The Best of William Hurt

William Hurt 1950-2022

 1) Body Heat                                        Lawrence Kasdan                   1981

 2) Broadcast News                              James L. Brooks                     1987                    

 3) The Accidental Tourist                   Lawrence Kasdan                    1988

 4) Eyewitness                                      Peter Yates                              1981

 5) Altered States                                  Ken Russell                             1980

 6) The Big Chill                                   Lawrence Kasdan                    1983                             

 7) A History of Violence                     David Cronenberg                    2005

 8) Tuck Everlasting                            Jay Russell                               2002                   

 9) AI: Artificial Intelligence               Steven Spielberg                       2001

10) Jane Eyre                                       Franco Zeffirelli                        1996

Typecast as a chilly WASP, it figures that the Academy would reward him for being miscast in Kiss of the Spider Woman. The Manuel Puig novel is much more rewarding, even the jocks in my South American lit class enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Hurt's work in The Doctor (a slightly better film than Children of a Lesser God from the same director), Until the End of the World, Smoke, The Village, I Love You to Death, Sunshine and Gorky Park. 

Because of a long friendship with Allen Nause, longtime Artistic Director of Portland's Artists Repertory Theater, locals were fortunate to see him trod the boards from time to time. Hurt died in Portland, an indication that he never fully embraced Hollywood or film work. It is a pity he never, in film, got to explore the playful side of his personality he displayed in Eyewitness.