The acclaimed stage and screen star, known for ‘Interiors,’ ‘The World According to Garp,’ and ‘Crimes of the Heart,’ passed away following a decade-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
NEW YORK — Mary Beth Hurt, the Tony-nominated actress whose distinguished career spanned Broadway, film, and television, has died at the age of 79.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hurt passed away on Saturday following a decade-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, which she was diagnosed with in 2015. She had been living in a Manhattan facility, with her husband residing in another apartment in the same building.
Family Mourns Loss
Hurt’s daughter, Molly Schrader, announced the news on Instagram, paying tribute to her mother’s grace and strength.
“Yesterday morning we lost my mom, Mary Beth, to Alzheimer’s after a decade long battle with the disease,” Schrader wrote. “She was an actress, a wife, a sister, a mother, an aunt, a friend, and she took on all those roles with grace and a kind ferocity. Although we’re grieving there is some comfort in knowing she is no longer suffering and is reunited with her sisters in peace.”
A Storied Career on Stage and Screen
Hurt first gained prominence with her breakout role in Woody Allen’s 1978 drama Interiors, establishing herself as a leading figure in American independent and art-house cinema. She went on to deliver memorable performances in Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979), The World According to Garp (1982), and The Age of Innocence (1993), directed by Martin Scorsese.
Her filmography also included A Change of Seasons (1980), D.A.R.Y.L. (1985), the black comedy Parents (1989), Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), The Family Man (2000), Lady in the Water (2006), and Untraceable (2008).
Broadway Legacy and Tony Recognition
On Broadway, Hurt appeared in 15 productions between 1974 and 2011. She received three Tony nominations during her career, including a nod for her role as Meg Magrath in Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart in 1982—a role played by Jessica Lange in the 1986 film adaptation.
Her extensive Broadway credits included The Rules of the Game (1974), The Member of the Wedding (1975), The Cherry Orchard (1977), The Misanthrope (1983), Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance (1996), Top Girls (2008), and The House of Blue Leaves (2011).
Lasting Impact
Throughout her five-decade career, Hurt was celebrated for her sophisticated screen presence, emotional depth, and versatility across genres. Her final film credit was Change in the Air (2018).
Hurt is survived by her husband and children. Memorial arrangements have not yet been announced.
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