Mary Beth Hurt
Hurt in 2013
Born
Mary Beth Supinger

(1946-09-26)September 26, 1946
Marshalltown, Iowa, U.S.
Died March 28, 2026(2026-03-28) (aged 79)
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Education
  • University of Iowa (BA)
  • New York University (MFA)
Occupation Actress
Years active 1974–2018
Spouses
  • William Hurt
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1971; div. 1982)​
  • Paul Schrader
    ​
    (m. 1983)​
Children 2

Mary Beth Hurt (née Supinger; 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]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1978 Interiors Joey
1979 Chilly Scenes of Winter Laura Connelly
1980 A Change of Seasons Kasey Evans
1982 The World According to Garp Helen Holm
1985 D.A.R.Y.L. Joyce Richardson
Compromising Positions Peg Tuccio
1989 Parents Lily Laemle
Slaves of New York Ginger Booth
1991 Defenseless Ellie Seldes
1992 Light Sleeper Teresa Aranow
1993 My Boyfriend's Back Mrs. Dingle
The Age of Innocence Regina Beaufort
Shimmer Mother
Six Degrees of Separation Kitty
1994 Noisy Nora Narrator (voice) Short film
1995 Alkali, Iowa June Short film
1997 Boys Life 2 June Gudmanson
Affliction Lillian Whitehouse Horner
1998 A Weekend with Wendell Narrator (voice) Short film
1999 Bringing Out the Dead Nurse Constance
Leo the Late Bloomer Narrator (voice) Short film
2000 Autumn in New York Dr. Sibley
The Family Man Adelle
2005 The Exorcism of Emily Rose Judge Brewster
Perception Dorothy
2006 Lady in the Water Mrs. Bell
The Dead Girl Ruth
2007 The Walker Chrissie Morgan
2008 Untraceable Stella Marsh
2010 Lebanon, Pa. Jennette
2011 Young Adult Jan
2013 The Volunteer Donna
2018 Change in the Air Jo Ann Bayberry

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1974 Ann in Blue Off. Elizabeth Jensen TV film
1976 Kojak Karen Foster 2 episodes
1977 Great Performances Caroline Mitford Episode: "Secret Service"
1979 The Five Forty-Eight Jane Dent TV film
1987 Baby Girl Scott Wendy Scott TV film
1988 Tattingers Sheila Bradley Episode: "Death and Taxis"
1990 Thirtysomething Emily Dickinson Episode: "I'm Nobody, Who Are You?"
Working It Out Andy Main role (12 episodes)
1992 Saturday Night Live Betsy Episode: "Glenn Close/The Black Crowes"
1994 Monty Adelaide Episode: "The Brother of the Bride"
1996 Law & Order Sela Dixon Episode: "Deceit"
2000 The Beat Eleanor Episode: "Someone to Watch Over Me"
2001 No Ordinary Baby Dr. Amanda Gordon TV film
2002 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Jessica Blaine-Todd Episode: "Greed"
2009 Law & Order Judge Gillian Berrow Episode: "Promote This!"

Theater

Year Title Role Notes
1974 More Than You Deserve Uncle Remus
Love for Love Miss Prue
The Rules of the Game Clara Understudy
1975 Trelawny of the 'Wells' Rose Trelawny
The Member of the Wedding Frankie Addams
1976 Boy Meets Girl Susie
Secret Service Caroline Mitford
1977 The Cherry Orchard Anya Ranevskaya
1981 Crimes of the Heart Meg MaGrath
1983 The Misanthrope Célimène
1984 The Nest of the Wood Grouse Iskra
1985–1986 Benefactors Sheila
1989 The Secret Rapture Katherine Glass
1993 One Shoe Off Dinah
1996 A Delicate Balance Julia
2000 Old Money Saulina Webb / Sally Webster
2008 Top Girls Louise / Waitress
2010 When the Rain Stops Falling Elizabeth Law
2011 The House of Blue Leaves Head Nun

References

  1. ^ "Mary Beth Hurt Yahoo! biodata". Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  2. ^ "Mary Beth Hurt profile at IBDb". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  3. ^ "Mary Beth Hurt". Playbill. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  4. ^ Levy, Emanuel (1999). Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film. NYU Press. p. 482. ISBN 0814751237.
  5. ^ a b "Mary Beth Hurt". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  6. ^ "Mary Beth Hurt". Tony Awards. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Sullivan, Ronald (June 28, 1989). "Hurt's Ex-Wife Testifies for Him In Marital Case". The New York Times. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  8. ^ Rothstein, Mervyn (November 2, 1989). "Mary Beth Hurt's Juggling Act". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  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 from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  11. ^ Abramovich, Alex (May 1, 2023). "Paul Schrader Wants to Make Another Movie". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. 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.