Hurd Hatfield, an American actor whose elegance and style often landed him roles in British-related productions, died Dec. 25, 1998 in Ireland, the New York Times reported. He was 80.

Born in Manhattan as William Rukard Hurd Hatfield, he appeared with the Michael Chekhov's Dartington Hall company in Britain and appeared on Broadway in Christopher Fry's Venus Observed, starring Rex Harrison and directed by Laurence Olivier.

He was Don John in John Gielgud's staging of Much Ado About Nothing on Broadway in 1959, and was in Elia Kazan's original production of Camino Real. He appeared Off-Broadway in Bullfight and his work was also seen at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, CT.

Among TV and films roles, Mr. Hatfield played the grandfather in the film, "Crimes of the Heart," and might be best known for playing the title role in the 1945 film of Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray."

-- By Kenneth Jones