Early life and education

Hurt was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Claire Isabel (née McGill), who worked at Time, Inc., and Alfred McChord Hurt, who worked for the State Department. With his father, he lived in Lahore, Mogadishu and Khartoum. After his parents divorced, his mother married Henry Luce III (a son of publisher Henry Luce) during Hurt's childhood. Hurt graduated from Middlesex School in 1968 where he was vice president of the Dramatics Club and had the lead role in several school plays. His high school yearbook predicted: "With characteristics such as these, you might even see him on Broadway." Hurt attended Tufts University and studied theology, but turned instead to acting and joined the Juilliard School (Drama Division Group 5: 1972-1976). Two of his classmates there were the late actors Christopher Reeve and Robin Williams.

Career

Hurt began his career in stage productions, only later acting in films. From 1977 to 1989, he was a member of the acting company at Circle Repertory Company. He won an Obie Award for his debut appearance there in Corinne Jacker's My Life, and won a 1978 Theatre World Award for his performances in Fifth of July, Ulysses in Traction, and Lulu. In 1979, Hurt played Hamlet under the direction of Marshall W. Mason opposite Lindsay Crouse and Beatrice Straight. His first major film role was in the science-fiction film Altered States where his performance as an obsessed scientist gained him wide recognition. His performance with Richard Crenna, Ted Danson and newcomer Kathleen Turner in Lawrence Kasdan's neo-noir classic Body Heat elevated Hurt to stardom, and he later also co-starred in The Big Chill (1983). He appeared in the thriller Gorky Park opposite Lee Marvin. He received the Best Male Performance Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Actor for Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1985. He has received three additional Oscar nominations: Best Actor for Children of a Lesser God (1986) and Broadcast News (1987; he was thus nominated for Best Actor for three consecutive years) and Best Supporting Actor for A History Of Violence (2005). Hurt also starred in Tuck Everlasting as Angus Tuck.

Often cast as an intellectual, Hurt has appeared as such in films such as Lost in Space, but has also been effective in other kinds of role, such as those in I Love You to Death and David Cronenberg's psychological drama A History of Violence (2005), where in less than 10 minutes of screen time he plays the creepy mob boss, Richie Cusack. Also in 2005, Hurt played a mysterious government operative in Stephen Gaghan's ensemble drama about the politics of big oil, Syriana.

Hurt was in the mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes, in a piece entitled Battleground (also notable for its complete lack of dialogue). He plays Renshaw, a hitman who receives a package from the widow of a toymaker he had killed, unaware of what is waiting inside for him. He appeared in the cast of Vanya, an adaptation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, at the Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, Oregon.

In June 2007, Marvel Studios announced Hurt would portray the Hulk character General “Thunderbolt” Ross in 2008's The Incredible Hulk alongside Edward Norton, Liv Tyler and Tim Roth. Hurt reprised his role in Captain America: Civil War (2016).

He appeared in Sean Penn's film Into the Wild, the true story of Christopher McCandless. He appeared as President Henry Ashton in the 2008 action-thriller Vantage Point. Hurt also played Mr. Brooks's alter ego in Mr. Brooks starring Kevin Costner.

In 2009, Hurt became a series regular on the FX series Damages playing a corporate whistleblower opposite Glenn Close and Marcia Gay Harden. For his role in the series, Hurt earned a 2009 Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" category. Hurt's 2009 Sundance film The Yellow Handkerchief was released in theaters on February 26, 2010 by Samuel Goldwyn Films. He was in the Thailand-based 2011 thriller Hellgate alongside Cary Elwes and Paula Taylor, directed by John Penney.

In September 2010, Hurt played United States Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson in the HBO film Too Big to Fail, an adaptation of Andrew Ross Sorkin's book. He also starred as Captain Ahab in the 2011 television adaptation of Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick.

Personal life

Hurt is fluent in French and maintains a home outside Paris. He is the step-grandson of Henry Luce, founder of Time magazine and actress-writer Clare Boothe Luce, through his mother's marriage to Henry Luce's son from his first marriage, Henry Luce III.

Hurt was married to Mary Beth Hurt from 1971 to 1982. In the 1980s, Hurt was involved in a lawsuit with Sandra Jennings, who alleged that the two shared a common-law marriage. While he was still married, Hurt and Jennings had begun a relationship in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1981. Jennings became pregnant in the spring of 1982 which precipitated Hurt's divorce from Mary Beth Hurt, after which Hurt and Jennings relocated to South Carolina, a state that recognized common-law marriages. Hurt and Jennings remained officially unmarried, later separated and Jennings sued him in New York, seeking recognition of the "marriage" under South Carolina law. The New York court, which did not recognize common-law marriage and was reluctant to recognize a common-law marriage originating in South Carolina, found in Hurt's favor that no common-law marriage existed.

Hurt dated Marlee Matlin for one year, and they cohabited for two years. In her 2009 autobiography I'll Scream Later, Matlin claimed that their relationship involved considerable drug abuse and physical abuse by Hurt. In response to the accusations aired on CNN on April 13, 2009, Hurt's agent declined to respond, but Hurt issued a statement the following day, which said: "My own recollection is that we both apologized and both did a great deal to heal our lives. Of course, I did and do apologize for any pain I caused. And I know we have both grown. I wish Marlee and her family nothing but good."

Hurt has four children: Alexander with Sandra Jennings, Sam and William with Heidi Henderson, and Jeanne with actress Sandrine Bonnaire.

During the filming of Kiss of the Spider Woman, Hurt and a friend were threatened at gunpoint but were let go several hours later.

Hurt is a private pilot and owner of a Beechcraft Bonanza.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes
1980	Altered States	Edward Jessup, ProfessorProfessor Edward Jessup	Ken Russell	Nominated - Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actor
1981	Eyewitness	Daryll Deever	Peter Yates
1981	Body Heat	Ned Racine	Lawrence Kasdan
1983	Big Chill, TheThe Big Chill	Nick Carlton	Lawrence Kasdan
1983	Gorky Park	Arkady Renko	Michael Apted
1985	Kiss of the Spider Woman	Luis Alberto Molina	Héctor Babenco	Academy Award for Best Actor BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Cannes Film Festival - Best Actor Award David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actor London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor National Board of Review Award for Best Actor Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama Nominated - National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor Nominated - New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
1986	Children of a Lesser God	James Leeds	Randa Haines	Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
1987	Broadcast News	Tom Grunick	James L. Brooks	Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated - New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
1988	Time of Destiny, AA Time of Destiny	Martin Larraneta	Gregory Nava
1988	Accidental Tourist, TheThe Accidental Tourist	Macon Leary	Lawrence Kasdan	Golden Horse Award for Best Foreign Actor
1990	I Love You to Death	Harlan James	Lawrence Kasdan
1990	Alice	Doug Tate	Woody Allen
1991	Until the End of the World	Sam Farber, alias Trevor McPhee	Wim Wenders
1991	Doctor, TheThe Doctor	Jack MacKee, Dr.Dr. Jack MacKee	Randa Haines	Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
1992	The Plague	Bernard Rieux, DoctorDoctor Bernard Rieux	Luis Puenzo
1993	Mr. Wonderful	Tom	Anthony Minghella
1994	Second Best	Graham Holt	Chris Menges
1994	Trial by Jury	Tommy Vesey	Heywood Gould
1995	Smoke	Paul Benjamin	Wayne Wang
1996	Couch in New York, AA Couch in New York	Henry Harriston	Chantal Akerman
1996	Michael	Frank Quinlan	Nora Ephron
1996	Jane Eyre	Edward Fairfax Rochester	Franco Zeffirelli
1997	Loved	K.D. Dietrickson	Erin Dignam
1998	Lost in Space	John Robinson, ProfessorProfessor John Robinson	Stephen Hopkins
1998	Dark City	Frank Bumstead, InspectorInspector Frank Bumstead	Alex Proyas
1998	One True Thing	George Gulden	Carl Franklin
1999	The 4th Floor	Greg Harrison	Josh Klausner
1999	Sunshine	Andor Knorr	István Szabó	Nominated - Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
1999	Big Brass Ring, TheThe Big Brass Ring	William Blake Pellarin	George Hickenlooper
1999	Do Not Disturb	Walter Richmond	Dick Maas	a.k.a. Silent Witness
2000	Contaminated Man	David R. Whitman	Anthony Hickox
2000	Miracle Maker, TheThe Miracle Maker	Jairus	Derek W. Hayes & Stanislav Sokolov	Voice only
2001	Rare Birds	Restaurateur	Sturla Gunnarsson
2001	A.I. Artificial Intelligence	Allen Hobby, ProfessorProfessor Allen Hobby	Steven Spielberg
2001	Simian Line, TheThe Simian Line	Edward	Linda Yellen
2002	Tuck Everlasting	Angus Tuck	Jay Russell
2002	Changing Lanes	Doyle Gipson's AA Sponsor	Roger Michell
2002	Nearest to Heaven	Matt
2004	Blue Butterfly, TheThe Blue Butterfly	Alan Osborne	Léa Pool
2004	Village, TheThe Village	Edward Walker	M. Night Shyamalan
2005	King, TheThe King	David Sandow	James Marsh
2005	History of Violence, AA History of Violence	Richie Cusack	David Cronenberg	Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - International Cinephile Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
2005	Neverwas	Peter Reed, Dr.Dr. Peter Reed	Joshua Michael Stern
2005	Syriana	Stan Goff	Stephen Gaghan
2006	Good Shepherd, TheThe Good Shepherd	Philip Allen, CIA DirectorCIA Director Philip Allen	Robert De Niro
2006	Legend of Sasquatch, TheThe Legend of Sasquatch	John Davis	Thomas Callicoat	Voice only Co-producer
2007	Mr. Brooks	Marshall	Bruce A. Evans
2007	Beautiful Ohio	Simon Messerman	Chad Lowe
2007	Noise	Schneer, MayorMayor Schneer	Henry Bean
2007	Into the Wild	Walt McCandless	Sean Penn	Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2008	Vantage Point	Harry Ashton, PresidentPresident Harry Ashton	Pete Travis
2008	Incredible Hulk, TheThe Incredible Hulk	Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross	Louis Leterrier
2009	Countess, TheThe Countess	György Thurzó	Julie Delpy
2010	Yellow Handkerchief, TheThe Yellow Handkerchief	Brett Hanson	Udayan Prasad
2010	Robin Hood	William Marshal	Ridley Scott
2011	River Why, TheThe River Why	Gus's Father	Matthew Leutwyler
2011	Late Bloomers	Adam	Julie Gavras
2011	Hellgate	Warren Mills	John Penney
2013	The Host	Jeb Stryder	Andrew Niccol
2013	The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby	Julian Rigby	Ned Benson
2013	Fire in the Blood	Narrator	Dylan Mohan Gray	Documentary
2013	Days and Nights	Herb	Christian Camargo
2014	Winter's Tale	Isaac Penn	Akiva Goldsman
2016	Race	Jeremiah Mahoney	Stephen Hopkins
2016	Captain America: Civil War	Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross	Anthony Russo Joe Russo
2016	The Moon and the Sun	Père La Chaise	Sean McNamara	Post-production
2016	The Duel	Governor Ross	Kieran Darcy-Smith	Completed

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977	Kojak	Jake	2 episodes
1978	Verna: U.S.O. Girl	Walter	Television movie
2000	Frank Herbert's Dune	Leto I Atreides, DukeDuke Leto I Atreides	3 episodes
2001	The Flamingo Rising	Turner Knight	TV film
2001	Varian's War	Varian Fry	Television movie Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film
2002	The King of Queens	Taber, Dr.Dr. Taber	Episode: "Shrink Wrap"
2002	Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story	Robert Hanssen	Television movie
2004	Frankenstein	Waldman, ProfessorProfessor Waldman	Television movie
2006	Nightmares and Dreamscapes	Jason Renshaw	Episode: "Battleground"
2009	Damages	Daniel Purcell	10 episodes Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Drama Series
2009	Endgame	Willie Esterhuyse	TV movie Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film
2011	Moby Dick	Captain Ahab	2 episodes
2011	Too Big to Fail	Henry Paulson	Television movie Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film
2013	Bonnie & Clyde	Frank Hamer	2 episodes Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film
2013	The Challenger	Richard Feynman	Television movie
2015	Humans	George Millican	7 episodes (main cast)
2016	Beowulf	Hrothgar	5 episodes
?	Trial	Donald Cooper

[ Source: Wikipedia ]