the BAFTA Film Award for Best Actor, the Berlin International Film Festival's Silver Berlin Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution, the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actor, the Spencer Tracy Award for outstanding screen performances, among others.
Besides, Hurt was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role two different times in 1987 and 1988 (apart from receiving the award in the same category in 1986) and was also nominated for the same award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in 2006. Other notable awards William was nominated for include the Golden Globe Award, the Primetime Emmy Award, the Gold Derby Award, the Satellite Award and others.
(A gay man and a political prisoner are together in a pris...)
1985
Views
Quotations:
"Being a father, being a friend, those are the things, that make me feel successful."
"Heroes to me are guys, that sit in libraries. They absorb knowledge and then the risks they take are calculated on the basis of the courage it took to become replete with knowledge."
"The perfection in theater is that it's over the second it's done."
"All I know is that my best work has come out of being committed and happy."
"The greatest single human gift is the ability to chase down our dreams."
"I know what I love about acting - and it's the creative process."
Personality
William is fluent in French and owns a home outside Paris. Also, Hurt is a private pilot and owner of a Beechcraft Bonanza.
Also, Hurt is a big fan of the comic book character - the Incredible Hulk.
Connections
William was married twice. In 1971, he wed Mary Beth Hurt. In the 1980's, the actor was involved in a lawsuit with Sandra Jennings, who alleged, that they had a common-law marriage. While Hurt was still married to Mary Beth, he began a romantic relationship with and Jennings, namely in 1981. It was in 1982, that Jennings got pregnant and Hurt divorced Mary Beth Hurt. The same year, Sandra and William left for South Carolina, a state, that recognized common-law marriages. The tow never married and separated in 1984.
In 1985-1986, William dated Marlee Matlin, with whom he also lived together. In 1989, he married Heidi Henderson. Their marriage produced two children. In 1992, the couple divorced.
During the period from 1992 to 1997, Hurt had a relationship with Sandrine Bonnaire, with whom he has one child.
Father:
Alfred McChord Hurt
Alfred McChord Hurt served for the United States Department of State.
Mother:
Claire Isabel (McGill) Luce
Claire Isabel (McGill) Luce was an accomplished businesswoman and philanthropist, who embodied the adventurous spirit of the West and spent her life, traveling the world. Best known as the wife of Time Magazine publisher Henry Luce III (son of Time Inc. founder Henry Luce, Jr.), she worked for Time Inc. and was the director of the China Institute of America.
child:
Jeanne Bonnaire-Hurt
Jeanne Bonnaire-Hurt is a daughter of William Hurt and Sandrine Bonnaire.
child:
Alexander Devon Hurt
Alexander Devon Hurt is a son of William Hurt and Sandra Jennings.
child:
Samuel Hurt
Samuel Hurt is a son of William Hurt and Heidi Henderson.
child:
William Hurt Jr.
William Hurt Jr. is a son of William Hurt and Heidi Henderson.
ex-wife:
Heidi Henderson
stepfather:
Henry Luce III
Henry Luce III, a son of publisher Henry Luce and actress-writer Clare Boothe Luce, was a publisher of Time and philanthropist.
stepgrandfather:
Henry Luce
Henry Luce was a journalist and publisher, who founded the world famous magazines, such as Time, Fortune and Life, among others.
stepgrandmother:
Clare Boothe Luce
Clare Boothe Luce was an author, actress, politician, United States Ambassador and public conservative figure. She was the first American woman, appointed to a major ambassadorial post abroad. A versatile author, she gained prominence for her 1936 play "The Women", which had an all-female cast.
ex-wife:
Mary Beth Hurt
Mary Beth Hurt is an actress of stage and screen.
Partner:
Sandra Jennings
Partner:
Marlee Matlin
Marlee Matlin is an actress, author and activist.
Partner:
Sandrine Bonnaire
Sandrine Bonnaire is an actress, film director and screenwriter, who has appeared in more, than 40 films.
Steven Spielberg is a prominent American filmmaker, motion-picture director, film editor, producer and screenwriter.
References
William Hurt: the Man, the Actor
This book, written by Toby Goldstein, profiles the highly acclaimed actor and traces his career in television, on film and on Broadway.
