Ben Stiller and Mark Ruffalo pay tribute to William Hurt

Ben Stiller and Mark Ruffalo have led tributes to late actor William Hurt.

The star, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in 1985's Kiss of the Spider Woman, passed away on Sunday at the age of 71.

Following the news, Stiller took to Twitter to remember how Hurt had worked with his father Jerry Stiller on a play called Hurlyburly in the early 1980s and had become a good family friend.

"He was so kind to my sister and I. He spent time at our apartment, and came to visit my parents up in Nantucket. He would talk to us about acting, and the crest or process. He talked to us as if we were adults, not kids of his friend. He made a huge impact on both of us," the actor reflected. "He inspired us to be who we were and commit to the work. Mostly, he made us feel special and was kind. I never saw him in the years after, except a couple of times. But I always held a place in my heart and have always been so grateful to have known him. Watch his movies if you can and see a different kind of movie star, for whom the work was more important than status. He did great work."

In addition, Ruffalo honoured Hurt, who also appeared in several of the Avengers films as General Thaddeus Ross.

"Wow, another major loss to the acting community. Great actor. Great mind. RIP," he tweeted.

Russell Crowe, Patton Oswalt, and Albert Brooks also posted tributes online.

Meanwhile, Christine Lahti remembered her The Doctor co-star during an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday.

"I was kind of starstruck by him, and we got to be friends, and then we got to work together," she commented. "He was so brilliant. I mean, his mind would just never stop. He was incredible. It's hard to talk about it right now, but I just have only good things to say."

Hurt is survived by his four children.