Mary Beth Hurt, the acclaimed actor known for her roles in films such as Interiors and The World According to Garp, has died at the age of 79. Her death was confirmed in a joint Facebook post by her daughter, Molly Schrader, and her husband, writer and director Paul Schrader. The cause was Alzheimer's disease.
Born Mary Beth Supinger, she was married to actor William Hurt from 1971 to 1982 and made her Broadway debut in 1974. She earned three Tony Award nominations for her performances in Crimes of the Heart, Trelawny of the Wells, and Benefactors. Her film debut came in Woody Allen's 1978 drama Interiors, for which she received significant praise.
Hurt's other notable films include The World According to Garp (1982), Slaves of New York (1989), The Age of Innocence (1993), and Six Degrees of Separation (1993). She also worked with her second husband, Paul Schrader, on Affliction (1997) and Light Sleeper (1992).
In a 1989 interview with the New York Times, Hurt said she worked selectively, noting that 50 per cent of film roles offered to her were uninteresting. She also expressed a preference for ensemble work, stating in 2010 that she was never entirely comfortable playing the lead. Her later film credits include Young Adult, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Lady in the Water, and Change in the Air.
