Photo: GabboT / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
William Hurt was born on March 20, 1950 in Washington, D.C., United States and was credited as a film actor, voice actor and stage actor. Death is recorded on March 13, 2022, at the age of 71. Education on record includes Tufts University. Awards on record include BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (1986), Academy Award for Best Actor (1986), National Board of Review Award for Best Actor (1985) and 4 more.
My Take
William Hurt was one of those actors who made intellectual cool look effortless, and I genuinely think he's underappreciated by younger audiences who weren't around for his 1980s peak. His run in that decade was remarkable — Kiss of the Spider Woman, Broadcast News, Children of a Lesser God — all within a few years, and each performance completely different. Winning the Oscar, the BAFTA, and Cannes best actor all for the same role is a rare hat-trick that very few careers can claim. Later in life he slipped into supporting work and franchise films like the Marvel universe, and while those weren't his finest hours, you could always feel the craft underneath. He passed just days before his 72nd birthday, and I think his legacy still deserves a proper reappraisal.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- William Hurt
- Name (Japanese)
- ウィリアム・ハート
- Reading
- うぃりあむ・はーと
- Born
- March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Tiger
- Origin
- Washington, D.C., United States
- Occupation
- film actor / voice actor / stage actor / television actor / film producer
2. Background
- University
- Tufts University
Awards & achievements
- 1986 BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
- 1986 Academy Award for Best Actor
- 1985 National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
- 1985 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
- 1985 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor
- 1986 London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year
- 1986 David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was William Hurt born?
Born March 20, 1950.
When did William Hurt die?
Died March 13, 2022, aged 71.
Where was William Hurt from?
William Hurt was from Washington, D.C., United States.
What did William Hurt do?
William Hurt worked as film actor, voice actor, stage actor, television actor, film producer.
Film actor — see all → · Voice actor — see all → · More people from the United States →