Mary Beth Hurt
Birth nameMary Beth Supinger
Birth dateSeptember 26, 1946
Birth placeMarshalltown, Iowa, U.S.
Death dateMarch 28, 2026 (aged 79)
Death placeJersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Education
OccupationActress
Years active1974–2018
Spouse

Mary Beth Hurt (; September 26, 1946 – March 28, 2026) was an American actress of stage and screen.[1] She was a three-time Tony Award-nominated actress, as well as a BAFTA Award and Independent Spirit Award nominee. Hurt was also the recipient of an Obie Award and a Clarence Derwent Award.[2]

Notable films in which Hurt appears include Interiors (1978), The World According to Garp (1982), The Age of Innocence (1993), and Six Degrees of Separation (1993). She also collaborated with her husband, filmmaker Paul Schrader, in such films as Light Sleeper (1992) and Affliction (1997).

Early life and education

Mary Beth Hurt was born Mary Beth Supinger in Marshalltown, Iowa, on September 26, 1946,[3] the daughter of Delores Lenore (née Andre) and Forrest Clayton Supinger. Her childhood babysitter was actress Jean Seberg, also a Marshalltown native.[4] Hurt studied drama at the University of Iowa and at New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts.[5]

Career

Hurt made her New York stage debut in 1974. She was nominated for three Tony Awards for her Broadway performances in Trelawny of the Wells, Crimes of the Heart (for which she won an Obie Award), and Benefactors.[6]

She made her film debut in Woody Allen's dramatic film Interiors (1978) as Joey, the second of three sisters dealing with the emotional fallout of a family's disintegration and their mother Eve (Geraldine Page)'s descent into mental illness. Hurt's powerful turn in that film earned her a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles at the 32nd British Academy Film Awards. Her other film roles include Laura in Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979), Helen Holm Garp in The World According to Garp (1982), and Regina Beaufort in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence (1993). Hurt also played Jean Seberg, in voiceover, in Mark Rappaport's 1995 documentary From the Journals of Jean Seberg.

Hurt was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female at the 22nd Independent Spirit Awards, for her performance in the 2006 movie The Dead Girl. For her role in Crimes of the Heart (1981) she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play and earned an Obie Award. In addition to these honors, Hurt also received a Clarence Derwent Award in 1975 for Best Supporting Female for her role in the Off-Broadway production of the play Love for Love.[5]

Personal life and death

Hurt was married to actor William Hurt from 1971 to 1982.[7] She married filmmaker Paul Schrader in 1983; the couple had a daughter and a son.[8] She was close friends with fellow actress Glenn Close,[9] who had understudied her in the play Love for Love in 1974.[10]

On February 11, 2023, Schrader announced that Hurt had been placed in memory care, a result of her advancing Alzheimer's disease.[11]

Hurt died at an assisted-living facility in Jersey City, New Jersey, on March 28, 2026, at the age of 79.[12]

Acting credits

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1978InteriorsJoey
1979Chilly Scenes of WinterLaura Connelly
1980A Change of SeasonsKasey Evans
1982The World According to GarpHelen Holm
1985D.A.R.Y.L.Joyce Richardson
Compromising PositionsPeg Tuccio
1989ParentsLily Laemle
Slaves of New YorkGinger Booth
1991DefenselessEllie Seldes
1992Light SleeperTeresa Aranow
1993My Boyfriend's BackMrs. Dingle
The Age of InnocenceRegina Beaufort
ShimmerMother
Six Degrees of SeparationKitty
1994Noisy NoraNarrator (voice)Short film
1995Alkali, IowaJuneShort film
1997Boys Life 2June Gudmanson
AfflictionLillian Whitehouse Horner
1998A Weekend with WendellNarrator (voice)Short film
1999Bringing Out the DeadNurse Constance
Leo the Late BloomerNarrator (voice)Short film
2000Autumn in New YorkDr. Sibley
The Family ManAdelle
2005The Exorcism of Emily RoseJudge Brewster
PerceptionDorothy
2006Lady in the WaterMrs. Bell
The Dead GirlRuth
2007The WalkerChrissie Morgan
2008UntraceableStella Marsh
2010Lebanon, Pa.Jennette
2011Young AdultJan
2013The VolunteerDonna
2018Change in the AirJo Ann Bayberry

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1974Ann in BlueOff. Elizabeth JensenTV film
1976KojakKaren Foster2 episodes
1977Great PerformancesCaroline MitfordEpisode: "Secret Service"
1979The Five Forty-EightJane DentTV film
1987Baby Girl ScottWendy ScottTV film
1988TattingersSheila BradleyEpisode: "Death and Taxis"
1990ThirtysomethingEmily DickinsonEpisode: "I'm Nobody, Who Are You?"
Working It OutAndyMain role (12 episodes)
1992Saturday Night LiveBetsyEpisode: "Glenn Close/The Black Crowes"
1994MontyAdelaideEpisode: "The Brother of the Bride"
1996Law & OrderSela DixonEpisode: "Deceit"
2000The BeatEleanorEpisode: "Someone to Watch Over Me"
2001No Ordinary BabyDr. Amanda GordonTV film
2002Law & Order: Special Victims UnitJessica Blaine-ToddEpisode: "Greed"
2009Law & OrderJudge Gillian BerrowEpisode: "Promote This!"

Theater

YearTitleRoleNotes
1974More Than You DeserveUncle Remus
Love for LoveMiss Prue
The Rules of the GameClaraUnderstudy
1975Trelawny of the 'Wells'Rose Trelawny
The Member of the WeddingFrankie Addams
1976Boy Meets GirlSusie
Secret ServiceCaroline Mitford
1977The Cherry OrchardAnya Ranevskaya
1981Crimes of the HeartMeg MaGrath
1983The MisanthropeCélimène
1984The Nest of the Wood GrouseIskra
1985–1986BenefactorsSheila
1989The Secret RaptureKatherine Glass
1993One Shoe OffDinah
1996A Delicate BalanceJulia
2000Old MoneySaulina Webb / Sally Webster
2008Top GirlsLouise / Waitress
2010When the Rain Stops FallingElizabeth Law
2011The House of Blue LeavesHead Nun

References

  1. ^ "Mary Beth Hurt Yahoo! biodata". Archived March 15, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  2. ^ "Mary Beth Hurt profile at IBDb". Archived September 24, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  3. ^ "Mary Beth Hurt". Playbill. Archived March 13, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  4. ^ Levy, Emanuel (1999). Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film. NYU Press. p. 482. ISBN 0814751237.
  5. ^ "Mary Beth Hurt". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  6. ^ "Mary Beth Hurt". Tony Awards. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Sullivan, Ronald (28 June 1989). "Hurt's Ex-Wife Testifies for Him In Marital Case". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  8. ^ Rothstein, Mervyn (1989-11-02). "Mary Beth Hurt's Juggling Act". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
  9. ^ Markovitz, Adam (January 4, 2012). "Glenn Close Reflects on 10 Roles". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  10. ^ Gray, Tim (April 5, 2016). "Glenn Close Looks Back on Her First Theater Role". Variety. Archived September 11, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  11. ^ Abramovich, Alex (May 1, 2023). "Paul Schrader Wants to Make Another Movie". The New Yorker. Archived May 4, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  12. ^ Koseluk, Chris. "Mary Beth Hurt, 'Interiors,' 'Chilly Scenes of Winter' and 'World According to Garp' Actress, Dies at 79". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 29, 2026.