Hurd Hatfield Death
Hurd passed away on December 26, 1998 at the age of 81 in Monkstown, County Cork, Ireland. Hurd's cause of death was heart attack.
When did Hurd Hatfield die?
December 26, 1998How did Hurd Hatfield die? What was the cause of death?
Heart attackHow old was Hurd Hatfield when died?
81Where did Hurd Hatfield die? What was the location of death?
Monkstown, County Cork, Ireland
Hurd Hatfield Birthday and Date of Death
Hurd Hatfield was born on December 7, 1917 and died on December 26, 1998. Hurd was 81 years old at the time of death.
Birthday: December 7, 1917
Date of Death: December 26, 1998
Age at Death: 81
Hurd Hatfield - Biography
William Rukard Hurd Hatfield (December 7, 1917 – December 26, 1998) was an American actor.
He returned to America for his film debut in Dragon Seed (1944), in which he and his co-stars (Katharine Hepburn, Akim Tamiroff, Aline MacMahon, Turhan Bey) portrayed Chinese peasants, some more convincingly than others. It was Hatfield's second film, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), that made him a star. As Oscar Wilde's ageless anti-hero, Hatfield received widespread acclaim for his dark good looks as much as for his acting ability. However, the actor was ambivalent about the role and his performance. "The film didn't make me popular in Hollywood," he commented later. "It was too odd, too avant-garde, too ahead of its time. The decadence, the hints of bisexuality and so on, made me a leper! Nobody knew I had a sense of humour, and people wouldn't even have lunch with me."
Having been introduced to Ireland by actress and former co-star Angela Lansbury, Hatfield lived at Ballinterry House, Rathcormac, County Cork from the early 1970s. He purchased the structure to save it from demolition and he spent 24 years restoring and renovating it. A keen collector of antiques and art, he referred to Ballinterry House as a painting which he would never quite finish. He died in his sleep of a heart attack at a friend's home, aged 81, after celebrating Christmas dinner.
Hatfield never married. His long-time close friend and colleague Maggie Williams was heir of both Ballinterry House and his collection. She maintained the historic Irish country home exactly as it was at the time of Hatfield's death. The house was sold in late 2006, and the entire contents of the 'Hurd Hatfield Collection' were sold at an auction on the premises by 'Country House Antique & Fine Art Auction' in March 2007.
At the time of his death, Hatfield was writing his autobiography. He was cremated and his ashes scattered.
