Distinguished American actor William Hurt, one of the top leading men in 1980's, is notable for his intensity and ability to effectively portray complex characters. Although born in Washington DC, Hurt had already seen much of the world by the time he was grown, as his father worked for the State Department. His early years were spent in the South Pacific near Guam. When he was six years old, Hurt's parents divorced, and he moved to Manhattan with his mother, summering with his father in a variety of international locales, including Sudan. When he was ten, Hurt's life dramatically changed when he became a stepson to Henry Luce III, the heir to the Time-Life empire. Soon after the wedding he was sent to a boarding school in Massachusetts. There he found comfort in acting. Later his stepfather convinced him to study theology, which Hurt did for three years before marrying aspiring actress Mary Beth Hurt and heading for London to study drama during his senior year. Upon their return to the U.S., Hurt studied drama at Julliard. By this time his marriage was failing so he divorced his wife, got a motorcycle and headed cross-country for the Shakespeare festival in Ashland, Oregon, where he made his professional debut. Later he joined the New York's Circle Repertory Company, and went on to receive critical acclaim, including an Obie Award in 1977 for his work in the play My Life. He made his feature film debut in Ken Russell's Altered States (1980), but it was not until he appeared opposite Kathleen Turner in Body Heat (1981) that he became a star and sex symbol. For his sensitive portrayal of a gay prisoner in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Hurt won an Oscar for "Best Actor" and a similar honor at Cannes. Hurt was again nominated for "Best Actor" Oscars for his two subsequent films Children of a Lesser God (1986) and Broadcast News(1987). As bright as his star shone on stage and screen, by the end of the '80s, a darker side of Hurt was exposed when he was sued by his former live-in love and mother of his daughter Alex, ballet dancer Sandra Jennings, who claimed to be his common-law wife. He was also involved for several years with Lesser God co-star Marlee Matlin. Despite his personal problems, Hurt remains a fine and busy actor. He later married Heidi Henderson, daughter of bandleader Skitch Henderson.