William Hurt, best known for his versatile work on Kiss of the Spider-Woman and Broadcast News, has passed away at the age of 71.

The Oscar and BAFTA-winning actor died of natural causes a week before his 72nd birthday, with his son Jack confirming the news.

Born in Washington D.C., Hurt began acting on stage in the 1970s before making his screen debut in a two-parter for the hit crime series Kojak (1977).

Shortly after, he made the transition to film with his breakthrough year coming in 1981. His turn as obsessive scientist Eddie Jessup in the sci-fi horror Altered States landed him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Leading Newcomer. That was swiftly followed by his role as womanising lawyer Ned Racine in the erotic thriller Body Heat.

This began a lucrative period for Hurt in the 1980s, with his next two roles coming as war veteran Nick in the Oscar-nominated drama The Big Chill (1983) and as Russian policeman Arkady Renko in the political thriller Gorky Park (1983).

However, he soon achieved greater success with his Oscar-winning portrayal of Luis Molina, a homosexual hairdresser who shares a prison cell with a political inmate in the drama The Kiss of the Spider-Woman (1985). On top of winning the Best Actor Oscar, Hurt also landed a sole BAFTA a year later.

The following year, he scored another Best Actor nod for his role as specialist teacher James Leeds in the romantic drama Children of a Lesser God (1986). The film helped his deaf co-star (and real-life lover) Marlee Matlin pull off a unique and well-deserved Best Actress Oscar.

Hurt then landed his third straight Best Actor nomination for his humorous turn as dim news reporter Tom Grunnick in the news satire Broadcast News (1987).

He then ended the decade with his role as troubled writer Macon in the Oscar-winning drama The Accidental Tourist (1988).

The 1990s proved less fruitful for Hurt, with the biggest role coming as Dr. John Robinson in the sci-fi adventure Lost in Space (1998). Other diverse films in that period included Alice (1990), Smoke (1995), Jane Eyre (1996), Dark City (1998), One True Thing (1998), Sunshine (1999) and Do Not Disturb (1999).

Post-Millennium, he continued to keep busy with appearances in the likes of the Dune mini-series (2000), Contagion (2000), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Changing Lanes (2002), The Village (2004),  The King (2005) and Syriana (2005).

Almost twenty years after his last Oscar nomination, Hurt landed a fourth nod for his small yet effective turn as eccentric criminal Richie Cusack in the crime drama A History of Violence (2005). That was swiftly followed by roles in renowned flicks like The Good Shepherd (2006), Mr. Brooks (2007) and Into the Wild (2007).

After playing President Ashton in the action-thriller Vantage Point (2008), Hurt gained a new following with his performance as the stern General ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross in the Marvel blockbuster The Incredible Hulk (2008).

He would later reprise the role in a further four Marvel productions, including Captain America: Civil War (2016) and last year’s Black Widow (2021).

Hurt also enjoyed some brief success on the small-screen with Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated turns as Daniel Purcell in thirteen episodes of Damages (2009), and as former Secretary of State Henry Paulson in the political drama Too Big to Fail (2011).

The last decade also saw him feature in the likes of Robin Hood (2010), Moby Dick (2011), The Challenger (2013), The Host (2013), The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her (2013), Bonnie & Clyde (2013), A New York Winter’s Tale (2014), Humans (2015), Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands (2016) and Goliath (2016-21).

His last screen role came as Pere La Chaise in the fantasy adventure The King’s Daughter, which was released in the US just two months ago.

Hurt is survived by four children.