Hugh Hurd

Hugh Lincoln Hurd (February 11, 1925 – July 15, 1995) was an American actor and civil rights activist. Hurd is known for his lead role in John Cassavetes' debut 1959 feature film Shadows and for his organizing activities for African-American actors.

Biography Hugh Lincoln Hurd was born on February 11, 1925. His most notable acting roles were as the male lead in the 1959 film Shadows directed by John Cassavetes and a major role in the Japanese film The Catch (1961), as a prisoner of war. He also had roles in The Winner (1963), For Love of Ivy (1968), The Hot Rock (1972), Blade (1973), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), The First Deadly Sin (1980), Liebestraum (1991), Jumpin' at the Boneyard (1992), and Who's the Man? (1993). His last film appearance was in the 1995 documentary Anything for John.

Hurd was active in organizing work that combated racial discrimination against African Americans in general and African-American actors in particular. In the late 1950s at the Village Gate nightclub, he co-organized with Godfrey Cambridge and Maya Angelou to fund raise $9,000 for Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement. The painting is titled "Hugh Hurd" and is currently held by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Hurd died on July 15, 1995, in New York City within Greenwich Village at St. Vincent's Hospital. They had three daughters; Denise, Adrienne, and Michelle Hurd, known for her roles in television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Blindspot and Star Trek: Picard. Michelle would later also be elected secretary-treasurer of SAG-AFTRA in 2025. He also had a fourth daughter from a previous relationship.

1962 Mafioso Frank