MOVIE NEWS – William Hurt died peacefully surrounded by his family a week before his 72nd birthday.

Sad news to start the day: Oscar-winning actor and Marvel Cinematic Universe regular William Hurt has died of natural causes at the age of 71. Hurt, who made his debut in 1980’s Altered States, appeared in more than 70 motion pictures during his career, most recently in The King’s Daugther in January this year. In recent years, he has been best known for his role as Thaddeus Ross in the MCU, first appearing as the character in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and then making his last on-screen appearance in last year’s Black Widow. In tribute to his memory, it has been announced that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will include a dubbed clip dedicated to his memory.

The news of the actor’s death was announced by his son, who shared the following post on social media: “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 died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.”

After studying at the Juilliard School, Hurt made his stage debut in the late 1970s, appearing in productions such as The Fifth of July, Hamlet and Ulysses in Traction before making his film debut. Following his role in Altered States, the actor played a lawyer in Body Heat, seduced by the character of Kathleen Turner; he then starred in the crime thriller Gorky Park. A few years later, Hurt really came into his own: he was nominated for three consecutive Best Actor Oscars for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Children of a Lesser God and Broadcast News. He finally won the award for 1985’s Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Throughout his career, William Hurt has been a regular on-screen, appearing in a new film almost every year since his debut in 1980. He has spent most of his time in film dramas but has also appeared in such genre films as Steven Spielberg’s classic A.I. Artificial Intelligence and M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, and Stephenie Meyer’s film adaptation of The Host.

In 2008, Hurt played the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in The Incredible Hulk, anchoring the film to the MCU as the only actor to reprise the role, save for the recent return of Tim Roth as Abomination. As Ross, Hurt has appeared in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as Endgame; and last year’s Black Widow. There were rumours that Ross would also appear in future MCU projects related to the Hulk, but sadly these plans are now dead in the water.

As news of his death was announced, fans and celebrities, including current MCU Hulk Mark Ruffalo, shared their thoughts and condolences. Requiescat in pace, William Hurt!

Source: Variety

Wow, another Major loss to the acting community. Great actor. Great mind. RIP https://t.co/aKu8NWLgaz

— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) March 13, 2022