Mary Beth Hurt (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Supinger; born September 25, 1946) is a retired American actress of stage and screen. She is a three-time

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-nominated actress. Notable films in which Hurt appears include ''

Interiors ''Interiors'' is a 1978 American drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Kristin Griffith, Mary Beth Hurt, Richard Jordan, Diane Keaton, E. G. Marshall, Geraldine Page, Maureen Stapleton, and Sam Waterston. Allen's first ...

'' (1978), '' The World According to Garp'' (1982), '' The Age of Innocence'' (1993), and ''

Six Degrees of Separation Six degrees of separation is the idea that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. As a result, a chain of "friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. It is al ...

'' (1993). She has also collaborated with her husband, filmmaker

Paul Schrader Paul Joseph Schrader (; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first became known for writing the screenplay of Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' (1976). He later continued his collaboration with Scor ...

, in such films as '' Light Sleeper'' (1992) and '' Affliction'' (1997).

Early life

Mary Beth Hurt was born Mary Beth Supinger in

Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in Marshall County, Iowa, and is the county seat of the county. With a population of 27,591 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the 16th largest city in the state. Marshalltown is home to the Iowa Vetera ...

, the daughter of Delores Lenore (

Andre) and Forrest Clayton Supinger. Her childhood babysitter was actress Jean Seberg, also a Marshalltown native. Hurt studied drama at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

and at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

's Graduate Acting Program at the

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

Career

Hurt made her New York stage debut in 1974. She was nominated for three

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...

for her Broadway performances in '' Trelawny of the Wells'', ''

Crimes of the Heart ''Crimes of the Heart'' is a play by American playwright Beth Henley. It is set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi in the mid-20th century. The play won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. In 1986, th ...

'' (for which she won an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

), and '' Benefactors''. Hurt made her film debut in

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

's dramatic film ''

'' (1978) as Joey, the second of three sisters dealing with the emotional fallout of a family's disintegration and their mother Eve (

Geraldine Page Geraldine Sue Page (November 22, 1924June 13, 1987) was an American actress. With a career which spanned four decades across film, stage, and television, Page was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Geraldine Page, numer ...

)'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. 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 Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

'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 2006 movie ''

The Dead Girl ''The Dead Girl'' is a 2006 American drama thriller film written and directed by Karen Moncrieff, starring Brittany Murphy, Toni Collette, Rose Byrne and Marcia Gay Harden. The film was nominated for several 2007 Independent Spirit Awards incl ...

''. For her role in ''Crimes of the Heart'' (1981) she was nominated for 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 The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom. Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 ...

in 1975 for Best Supporting Female for her role in the

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production of the play '' Love for Love''.

Personal life

Hurt was married to actor William Hurt from 1971 to 1982. She married filmmaker

in 1983; the couple have a daughter and a son. She is close friends with fellow actress

Glenn Close Glenda Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades on Glenn Close on screen and stage, screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Glenn Close, numerous ac ...

, who understudied her in the play ''Love for Love'' in 1974. On February 11, 2023, Schrader wrote on his

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

account that Hurt had been placed in memory care, a result of her advancing

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

References

External links

* * *
Profile at Internet Theatre Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurt, Mary Beth 1946 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Iowa American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Obie Award recipients People from Marshalltown, Iowa People with Alzheimer's disease Tisch School of the Arts alumni University of Iowa alumni