William Hurt, Oscar-Winning Star of ‘Broadcast News,’ Dies at 71

William Hurt, who won an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in 1985's 'Kiss of the Spider Woman,' has died, one week before his 72nd birthday.

William Hurt arrives for photos at movie premiere.
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William Hurt arrives for The Premiere Of Marvel's "Captain America: Civil War."

William Hurt arrives for photos at movie premiere.

William Hurt, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in 1985’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, has died at the age of 71. 

His son Will shared the news of his passing om Sunday. “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 said, per Deadline. “He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.” 

After winning the Oscar for Best Actor in 1985, Hurt was nominated in the same category the following two consecutive years for Children of a Lesser God and Broadcast News. He received his first Tony Award nomination for the Broadway play Hurlyburly the same year as his Academy Award win. Hurt made his feature film debut in 1980 in the film Altered States and received a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year. 

Hurt spent the last few years of his career reprising his role as Thaddeus Ross in MCU films like Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and most recently, Black Widow

Hurt had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. In 2018, he became an outspoken supporter of a new, alternate form of cancer therapy known as Side Effect-Free (SEF) Chemotherapy. This method promised to give patients a chance at being cancer-free without the traditional side effects related to chemotherapy.

Following news of his death, many of his colleagues took to social media to remember the late actor. 

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