A substantial, seemingly cerebral antithesis to some of the film industry's flashier favorites, William Hurt's quiet, often stone-faced dignity masks a depth of talent that has elevated many a film over the last two decades.

Born in Washington DC in 1950, Hurt spent much of his early childhood in Guam where his father, a state department employee, was stationed. Returning stateside following his parents' divorce, the ten-year old Hurt endured more upheaval when his mother married Henry Luce III, multimillionaire heir to the Time-Life fortune.

Unaccustomed to living a life wealth and privilege that included boarding school, young Bill sought solace in amateur theatrics. And though he initially studied theology at Tufts University at his stepfather's request, Hurt once again found himself drawn to dramatics. As a junior he met and married a fellow thespian who went on to find success in her own right as Mary Beth Hurt in films including