William Hurt died on March 13, 2022, at age 71, just a week short of his 72nd birthday. The Oscar-winning actor starred in a variety of movies over the last four decades, but how many of those titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1950, Hurt made his movie debut with a starring role in Ken Russell‘s psychedelic thriller “Altered States” (1980), quickly followed by Lawrence Kasdan‘s classic neo-noir “Body Heat” (1981). He won the Oscar as Best Actor just four years later for Hector Babenco‘s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1985), playing a transgender inmate at a South American prison who forms a bond with his cellmate (Raul Julia), a political prisoner. The role brought him additional prizes at BAFTA and the Cannes Film Festival.
Hurt followed up his Oscar victory with two more consecutive Best Actor bids: first for Randa Haines‘ “Children of a Lesser God” (1986), then for James L. Brooks‘ “Broadcast News” (1987). He returned to the race 18 years later with a Best Supporting Actor nomination for a 10-minute cameo in David Cronenberg‘s “A History of Violence” (2005).
In addition to his Academy Awards success, Hurt has also received Emmy nomination for “Damages” (Best Drama Supporting Actor in 2009) and “Too Big to Fail” (Best Movie/Mini Actor in 2011). He competed at the Tonys for his performance in “Hurlyburly” (Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1985).
Tour our photo gallery of Hurt’s 15 greatest films, including a few for which he should’ve received Oscar nominations.
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15. THE DOCTOR (1991)
Image Credit: Touchstone/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Randa Haines. Screenplay by Robert Caswell, based on the novel ‘A Taste of My Own Medicine’ by Edward Rosenbaum. Starring Christine Lahti, Mandy Patinkin, Elizabeth Perkins.
Hurt reunited with his “Children of a Lesser God” director Randa Haines for this engrossing character study about a selfish heart surgeon who gains a greater understanding of our flawed health care system when he’s diagnosed with cancer. While getting a taste of his own medicine, he meets a terminally ill woman (Elizabeth Perkins) who inspires him to be a better man. Hurt and Perkins earned lead and supporting acting nominations respectively at the Chicago Film Critics Association, yet the film was completely overlooked at the Oscars.
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14. ALICE (1990)
Image Credit: Orion/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Woody Allen. Starring Alec Baldwin, Blythe Danner, Judy Davis, Mia Farrow, Keye Luke, Joe Mantengna, Bernadette Peters.
Woody Allen’s love of mysticism is evident throughout “Alice,” a modestly entertaining reimagining of Federico Fellini’s “Juliet of the Spirits.” Mia Farrow plays the titular character, a wealthy Manhattan housewife who starts to reevaluate her life after visiting a Chinese herbalist (Keye Luke). His potions help her take a deeper look at her relationships, including with her patronizing husband (Hurt), her dead lover (Alec Baldwin), and the jazz musician (Joe Mantenga) who catches her eye. The film brought Allen yet another Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, plus a Golden Globe bid for Farrow in their Musical/Comedy category.
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13. GORKY PARK (1983)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Michael Apted. Screenplay by Dennis Potter, based on the novel by Martin Cruz Smith. Starring Lee Marvin, Brian Dennehy, Ian Bannen, Joanna Pacula.
Michael Apted’s absorbing thriller casts Hurt as a Moscow police officer investigating the suspicious murder of three citizens found frozen in Gorky Park, their faces and fingerprints removed. His inquiry soon entangles him in a conspiracy at the highest levels of the Soviet Union. Along the way he encounters a beautiful dissident (Golden Globe nominee Joanna Pacula) and an American businessman (Lee Marvin). There’s nary a false step in Dennis Potter’s screenplay (adapted from the bestseller by Martin Cruz Smith), which is almost single-minded in its focus on the investigation.
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12. THE VILLAGE (2004)
Image Credit: Frank Masi/Touchstone/Blinding Edge/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Gleeson.
When it was released in 2004, M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village” was savaged by critics who found its pacing sluggish and its twist ending ludicrous. But group-think be damned! Sure, it’s slow and ridiculous, but it’s also a moody, atmospheric, and creepy thriller about an isolated Pennsylvania community besieged by monsters. Hurt plays one of the town elders, who masks a deep secret about the settlement’s origins that he shares with his blind daughter (Bryce Dallas Howard) when she must venture out into the surrounding woods. James Newton Howard’s haunting, Oscar-nominated score alone makes the movie worth seeing.
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11. SMOKE (1995)
Image Credit: Lorey Sebastian/Miramax/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Wayne Wang. Written by Paul Auster. Starring Harvey Keitel, Stockard Channing, Harold Perrineau Jr., Forest Whitaker.
There’s not much in the way of plot in “Smoke,” an ensemble drama about a Brooklyn cigar shop. Thankfully, the large cast of characters who drift in-and-out, both the store’s owner (Harvey Keitel) and his customers, are endlessly fascinating. Hurt shows up as Paul, a widowed novelist whose life is saved when he’s pulled out of the way of an oncoming truck by a teenager (Harold Perrineau Jr.). Desperate to repay him, he soon invites the wayward youth to live with him, much to the consternation of Perrineau’s family. A sequel, “Blue in the Face” (1995), shot in just five days and featuring mostly improvised dialogue, quickly followed.
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10. A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (2001)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Steven Spielberg. Screenplay by Steven Spielberg, screen story by Ian Watson, based on the short story by Brian Aldriss. Starring Haley Joel Osment, Frances O’Connor, Sam Robards, Jake Thomas, Jude Law, Ken Leung.
One of Steven Spielberg’s most divisive titles, “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence” is a visually stunning sci-fi curiosity that has grown in stature since its release. Haley Joel Osment stars as David, a highly advanced robotic boy sent to a grieving couple as a replacement for their sick son. When their real child returns, the couple abandons David, prompting him to search for the Blue Fairy so that he can be turned into a real boy and return home. Along the way, he encounters the professor (Hurt) who designed him in the image of his own dead son. Spielberg took over the film following the death of his friend and mentor Stanley Kubrick, both doing service to the legendary filmmaker’s chilly vision while infusing it with his own heartfelt sentiment.
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9. CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD (1986)
Image Credit: Takashi Seida/Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Randa Haines. Screenplay by Hesper Anderson and Mark Medoff, based on Medoff’s play. Starring Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie, Philip Bosco.
“Children of a Lesser God” casts Hurt as a dedicated speech teacher at a school for the deaf who falls in love with the janitor (Best Actress winner Marlee Matlin), who remains speechless by choice. Rather than lean into sentiment, director Randa Haines and her actors proceed with nuance and restraint, making for a greater emotional impact. Incidentally, the two stars became romantically involved during filming, and since he had won Best Actor the year before for “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” he got to present the Oscar to his then-girlfriend. Hurt reaped a second consecutive lead acting bid for his work, losing to Paul Newman (“The Color of Money”).
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8. ALTERED STATES (1980)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Ken Russell. Screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky (as Sidney Aaron), based on the his novel. Starring Blaire Brown, Bob Balaban, Charles Haid, Thaao Penghlis, Drew Barrymore.
Hurt made his movie debut with the lead role in Ken Russell’s psychedelic thriller about the horrors of mental exploration. He plays Eddie Jessup, an ambitious Harvard scientist conducting risky experiments on himself by taking a hallucinatory drug and confining himself to an isolation chamber. As the secrets of the universe reveal themselves to him, he begins to regress genetically to terrifying results. Russell fills the screen with bombastic, haunting imagery, giving the audience the equivalent of a bad acid trip. Hurt provides the film with a steady center, keeping the overwhelming material from spinning out of control.
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7. DARK CITY (1998)
Image Credit: New Line/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Alex Proyas. Screenplay by Alex Proyas, Lem Dobbs, David S. Goyer, story by Proyas. Starring Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O’Brien, Ian Richardson.
Like “Metropolis” and “Blade Runner” before it, Alex Proyas’s “Dark City” creates a futuristic world so striking and dazzling it’s almost more famous than the story that inspired it. At its center is a man (Rufus Sewell) who discovers that he’s living in a city controlled by aliens who want to study human behavior by reseting their memories every night at midnight. He enlists the help of a police detective (Hurt) and his girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly) to find out the truth. A blending of science fiction and film noir that’s cast in perpetual shadow, this is a haunting feast for the eyes that examines our greater humanity.
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6. THE BIG CHILL (1983)
Image Credit: Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Lawrence Kasdan. Written by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedek. Starring Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, JoBeth Williams.
“The Big Chill” is one of those generation-defining movies that comes along when a peer-group — in this case the baby boomers — hit their 30’s. A gang of former college classmates gather to bury one of their own (an uncredited Kevin Costner) who has committed suicide. They spend the weekend together at a winter home in South Carolina, where they reflect upon their waning youth and ponder their future, all while grooving out to a stellar ’60’s soundtrack. Director Lawrence Kasdan draws fantastic performances out of his all-star ensemble, including Hurt as a Vietnam War veteran. The film competed for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Glenn Close), and Best Original Screenplay (Kasdan and Barbara Benedek).
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5. THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (1988)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Lawrence Kasdan. Screenplay by Frank Galati and Lawrence Kasdan, based on the novel by Anne Tyler. Starring Kathleen Turner, Geena Davis, Bill Pullman, Amy Wright, David Ogden Stires, Ed Begley Jr.
“The Accidental Tourist” begins in misery and ends with a big twinkle in its eye. Hurt stars as a travel guide writer who specializes in telling businessmen how to best avoid human contact while on the road. His heart is broken by the sudden death of his son and the departure of his wife (Kathleen Turner), but a quirky dog trainer (Supporting Actress winner Geena Davis) and his oddball family just might melt his icy exterior. Co-writer and director Lawrence Kasdan handles this material with humor, kindness, and empathy, creating a delicate study of relationships bolstered by terrific performances. The film earned additional Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Score.
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4. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by David Cronenberg. Screenplay by Josh Olson, based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, Ashton Holmes.
Hurt steals the show with just 10 brief minutes of screen time in David Cronenberg’s meditation on our history of violence. Viggo Mortensen stars as Tom Stall, a mild-mannered diner owner in small town America who becomes a local hero after preventing a robbery. But after his act of heroism gains national media attention, a gangster (Ed Harris) with a scarred eye arrives, alleging that Tom is actually a Philadelphia mob enforcer named “Joey.” He returns home to see his brother (Hurt), a verbose mobster who enacts vengeance on his sibling with glee (though not too successfully). The role brought him back to the Oscar race with a Best Supporting Actor nomination, which he lost to George Clooney (“Syriana”).
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3. KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (1985)
Image Credit: Hb Filmes / Sugarloaf/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Hector Babenco. Screenplay by Leonard Schrader, based on the novel by Manuel Puig. Starring Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, Jose Lewgoy, Milton Goncalves, Denise Dumont.
Hurt won Best Actor at the Oscars, BAFTA, and Cannes for this intimate and engrossing character study. Set inside a South American prison during the Brazilian military government, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” centers on two cellmates — one a transgender woman (Hurt) jailed for molesting a young boy, the other a political revolutionary (Raul Julia) — who form an unlikely friendship. With his elegant robes and affected mannerisms, Hurt could easily slide into camp with this performance; instead, he creates a gentle, wounded soul whose recollections of old movies (featuring Sonia Braga as a 1940s noir siren) help him escape the confines of his cell. A landmark in independent cinema, the film earned additional nomination in Best Picture, Best Director (Hector Babenco), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Leonard Schrader).
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2. BODY HEAT (1981)
Image Credit: Ladd Company/Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and Directed by Lawrence Kasdan. Starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J. A. Preston, Mickey Rourke.
Hurt kicked off a successful multi-film collaboration with writer-director Lawrence Kasdan with this sexy, stylish neo-noir that both pays homage to the genre while reinventing it. Set in Florida during a scorching summer, “Body Heat” centers on a small-time lawyer (Hurt) who falls under the spell of an alluring seductress (Kathleen Turner in her movie debut) who wants him to murder her rich husband. Kasdan packs the film with so much steam you just might need a shower after watching it, creating a palpable sexual tension between his two leads. He also packs his script with juicy supporting roles for Ted Danson as Hurt’s best friend, Richard Crenna as Turner’s doomed spouse, and Mickey Rourke as a helpful arsonist.
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1. BROADCAST NEWS (1987)
Image Credit: Kerry Hayes/20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and Directed by James L. Brooks. Starring Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks, Robert Prosky, Lois Chiles, Joan Cusack, Peter Hackes, Christian Clemenson, Jack Nicholson.
James L. Brook’s “Broadcast News” is that rare movie that is successfully about two things at once. On the one hand, it’s a hilarious and poignant romantic comedy about a driven yet neurotic news producer (Holly Hunter) having to choose between a handsome, dimwitted anchorman (Hurt) and a brilliant, cynical reporter (Albert Brooks). On the other hand, it’s an in-depth look at the ins-and-outs of a network news station, and how a charming presentation has become more important than a hard-hitting offering of facts. Hurt earned an Oscar nomination as Best Actor — his third consecutive bid in the category — for playing a brilliant salesman with little else underneath. (He lost to Michael Douglas in “Wall Street”.)
William Hurt. Wonderful actor. My fave is “Body Heat” which I nicknamed “Steamy.” That movie was made for Hurt and Turner. Second place for me goes to “The Big Chill.” He’s one of the best.
So glad #1 is Broadcast News, I still watch it once a year. Excellent every aspect, story/actors/comedy/drama. And all my favs here, The Doctor should be higher though. Violence, Chill, Altered, Spider Woman, Children, Tourist. 80s best actor.
Great, GREAT actor. Hurt should have won additional Oscars for Broadcast News and A History of Violence. BTW: Alice is airing tonight, Wednesday, 4/20, 9pm (PacificTime) on TCM.
A intelligent man whom I met while an graduate student at UCLA. Mr. Hurt and I talked for a few minutes after the q and a ended (I’d been the last question taken-I’d asked about existential philosophy and literature and he continued chatting with me afterwards!
I will always prefer Eyewitness as my favorite Hurt film but he essayed Body Heat/The Doctor/Altered States/and Too Big too Fail wonderfully. And yes his turn as Ross in the Avengers film series stands out as well
Just discover your movies this year yes I am blow away with your acting skills, love you in children of a lesser god, the doctor, gorkey park, the big chill and condor love you as an actor, brilliant brilliant super.geraldine tarrant
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I really enjoy watching William Hurt in all his movies. But I especially like The Accidental Tourist and Children of a Lesser God. A great movie not mentioned above was The Challenger Disaster, where he portrayed Dr Richard Feynman.
RIP William.