Oscar Profile #341: William Hurt

Born March 20, 1950 in Washington, D.C. William Hurt’s mother Claire worked for Time, Inc. and his father Alfred worked for the State Dept. After their divorce, his mother married Henry Luce II and young William lived abroad in Lahore, Mogadishu and Khartoum where he father was stationed.

Educated at Tufts University and Julliard, Hurt began his career on the stage in the 1970s. On TV late in the decade, he made his film debut as the star of Ken Russell’s 1980 film, Altered States opposite Blair Brown. He then starred in Peter Yates’ 1981 film, Eyewitness with Sigourney Weaver, Christopher Plummer and James Woods. His next film, that same year, Lawrence Kasdan’s Body Heat opposite Kathleen Turner made him a star.

In December 1981, Hurt starred opposite Sally Field in a live TV broadcast of All the Way Home directed by Delbert Mann. He returned to the screen as part of the ensemble in Kasdan’s 1983 film, The Big Chill in which his co-stars included Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Jeff Goldblum, JoBeth Williams, Tom Berenger and Meg Tilly. The film was a Best Picture Oscar nominee.

Hurt received a Tony nomination for 1984’s Hurlyburly, his first and last Broadway role to date. From 1985 through 1988, he was in four films that received Oscar nominations for Best Picture and was himself nominated for four of them, winning for the first, Hector Babenco’s 1985 film, Kiss of the Spider Woman opposite Raul Julia and Sonia Braga. His co-star in Randa Haines’1986 film, Children of a Lesser God, Marlee Matlin, won Best Actress. His co-stars in James L. Brooks’ 1987 film, Broadcast News, Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks, were also nominated for their performances. The only performer nominated for 1988’s The Accidental Tourist, Geena Davis, took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Still in demand, Hurt did not receive another Oscar nomination until David Cronenberg’s 2005 film, A History of Violence. In the interim he starred in such films as Woody Allen’s Alice opposite Mia farrow, Randa Haines’ The Doctor opposite Christine Lahti, Anthony Mighella’s Mr. Wonderful opposite Matt Dillon, Carl Franklin’s One True Thing and Jay Russell’s Tuck Everlasting opposite Sissy Spacek.

His films after A History of Violence include Stephen Gaghan’s Syriana, Robert De Niro’s The Good Shepherd, Bruce A. Evans’ Mr. Brooks, Sean Penn’s Into the Wild and Anthony and Joe Russo’s Captain America: Civil War as well as the current TV series, Goliath.

Hurt has been married twice and has four children from three different relationships. His first wife (1971-1982) was actress Mary Beth Hurt. His second wife (1989-1992) was Heidi Henderson, daughter of bandleader Skitch Henderson. The 67-year-old actor has six films in various stages of production.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (1985), directed by Hector Babenco

Based on Manuel Puig’s acclaimed novel, Kiss of the Spider Woman is a complex story about an imprisoned gay window dresser (Hurt) promised early parole by the Argentine police if can obtain information for them from his political prisoner cellmate (Raul Julia). He passes the time by providing accounts of films he has seen, at present a Nazi propaganda film in which he emphasizes the romantic angles while ignoring the propaganda. Hurt and Julia are both brilliant in their roles and Hurt rightfully said half his Oscar belonged to Julia. It was presented by Sally Field with whom Hurt had done a live TV broadcast of All the Way Home.

CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD (1986), directed by Randa Haines

John Rubinstein and Phyllis Frelich won Tonys for the Broadway version of Mark Medoff’s Tony award-winning play, an emotional tour-de-force. With that pedigree, it was a foregone conclusion that Hurt and Marlee Matlin would be Oscar nominated for their portrayals of the new speech teacher at a school for the deaf and the school janitor who was once a pupil at the school. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, Screenplay by Medoff and Hesper Anderson and Best Supporting Actress, a remarkable Piper Laurie as Matlin’s loving but frustrated mother. Matlin, who was in a relationship with Hurt at the time, won.

BROADCAST NEWS (1987), directed by James L. Brooks

Brooks, who had been responsible for TV’s The Mary Tyler More Show, the legendary comedy series about a Minneapolis TV station, produced and directed this hilarious send-up of network TV with William Hurt as the handsome news reader who gets the job the job as lead news anchor that the more talented Albert Brooks is not photogenic enough for. The heretofore little known Holly Hunter became a major star as their producer, a role she inherited when a pregnant Debra Winger had to drop out. The film was nominated for seven Oscars including two for Brooks and one for each of his three stars.

THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (1988), directed by Lawrence Kasdan

Based on Anne Tyler’s novel, this was the third collaboration between Hurt and Kasdan who previously directed him in Body Heat and The Big Chill. With an emphasis on light drama and lively romance, this was a winner all the way with Hurt playing an emotionally distant writer and his Body Heat co-star Kathleen Turner playing the estranged wife who wants him back. Standing in her way is the quirky dog trainer Hurt has fallen in love with during her absence. She’s played by a totally winning Geena Davis in a role that won her an Oscar. This was Hurt’s fifth Oscar nominated film of the decade.

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005), directed by David Cronenberg

Viggo Mortensen, in films for two decades, became a major star with his stunning portrayal of a quiet man whose selfless heroic local act becomes national news, threatening his privacy. Both Mortensen and Maria Bello as his wife give career high performances, with Ed Harris as a vicious thug and Hurt as the leader of an Irish crime family filling the major supporting roles. After a long dry spell, Hurt reemerged as an Oscar nominee with his scene-stealing performance in Cronenberg’s masterly film in which all is not as it seems. Surprisingly, neither Mortensen nor Bello were nominated for their amazing work.