William McChord Hurt (born March 20, 1950) is an American actor. He
studied at the Juilliard School and began acting on stage in the
1970s. Hurt made his film debut in 1980 as a troubled scientist in Ken
Russell's science-fiction feature Altered States, for which he
received a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year. In 1981
he played a leading role, as a lawyer who succumbs to the temptations
of Kathleen Turner, in the neo-noir Body Heat. He played another
leading role, as Arkady Renko, in Gorky Park (1983).In 1985 Hurt
garnered critical acclaim and multiple acting awards, including an
Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor, for Kiss of the Spider
Woman. He received another two Academy Award nominations for his lead
performances in Children of a Lesser God (1986) and Broadcast News
(1987). Hurt remained an active stage actor throughout the 1980s,
appearing in Off-Broadway productions including Henry V, Fifth of
July, Richard II and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hurt received his
first Tony Award nomination in 1985 for the Broadway production of
Hurlyburly.After a variety of character roles in the following decade,
Hurt earned his fourth Academy Award nomination for his supporting
performance in David Cronenberg's crime thriller A History of Violence
(2005). Other notable recent films include A.I. Artificial
Intelligence (2001), The Village (2004), Syriana (2005), The Good
Shepherd (2006), Mr. Brooks (2007), Into the Wild (2007), Robin Hood
(2010), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films The Incredible Hulk
(2008), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War
(2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Black Widow (2021), in which he
portrays Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross.
studied at the Juilliard School and began acting on stage in the
1970s. Hurt made his film debut in 1980 as a troubled scientist in Ken
Russell's science-fiction feature Altered States, for which he
received a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year. In 1981
he played a leading role, as a lawyer who succumbs to the temptations
of Kathleen Turner, in the neo-noir Body Heat. He played another
leading role, as Arkady Renko, in Gorky Park (1983).In 1985 Hurt
garnered critical acclaim and multiple acting awards, including an
Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor, for Kiss of the Spider
Woman. He received another two Academy Award nominations for his lead
performances in Children of a Lesser God (1986) and Broadcast News
(1987). Hurt remained an active stage actor throughout the 1980s,
appearing in Off-Broadway productions including Henry V, Fifth of
July, Richard II and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hurt received his
first Tony Award nomination in 1985 for the Broadway production of
Hurlyburly.After a variety of character roles in the following decade,
Hurt earned his fourth Academy Award nomination for his supporting
performance in David Cronenberg's crime thriller A History of Violence
(2005). Other notable recent films include A.I. Artificial
Intelligence (2001), The Village (2004), Syriana (2005), The Good
Shepherd (2006), Mr. Brooks (2007), Into the Wild (2007), Robin Hood
(2010), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films The Incredible Hulk
(2008), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War
(2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Black Widow (2021), in which he
portrays Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross.
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