Mary Beth Hurt, Three-Time Tony Nominee, Dead at 79
Mary Beth Hurt, a Tony-nominated actress whose career spanned four decades on stage and screen, died Saturday, March 28, at an assisted living facility in Jersey City, New Jersey. She was 79. The cause of death was Alzheimer's disease, which she had battled since her diagnosis in 2015.
Her daughter, Molly Schrader, and husband, filmmaker Paul Schrader, confirmed the news on social media.
Her Family's Words
"Yesterday morning we lost my mom, Mary Beth, to Alzheimer's after a decade-long battle with the disease," Molly wrote on Instagram. "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."
Schrader, known for his screenwriting work on films including "Taxi Driver" and "American Gigolo," reflected on his wife's death on Facebook with a deeply personal note. "My father kept a meticulous and finely printed daily journal," he wrote. "Now I'm in that place."
He had moved into her memory care facility in 2023 to stay close to her as her condition progressed.
A Career Built on Stage and Screen
Born Mary Beth Supinger on September 26, 1946, in Marshalltown, Iowa, Hurt studied drama at the University of Iowa before earning her graduate degree at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She made her New York stage debut in 1974 and received her first Tony nomination the following year for "Trelawny of the Wells."
She went on to earn two more Tony nominations — for originating the role of Meg Magrath in "Crimes of the Heart" in 1981 and for "Benefactors" in 1985. In total, she appeared on Broadway 15 times over nearly four decades.
Her film debut came in 1978 in Woody Allen's "Interiors," in which she played one of several siblings navigating family dysfunction. She later recalled being struck by nerves on her first day of shooting — until she noticed Diane Keaton's knees shaking.
"I looked down and saw that Keaton's knees were shaking — and I immediately became calm," she told The New York Times in 1986. "I thought, 'It's all right, everyone gets nervous.'"
Memorable Roles Across Four Decades
Hurt's film career included a string of notable supporting performances. She starred opposite Robin Williams in "The World According to Garp" in 1982, appeared in Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence" in 1993, and featured in "Six Degrees of Separation" that same year. She also collaborated with Schrader on "Light Sleeper" in 1992 and "Affliction" in 1997.
Her television work included appearances on "Law & Order," "Thirtysomething," and "Saturday Night Live."
Despite the breadth of her résumé, Hurt was largely content in supporting roles, which she found more interesting than leading parts. "I'm not very ambitious," she told The New York Times. "I probably could have a more successful career if I would actively campaign for it."
New York Times film critic Vincent Canby wrote in 1981 that she had "a remarkable ability to change her looks almost as easily as other actors change expressions. She's a complete sort of actress, the kind that movies can well use."
A Close Circle and a Long Partnership
Hurt was previously married to actor William Hurt from 1971 to 1982. She and Paul Schrader married in 1983 and had two children together — daughter Molly and son Sam.
She was close friends with actress Glenn Close, who had understudied her in the 1974 production of "Love for Love." The two later appeared together on Broadway in "Benefactors."
She is survived by Schrader, Molly, and Sam.
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