Tributes have poured in for Oscar-winning actor William Hurt, who passed away on Sunday aged 71.
His death was confirmed by his friend, Gerry Byrne, to Variety on Monday morning AEST/NZST.
“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,” Hurt’s son Will said in a statement obtained by entertainment website Deadline.
“He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.”
The actor was best known for his role in 1958’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, which he won the Oscar for, as well as his performances in Broadcast News, The Big Chill, and Body Heat.
He was even recognised for his supporting actor role in A History of Violence, despite only appearing on-screen for less than 10 minutes.
Rest In Peace to an amazing talent William Hurt, beloved Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in our Marvel Cinematic Universe. pic.twitter.com/jH1JegmqEP
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) March 14, 2022
Younger audiences also came to know Hurt due to his recurring role as General Thaddeus Ross in the Avengers franchise and several other Marvel movies, including The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War and Black Widow.
Many took to social media to pay tribute to Hurt, including actors who worked alongside him, friends, and other stars who crossed paths with him.
“So shocked and sad to hear of the passing of this extraordinary talent. I recently worked briefly with Bill on Goliath,” actor Robert Patrick shared.
“It was a wonderful afternoon filled with great stories. RIP William Hurt.”
“Saddened to hear of the passing of actor William Hurt,” Star Trek actor George Takei tweeted.
“He broke the mould in his Oscar-winning role in Kiss of the Spider Woman, broke smiles in Broadcast News, and broke our hearts in The Accidental Tourist. A great loss to the world. Rest among the stars now, good sir.”
“Very sorry to hear about the passing of William Hurt. He was a fine actor, an Academy Award winner. He also did a classic reading of my story ‘Low Men in Yellow Coats’, from HEARTS IN ATLANTIS. I loved hitchhiking on his immense talent,” author Stephen King wrote.
Topher Grace, who worked alongside Hurt on the 2011 film Too Big To Fail, said Hurt was someone he admired “so much”.
Grateful that I had the opportunity to work with William Hurt. I admired his acting so much and watching his commitment in person was remarkable. My thoughts are with his family. pic.twitter.com/faDLANuq2E
— Topher Grace (@TopherGrace) March 13, 2022
“Grateful that I had the opportunity to work with William Hurt. I admired his acting so much and watching his commitment in person was remarkable. My thoughts are with his family,” Grace shared, alongside a photo of the pair.
Russell Crowe also paid tribute, sharing a sweet moment from his time working with Hurt on Robin Hood.
“On Robin Hood, I was aware of his reputation for asking character based questions, so I had compiled a file on the life of William Marshall (Hurt’s character),” Crowe wrote.
“He sought me out when he arrived on set. I handed him the stack. Not sure if I’ve ever seen a bigger smile. RIP.”
God Bless William Hurt.
There's no way to overstate how he dominated film acting in the 1980s. I had pics of him all over my wall as a teenager.
He got an Oscar nom in "A History of Violence" for 8 minutes of screen time.
He used to call me "Birdsong" in emails.
Thank you, Bill. pic.twitter.com/psMRUo499E— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) March 13, 2022
Comedian and actor John Fugelsang shared the nickname Hurt had for him in emails and paid tribute to his influence in the acting world in the 1980s.
“There’s no way to overstate how he dominated film acting in the 1980s. I had pics of him all over my wall as a teenager,” Fugelsang wrote.
“He got an Oscar nom in A History of Violence for 8 minutes of screen time.
“He used to call me ‘Birdsong’ in emails.
“Thank you, Bill.”
Image: Getty Images
This article first appeared on OverSixty.