The Nominees: William Hurt
William Hurt already has an Oscar; he won it in 1985 for his leading role "Kiss of the Spider Woman." He was nominated for the award again in 1986 and '87 (for "Children of a Lesser God" and "Broadcast News," respectively).
But this year, he's been recognized in a supporting role, for a third-act turn in "A History of Violence" that is short but far from sweet.
Hurt, 55, has been something of a surprise for most of his career. He first drew wide notice as the not-too-bright guy who smashes a window for Kathleen Turner in "Body Heat" (1981), then turned around and did his part in the ensemble cast of "The Big Chill" (1981), playing a droll and damaged war vet.
In 1985, he took on Broadway, winning a Tony nomination for his performance in "Hurlyburly." But it takes an actor of some daring and range to take on roles as different as Rochester in "Jane Eyre" (1996) and John Robinson, the dad in "Lost in Space" (1998).
He got good reviews for playing FBI agent Robert Hanssen in a 2003 CBS-TV miniseries, "Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story," which boasted a script by Norman Mailer. And so one might think Hurt is settling down into an occasional solid turn in an interesting drama.
More from CBSNews.com on William Hurt and on the Oscars...See photo essay for more pictures of William Hurt. See Oscar Scorecard to see how Hurt is doing compared with the other nominated actors. Find out about all the nominees in the Academy Awards special report.
But then he takes on a role like Richie Cusack in a movie like "A History of Violence" and takes his audience by surprise.
Hurt was married to actress Mary Beth Hurt for 10 years before their divorce in 1981. He has custody of two sons, Willie and Sam, from another marriage to Heidi Henderson (daughter of bandleader Skitch Henderson), He lived with Sandra Jennings from 1981 to 1984. They, too, have a son together. Hurt also has a 12-year-old daughter, Jeanne, from a relationship with French actress Sandrine Bonnaire.