Mary Beth Hurt Has Died at 79

Three-time Tony nominee Mary Beth Hurt has died after a multi-year struggle with Alzheimer's disease. She was 79 years old.

Ms. Hurt was born Mary Beth Supinger in Marshalltown, Iowa, in the aftermath of the Second World War. She studied drama at the University of Iowa before moving to New York, attending New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts as the city was transformed by the end of the 1960s. In the program, she met fellow actor William Hurt, and the pair were married in 1971. While their marriage would end in 1982, she would retain his surname professionally for the rest of her life.

Ms. Hurt made her professional New York stage debut in 1973 as Celia in Joseph Papp’s Public Theater production of As You Like It. She became a favorite of Papp, continuing with the company for numerous productions, including Pericles, Prince of Tyre, Othello, One Shoe Off, and More Than You Deserve. In 1974, she made her Broadway debut working for another well-remembered impresario of 1970s New York: Hal Prince. Her performance as Miss Prue in the short-lived revival of Love for Love caught the attention of the industry, and after two more brief Broadway productions (both 1974's The Rules of the Game and 1975's The Member of the Wedding ran only 12 performances), she hit gold.

Her first Tony nomination came in 1976 for her performance in the title role of Sir Arthur Wing Pinero's comedy Trelawny of the “Wells." Produced by Papp for the then-brand-new Vivian Beaumont Theater, the production's run was limited (14 previews, 47 performances), but its cast was all-star, with Ms. Hurt starring opposite John Lithgow, Mandy Patinkin, Jeffrey Jones, Christopher Hewett, and a young Meryl Streep in her Broadway debut.

She would be nominated for the Tony twice in the following decade, for her performances in 1982's Crimes of the Heart and 1986's Benefactors. In all, she appeared in 15 Broadway productions, including Secret Service, Boy Meets Girl, The Cherry Orchard, Twyla Tharp Dance, The Misanthrope, The Secret Rapture, A Delicate Balance, Top Girls, and The House of Blue Leaves.

Offstage, she was a favored actor on the idiosyncratic film circuit, making her film debut in Woody Allen's 1978 film Interiors as one of three sisters struggling to cope with her mother's descent into mental illness. Ms. Hurt's performance earned her a BAFTA nomination, and a brief period of film fame, playing Laura in Chilly Scenes of Winter, Helen in The World According to Garp, and Regina Beaufort in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence. In 1995, she played her former childhood babysitter, Jean Seberg, in Mark Rappaport's From the Journals of Jean Seberg.

Ms. Hurt is survived by her second husband of 43 years, Paul Schrader, and their two children, Molly and Sam. A public memorial is not currently planned.