Mary Beth Hurt, Tony-Nominated Actress, Dies at 79
Mary Beth Hurt, Tony-Nominated Actress, Dies at 79
Victoria EdelSun, March 29, 2026 at 9:57 PM UTC
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Mary Beth Hurt in 1989.Credit: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty -
Actress Mary Beth Hurt has died at the age of 79
The three-time Tony Award nominee, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2015, died on Saturday, March 28
Hurt, who was married to writer-director Paul Schrader, appeared in films including 1982's The World According to Garp and 1997's Affliction
Actress Mary Beth Hurt has died at the age of 79.
The three-time Tony Award nominee died on Saturday, March 28, her daughter, Molly Schrader, announced on Instagram on Sunday, March 29.
Hurt's husband, writer-director Paul Schrader, also confirmed her death to The Hollywood Reporter, telling the outlet that she died at an assisted living facility in Jersey City.
Alongside a childhood photo of herself with Hurt, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2015, Molly wrote: "Yesterday morning we lost my mom, Mary Beth, to Alzheimer’s after a decade long battle with the disease. She was an actress, a wife, a sister, a mother, an aunt, a friend, and she took on all those rolls 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."
PEOPLE has reached out to representatives for Hurt and Paul Schrader.
Hurt was an acclaimed theater actress and appeared in films including 1982’s The World According to Garp, 1993’s The Age of Innocence and 1997’s Affliction. The latter was directed by her husband, 79.
Hurt was born Mary Beth Supinger in Marshalltown, Iowa, in 1946. “I think I was born an actress,” she told Theatrelife.com in 2010. “I was always making shows and having my sisters and my friends play parts in them. My mother took us to see plays in Des Moines and I enjoyed that, but it didn’t dawn on me that it was something that I could do. It wasn’t until I saw a play at our high school — I must have been in the eighth grade — that I realized then that it was something you could do.”
Mary Beth Hurt.Credit: DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
She studied drama at the University of Iowa, then moved to New York to take part in NYU’s graduate acting program. She graduated in 1971 and married actor William Hurt in 1972, taking his last name; they divorced in 1982.
In 1974, she made her Broadway debut in Love for Love. Later that year, she appeared in The Rules of the Game. In 1975, she starred in The Member of the Wedding and Trelawny of the "Wells.” She received her first Tony nomination for the latter.
Mary Beth Hurt (left) and Diane Keaton in the 1978 film 'Interiors'Credit: United Artists/Getty Image
During her early career, she often spent time with other young actors living in New York, including Glenn Close, who became her best friend. “She was this gamine,” Close told Bustle in 2020 about their days in the city together. “She was so gifted, so original, and she would get all these men around her. And I was just kind of the sidekick.”
“But I remember deciding that I’d much rather have Mary Beth as my friend than to try to be the wit of the party,” Close explained. “And we’ve had this extraordinary friendship our whole careers.”
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Mary Beth Hurt and Kevin Kline (right) at the opening night-party for 'Crimes of the Heart' in 1981.Credit: Art Zelin/Getty Images
Hurt continued to appear widely on Broadway, and she received two more Tony nominations for 1981’s Crimes of the Heart and 1985’s Benefactors.
Her film debut came in 1978’s Interiors, directed by Woody Allen. She received a BAFTA nomination for her performance. She next appeared in 1979’s Chilly Scenes of Winter and 1980’s A Change of Seasons. In 1982, she starred with Close, Robin Williams and John Lithgow in The World According to Garp. The New York Times called Hurt “excellent” in its review.
Hurt married Paul Schrader in 1983. They welcomed two children, Molly and Sam.
Mary Beth Hurt and Robin Williams in 'The World According to Garp'Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock
Though her acting talents were admired, she never became a superstar, which, as she told The New York Times in 1989, was at least partly by design. “I like not working,'' she told the outlet. She never worried about if she would book more roles. ''I have everything I want, everything I need. And more. . . . Paul and the kids are the best thing that ever happened to me."
''I think there's also an element of fear that I've been unwilling to confront,'' she continued. ''I don't like a lot of pressure. I'm not sure I would like the responsibility of carrying a show, being the leading actress rather than a supporting actress.'' She also said that “50 percent” of the film roles she was offered had “nothing of any interest.”
Paul Schrader, Mary Beth Hurt and their daughter Molly in 1985.Credit: Laurent SOLA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Broadway, she said, was a tough place to work. ''You can't make a living doing it,'' she explained. ''I am happy with my career, but it's very hard to maintain. I don't sing. I can't do musicals. The only way I can make a living doing theater is on Broadway. And it's a terrible situation. There aren't many straight plays on Broadway. And Broadway needs straight plays. They provide a special voice that shouldn't be stilled.''
Hurt appeared in Schrader’s 1992 film Light Sleeper. In 1993, she had a supporting role in The Age of Innocence, directed by Schrader’s frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese. She also appeared in 1993’s Six Degrees of Separation and Schrader’s 1997 film Affliction with Nick Nolte.
Mary Beth Hurt in 2010.Credit: Gary Gershoff/WireImage
Other film roles included Autumn in New York, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Young Adult. She also had several TV roles, including on Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In 2023, Schrader revealed that Hurt had been moved into full-time memory care. “I started realizing that we’re not gonna be able to take care of her anymore,” he told Curbed in 2023.
Hurt is survived by her husband and children.
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