Mary Beth Hurt, ‘Interiors,’ ‘Chilly Scenes of Winter’ and ‘World According to Garp’ Actress, Dies at 79

Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Mary Beth Hurt, the Tony-nominated actress whose demure demeanor drew moviegoers to her array of emotionally impactful performances in such films as Interiors , Chilly Scenes of Winter and The World According to Garp , died Sunday. She was 79. Her death was announced by her daughter, Molly Schrader, and husband, Oscar-nominated writer and director Paul Schrader. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2015, she resided in an assisted-living facility in Manhattan, where her husband lived in an apartment in the building. Hurt also brought a sophisticated flair to James Ivory’s Slaves of New York with her turn as a gallery owner, and she portrayed a 1950s mom whose quirky behavior convinces her son (Bryan Madorsky) that she and her husband (Randy Quaid) are cannibals in another 1989 film, the Bob Balaban-directed black comedy Parents. Related Stories Movies James Tolkan, 'Back to the Future' and 'Top Gun' Actor, Dies at 94 Music Dash Crofts, Seals & Crofts Singer Behind "Summer Breeze," Dies at 87 And in Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Hurt played one of the New York socialites who falls into the web of deceit created by a charismatic young man (Will Smith) pretending to be the son of Sidney Poitier . Hurt appeared 15 times on Broadway from 1974-2011 and in 1982 received one her three career Tony nominations for her turn as Meg Magrath, one of three Mississippi sisters facing trauma in their lives, in the Beth Henley-written Crimes of the Heart . (Jessice Lange starred in the role opposite Diane Keaton and Sissy Speck in the 1986 Bruce Beresford-directed film adaptation.) “The first thing, above all, is that she is a fine ensemble actress,” said playwright David Hare, who directed Hurt on Broadway in 1989’s The Secret Rapture and praised her i...