William M. Hurt (born March 20, 1950) is an American actor. He won both the Academy and BAFTA Awards for his work in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Early life

Hurt was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Claire Isabel (née McGill), who worked at Time, Inc.,William Hurt - Profile, Latest News and Related Articles and Alfred McCord Hurt, who worked for the U.S. State Department. His parents divorced, and his mother married Henry Luce III (the son of the founder of Time Magazine) 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 of the 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 Drama School studying alongside Christopher Reeve. He has received the nickname "bojangles" from several of his classmates at Juilliard.