Actor William Hurt, who played General Thaddeus Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, died of natural causes on Sunday, March 13, 2022. Hurt had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer that spread to his bones. He was 71 years old.

Hurt was among the cast that introduced the MCU in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. The talented dramatic actor gave Ross, a hardnosed military man, layers of nuance that deepened what could have been a two-dimensional character. His run of MCU movies included Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame, and Black Widow.

Born in Washington, DC on March 20, 1950, Hurt studied acting at Juilliard School and performed at the Circle Repertory Company. His onscreen career began in 1977 with guest appearances on Kojak, then he had his first major role in the 1980 sci-fi film Altered States. After that, Hurt was in Body Heat, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Big Chill during the early half of the decade.

Hurt won an Oscar for his performance in 1986’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, and he was nominated for Oscars in the next two years for Children of a Lesser God and Broadcast News. Throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, Hurt was in Jane Eyre, Michael, Lost in Space, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Tuck Everlasting, The Village, and The Good Shepherd.

In 2006, he earned his fourth Oscar nomination for A History of Violence. After that he was in The Good Shepherd, Mr. Brooks, Into the Wild, and Vantage Point, and had recurring roles on Damages, Humans, Condor, and Goliath.