Mary Beth Hurt, 'interiors' And 'the World According To Garp' Actor, Dies At 79

Mary Beth Hurt, a Tony Award-nominated character who appeared successful films including “Interiors,” “The World According to Garp” and “The Age of Innocence,” has died. She was 79.

Hurt died Saturday of Alzheimer’s disease, her girl Molly Schrader announced Sunday successful an Instagram post. Hurt’s husband, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Paul Schrader, confirmed to nan Hollywood Reporter that she died astatine an assisted surviving installation successful Jersey City, N.J.. She had been diagnosed pinch Alzheimer’s successful 2015.

“She was an actress, a wife, a sister, a mother, an aunt, a friend, and she took connected each those rolls pinch grace and a benignant ferocity,” Molly Schrader wrote successful her post. “Although we’re grieving location is immoderate comfortableness successful knowing she is nary longer suffering and is reunited pinch her sisters successful peace.”

Hurt made her New York shape debut successful a 1973 successful an off-Broadway accumulation of “As You Like It,” according to Playbill. She made her Broadway debut successful 1974, appearing successful little productions of “Love for Love” and “The Rules of nan Game.” She appeared successful 15 Broadway productions full complete nan people of her career.

While Hurt told nan New York Times successful 1989 that she was pleased pinch her career, she besides said that “there’s not excessively overmuch reward” for doing theatre successful New York.

“You can’t make a surviving doing it,” she told nan outlet. “I americium happy pinch my career, but it’s very difficult to maintain. I don’t sing. I can’t do musicals. The only measurement I tin make a surviving doing theatre is connected Broadway. And it’s a unspeakable situation. There aren’t galore consecutive plays connected Broadway. And Broadway needs consecutive plays. They supply a typical sound that shouldn’t beryllium stilled.”

She earned her first Tony Award nomination successful 1976 for portraying Rose Trelawny successful Arthur Wing Pinero’s “Trelawny of nan ‘Wells.’” Hurt’s 2 different nominations were for her roles successful Beth Henley’s “Crimes of nan Heart” (1982) and Michael Frayn’s “Benefactors” (1986).

Hurt made her movie debut successful Woody Allen’s 1978 drama, “Interiors,” wherever she portrayed nan directionless would-be creator Joey other her much successful siblings Renata and Flyn, played by Diane Keaton and Kristin Griffith, respectively. Her capacity earned her a BAFTA nomination.

In “The World According to Garp” (1982), Hurt played Helen Holm, nan eventual woman of Robin Williams’ titular T.S. Garp. She besides appeared successful Martin Scorsese’s adjustment of Edith Wharton’s “The Age of Innocence” (1993) and her hubby Paul Schrader’s “Light Sleeper” (1992) and “Affliction” (1997).

Born Mary Beth Supinger successful Marshalltown, Iowa, connected Sept. 25, 1946, Hurt studied play astatine nan University of Iowa earlier pursuing postgraduate studies astatine New York University Tisch School of nan Arts. She joined character William Hurt in 1971 and took his sanction earlier they divided successful 1982. She joined Schrader, whom she met done a publicist, successful 1983.

“Mary Beth saved me,” Schrader, who has been unfastened astir his problem pinch narcotics and intoxicant successful nan 1980s, told nan New Yorker successful 2023. After moving her to a attraction installation successful 2019 pursuing her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Schrader moved Hurt during nan pandemic backmost to their New York reservoir house, wherever he’d built her a greenhouse because she loved gardening.

One of Hurt’s puerility babysitters was chap Marshalltown autochthonal Jean Seberg, a family acquaintance who would spell connected to prima successful films specified arsenic Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless” and Otto Preminger’s “St. Joan” earlier her tragic decease successful 1979. Hurt played Seberg, successful voiceover, successful Mark Rappaport’s “From nan Journals of Jean Seberg” (1995).

David Hare, who directed Hurt successful “The Secret Rapture,” described her arsenic “a good ensemble actress” to nan New York Times successful 1989.

“She has nan champion of nan English and nan champion of nan American traditions,” Hare told nan outlet. “What marks English actors is that they tin move connected a sixpence — location isn’t thing technically they can’t do. They’re supple, for illustration musicians, and from nan method installation they get freedom. And successful Mary Beth’s lawsuit location is simply a benignant of improvisatory gift, a willingness to make nan capacity caller each time.”

Hurt is survived by her hubby and 2 children, Molly and Sam.