RIP William Hurt

News has broken that American actor William Hurt has passed away at the age of 71.

Hurt was born in Washington, D.C. and developed a taste for acting in school. A studious and varied actor, Hurt is best-known for his appearances in films like Altered States, Body Heat and Gorky Park, which made him a much-in-demand actor in the 1980s. He had three consecutive Best Actor Oscar nominations (and one win) between 1985 and 1987, and worked widely on screen and on stage. However, he did experience some controversy when his Children of a Lesser God co-star and then-girlfriend Marlee Matlin accused him of sexual assault and bullying. Another former partner also accused him of abuse running from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. He later apologised for his behaviour, blaming it on drug use.

In the 2000s he experienced a career resurgence through films like A History of Violence, A.I., Syriana and The Village. Also in 2000, Hurt played the role of Duke Leto Atreides in the SyFy mini-series version of Dune, a role previously played by Jurgen Prochnow (in David Lynch's 1984 feature film) and recently reprised by Oscar Isaac in the 2021 Denis Villeneuve movie.

In 2008, Hurt was an unlikely addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he played General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, debuting in The Incredible Hulk. He reprised the character in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow.

One of Hurt's last roles was playing fictional science fiction writer Peter Cromwell in Peter, one of the most highly-acclaimed episodes of Apple TV's Mythic Quest.

He passed away on 13 March 2022 from complications arising from prostate cancer.