Tributes to screen star Hurt

ACTOR Russell Crowe has joined many in the entertainment industry paying tribute to William Hurt, after the star’s death at age 71.

Crowe worked alongside Hurt (pictured) in Robin Hood with fellow Australian actor Cate Blanchett.

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

Earlier, Hurt’s family announced his death.

“It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscarwinning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday,” the family said.

“He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.”

The veteran actor revealed in 2018 that he had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer that had spread to the bone.

After beginning his career on stage, Hurt’s breakout film role came in Ken Russell’s 1980 thriller Altered States and he became one of that decade’s most reliable and bankable actors.

More recently, he was well known to global audiences as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films in his role as Thaddeus Ross.

Hurt won his only Oscar for his role as a gay prison inmate in the drama Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1986.

Hurt also showed his funny side as a charismatic but shallow news reporter alongside Holly Hunter and Albert Books in the 1987 James L. Brooks romantic comedy Broadcast News.

Other famous parts included roles in Children of a Lesser God, Body Heat, The

Big Chill, Gorky Park and The Accidental Tourist.

As well as extensive film work, Hurt also often appeared on the small screen.