How did William Hurt die? Tributes pour in as Oscar-winning actor passes away

American actor William Hurt passed away on March 13 at the age of 71. The news was confirmed by his son, Will, who said in a statement:

William Hurt’s cause of death and career

Hurt’s son, Will, stated that his father died of natural causes. However, back in May 2018, it was announced that the actor had terminal prostate cancer that had metastasized to the bone.

Despite a few reports claiming he died of complications associated with the disease, his family members are yet to comment and confirm the same.

Career in the entertainment industry

William Hurt started his career with stage productions and later appeared in films. He made his film debut with the science fiction film Altered States.

Hurt then appeared in the 1983 comedy-drama film The Big Chill and the 1988 romantic drama The Accidental Tourist. He won the Best Male Performance Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1985 drama, Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Hurt acted in films like Lost in Space and the 2005 psychological drama A History of Violence, where he had 10 minutes of screen time as mob boss Richie Cusack. He also played the role of a mysterious government operative in the 2005 political thriller Syriana.

Hurt was cast in the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s Nightmares & Dreamscapes and played the role of hitman Renshaw.

The actor gained recognition for his appearance as General Thaddeus Ross in Marvel Studios’ The Incredible Hulk. He reprised the role in four other MCU films – Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Widow.

The Washington, D.C. native was also seen in the 2007 biographical adventure drama film Into the Wild and the 2008 action-thriller Vantage Point.

Hurt was nominated at the Primetime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category in 2009 for his role in the FX series Damages. He later appeared in the 2009 independent drama film The Yellow Handkerchief and the 2011 supernatural-thriller Hellgate.

Hurt played the role of United States Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson in the HBO film Too Big to Fail in 2009. He also portrayed Captain Adam in the 2011 television adaptation of Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick.

Hurt was set to appear in the series Pantheon and films The Fence, Men of Granite, and Edward Enderby before his death.

Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Many people, including celebrities, have taken to Twitter to express their grief over William Hurt's demise:

The Bonnie & Clyde star was married to actress Mary Beth from 1971 to 1982 and Heidi Henderson from 1989 to 1991. He had four children – one with Sandra Jennings, two with Heidi, and one with Sandrine Bonnaire.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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