‘The World According to Garp’ actress Mary Beth Hurt dead at 79

Antoinette BuenoMon, March 30, 2026 at 12:42 AM UTC

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Tony Award-nominated actress Mary Beth Hurt, known for her roles in movies such as “The World According to Garp” and others, has died at the age of 79.

Her daughter, Molly Schrader, shared the news on Instagram Sunday, saying that her mother died on Saturday and had suffered with Alzheimer’s.

“Yesterday morning we lost my mom, Mary Beth, to Alzheimer’s after a decade long battle with the disease,” she wrote, alongside a picture of herself as a baby with her mother. “She was an actress, a wife, a sister, a mother, an aunt, a friend, and she took on all those rolls with grace and a kind ferocity. Although we’re grieving there is some comfort in knowing she is no longer suffering and is reunited with her sisters in peace.”

Actress Mary Beth Hurt died at the age of 79, her daughter, Molly, shared on Instagram Sunday. She’s seen here in 1982’s “The World According to Garp.” ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Molly shared that the actress had battled Alzheimer’s for a decade. She’s seen here with Robin Williams in “The World According to Garp.” ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Hurt’s husband, Oscar-nominated writer and director Paul Schrader, also confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter her death, saying she died at an assisted living facility in Jersey City, NJ.

Per the outlet, Hurt was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2015, and she had until recently been living in another facility in Manhattan, with her husband in another apartment in the building.

A representative for Hurt was not immediately available to Page Six.

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Hurt also had a role in Woody Allen’s 1978 film. “Interiors.” She’s seen here in the film with the late Diane Keaton. Courtesy Everett Collection

Molly wrote of her mother’s death, “Although we’re grieving there is some comfort in knowing she is no longer suffering and is reunited with her sisters in peace.” MediaPunch / BACKGRID

Hurt’s movie credits included Woody Allen’s 1978 film, “Interiors,” and Martin Scorsese’s 1993 film, “The Age of Innocence,” and his 1999 film, “Bringing Out the Dead.”

Her television guest appearances included roles on “Law & Order” and “Kojak.”

She was also known for her critically acclaimed work in Broadway.

Hurt was married to director Paul Schrader and they collaborated on multiple films together. She was previously married to actor William Hurt. MediaPunch / BACKGRID

Hurt and Schrader shared two kids together: daughter Molly and son Sam. MediaPunch / BACKGRID

She was nominated for three Tony Awards for her Broadway performances in “Trelawny of the Wells,” “Crimes of the Heart,” and “Benefactors.”

Hurt was married to actor William Hurt from 1971 to 1982. She married Schrader in 1983, and they shared two children together: daughter Molly and son Sam.

She and Schrader collaborated on multiple films together, including 1992’s “Light Sleeper” and 1997’s “Affliction.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”