Oscar-winning actor William Hurt has died at the age of 71. Hurt’s son Will made the announcement today saying:

“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.”

Hurt’s career spanned over four decades, and he was nominated for three Best Actor Oscars in three consecutive years in the mid-1980s. These films were Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1985, Children of a Lesser God in 1986, and Broadcast News in 1987. He would win the first time around for Kiss of the Spider Woman. Hurt also earned his fourth Oscar nomination for his supporting role in David Cronenberg’s 2005 crime thriller A History of Violence.

The actor made his feature film debut in the science fiction thriller Altered State which he would go on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for in the category of New Star of the Year. He went on to star in other films like Body Heat, Gorky Park, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Village, Syriana, The Good Shepherd, Mr. Brooks, Into the Wild, and Robin Hood. Hurt was also a prominent stage actor throughout the 80s appearing in many off-Broadway productions and the actor would receive his first Tony Award nomination in 1985 for the Broadway production of Hurlyburly. The star’s last two film appearances were in last year’s Black Widow opposite Scarlet Johansson and last month’s The King’s Daughter opposite of Pierce Brosnan.

However, this generation of moviegoers would know the actor for his work as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He would play the character five times in 2008s The Incredible Hulk, 2016s Captain America: Civil War, 2018s Avengers: Infinity War, 2019s Avengers: Endgame, and last year’s Black Widow. The actor also appeared as the character in the Marvel One-Shot The Consultant and his version of Ross appears in the first season of Marvel’s What If…? animated series although he is not voiced by Hurt. Ross, who is mainly a Hulk villain, has been a crucial character in the recent MCU films being part of the Sokovia Accords that broke up The Avengers in Civil War and started the ripple effect that would lead to half the Earth’s population being wiped out in the last two Avengers films.

This is a sad day for the entertainment industry, but it is at least nice to hear that Hurt was with his family at the time and that he died peacefully. Hurt has been a part of so many great films over the years that spanned a wide range of genres and his amazing legacy will live on through all his various projects. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this difficult time.

via Collider