William Hurt could look entirely in charge and still suggest a man with doubts. We value that vulnerability, and the steadiness he brought to genre films, though some later supporting roles asked too little of him.
Fi1m perspective
In Dark City (1998), William Hurt's Inspector Frank Bumstead makes us want to pause the mystery and spend some time with him. Alex Proyas's invented city is more particular than several of its inhabitants. Hurt offers a steadier presence than Rufus Sewell's John Murdoch, who has the harder job of keeping us interested as the story moves along. We felt frustrated by the script's demands on Bumstead, because Hurt made us want to know him beyond his use in the plot. It is a good performance in a part that could have given him more.
The leading roles had allowed more room for his mixture of intelligence and vulnerability. His film debut in Altered States (1980) was followed by a breakthrough opposite Kathleen Turner in Body Heat (1981). Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) and Broadcast News (1987) are central to his reputation for giving flawed people emotional depth. In the latter, his Tom Grunick is a shallow but charismatic news anchor. Hurt's appeal was not dependent on the man he played deserving our admiration.
From the 1990s, supporting and character roles became more prominent, and that change could put his steadiness to good use. Dark City needs it: alongside Jennifer Connelly's Emma Murdoch, he keeps us interested in people the writing does not explore with enough care. His brief appearance in A History of Violence (2005) is another example of his effectiveness in a smaller part. The difficulty with some later blockbuster roles was that they asked for authority without much of the uncertainty that made him interesting.
We would not pretend that a dependable actor can repair an underwritten role simply by being there. Proyas gets enough from Hurt to make Bumstead worth following, but not enough time with him to satisfy the curiosity he creates. See Dark City for its invented city and its unease, with that reservation about its people. Then try Broadcast News for a leading part in which charm and weakness both have work to do.
Biography
William Hurt was an American actor. Born in Washington, District of Columbia, on 20 March 1950, he died on 13 March 2022. He trained at the Juilliard School and began his career on stage in the 1970s before making his film debut in Altered States (1980).
Hurt received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985). He earned further Oscar nominations for Children of a Lesser God (1986), Broadcast News (1987) and A History of Violence (2005). He appeared in numerous films including Into the Wild (2007), Robin Hood (2010) and the Marvel Cinematic Universe series as Thaddeus Ross.
Among his later credits was the role of Inspector Frank Bumstead in Dark City (1998).
