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William Hurt (2014)
Photo: CARLO ALLEGRI / REUTERS
The US actor William Hurt is dead. The actor known from films such as "The Great Frustration" and "A History of Violence" died at the age of 71, US media reported on Sunday, citing Hurt's son Will.
Accordingly, the Oscar winner died a week before his 72nd birthday in the US state of Oregon "peacefully, surrounded by his family" of natural causes.
William Hurt was diagnosed with end-stage prostate cancer in May 2018.
The disease had therefore already spread to the bones.
In his statement, the son did not say whether the actor succumbed to his cancer.
In 2018, Hurt said an alternative type of chemotherapy had saved his life.
Hurt began his acting career in the 1980s, and he kept playing unusual characters.
He received an Oscar for best actor for his role as a gay prisoner in Brazil in the 1985 film The Spider Woman's Kiss.
In the two years that followed, he was again nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for his roles in the drama film »God's Forgotten Children« and in the comedy »Broadcast News«.
His fourth and final Academy Award nomination was for the David Cronenberg film A History of Violence.
The thriller dates from 2006.
Most recently, Hurt had appeared in blockbuster productions such as the "Avengers" film series.
In addition to his appearances in Hollywood films, he also devoted himself to the theater again and again.
He learned acting at the renowned Julliard School in New York City, which he attended from 1972 to 1976.
The actor has been married twice and has four children.
jok/AFP
