William Hurt dead at 71 – Kiss of the Spider Woman and & Body Heat Oscar-winning actor cause of death revealed

OSCAR-winning actor and Marvel star William Hurt has died at age 71, his son said.

The acting legend best known for the 1985 film Kiss Of The Spider Woman passed away Sunday at his home in Oregon, according to a statement by his son Will.

In 2018, it was announced that Hurt had terminal prostate cancer that had spread to the bone.

However, at the time he credited an alternative form of chemotherapy with saving his life.

He died one week before his 72nd birthday.

“It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor,” Will wrote.

“He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes.”

The esteemed actor was nominated for three consecutive Best Actor Academy Awards in the mid-1980s, winning in 1986.

His films included Children of a Lesser God, Broadcast News and Kiss of the Spider Woman – for which he won his Oscar after playing a gay man who shared a cell with a political prisoner in Brazil.

Hurt studied acting at the Juilliard School with classmates Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve before starring in 1980 feature film Altered States, which won him a Golden Globe nomination for Best New Star.

Throughout his four-decade career, the four-time Oscar nominee starred in blockbuster films and Shakespeare plays alike.

He played General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in five Marvel Cinematic Universe films, most recently in Black Widow.

And in 2005 he was nominated for an Oscar for a fourth time, for his supporting role in A History of Violence.

Hurt was known for being a serious actor with integrity. He worked with directors like Steven Spielberg, M. Night Shyamalan, and David Cronenberg.

Fellow actors described the death as a “major loss” and shared personal experiences of working with Hurt.

Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo wrote it was “another Major loss to the acting community. Great actor. Great mind”, while fellow Marvel alumni Kat Dennings tweeted: “Ughggghhh I love William Hurt WHY.”

Hurt’s fellow best actor Oscar-winner Russell Crowe reflected on his experience starring as the titular hero in Sir Ridley Scott’s 2010 film Robin Hood alongside Hurt.

“On Robin Hood, I was aware of his reputation for asking character based questions, so I had compiled a file on the life of (Hurt’s character) William Marshall,” Crowe tweeted.

“He sought me out when he arrived on set. I handed him the stack. Not sure if I’ve ever seen a bigger smile. RIP.”

Albert Brooks, who appeared alongside him in Broadcast News, wrote: “RIP William Hurt. So sad to hear this news.

“Working with him on Broadcast News was amazing. He will be greatly missed.”

Ben Stiller said he hoped Hurt, who befriended Stiller’s father Jerry in 1984 when the pair starred together in the original Broadway production of David Rabe’s Hurlyburly, was “having a laugh somewhere now” with Stiller’s deceased parents Jerry and Anne Meara.

“He was so kind to my sister and I. He spent time at our apartment, and came to visit my parents up in Nantucket. He would talk to us about acting, and the crest or process. He talked to us as if we were adults, not kids of his friend. He made a huge impact on both of us,” Stiller tweeted.

Hurt leaves behind four children, Jeanne, Samuel, Alexander, and William Jr.