Marsha Hunt
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 17, 1917
- Died
- September 7, 2022 (aged 104)
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
Biography
Marsha Hunt (born Marcia Virginia Hunt; October 17, 1917 – September 7, 2022) was an American actress, model and activist, with a career spanning nearly 80 years. She was blacklisted by Hollywood film studio executives in the 1950s during McCarthyism. Although initially reluctant to pursue a film career, in June 1935, at age 17, Hunt signed a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures. Paramount discovered her when she was visiting her uncle in Los Angeles and the comedian Zeppo Marx saw a picture of her in the newspaper. She was then offered a screen test for The Virginia Judge. At Paramount, Hunt mainly played ingenue parts. Between 1935 and 1938, she made 12 pictures at Paramount, including a starring roles in Easy to Take, Gentle Julia, The Accusing Finger, Murder Goes to College, and two on "loan-out" to RKO and 20th Century Fox. In 1937, she starred opposite John Wayne, a couple of years prior to his breakthrough in Hollywood, in the Western film Born to the West. The studio terminated Hunt's contract in 1938, and she spent a few years starring in B-films produced by poverty row studios such as Republic Pictures and Monogram Pictures. She also headed to New York City for work in summer stock theatre shortly before winning a supporting role in MGM's These Glamour Girls opposite Lana Turner and Lew Ayres. The role of Betty was said to have been written specially with Hunt in mind. Other roles in major studio productions soon followed, including supporting roles as Mary Bennet in MGM's version of Pride and Prejudice with Laurence Olivier and as Martha Scott's surrogate child Hope Thompson in Cheers for Miss Bishop. In 1941, Hunt signed a contract with MGM, where she remained for the next six years. While filming Blossoms in the Dust, film director Mervyn LeRoy lauded Hunt for her heartfelt and genuine acting ability. In 1944, she polled seventh in a list by exhibitors of "Stars of Tomorrow". She also appeared in None Shall Escape, a film that is now regarded as the first about the Holocaust. She played Marja Pacierkowski, the Polish fiancé of a German Nazi officer named Wilhelm Grimm.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission
Movie · as Self
Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity
Movie · as Self
Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood
TV · as Self · 7 eps
Empire State Building Murders
Movie · as Norah Strinberg
The Grand Inquisitor
Movie · as Hazel Reedy
Chloe's Prayer
Movie
Dalton Trumbo: Rebel in Hollywood
Movie · as Herself
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial
Movie · as Herself
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Play on One
TV · as Elvi Rogers · 1 ep
Star Trek: The Next Generation
TV · as Anne Jameson · 1 ep
Matlock
TV · as Harriet · 1 ep
Murder, She Wrote
TV · as Elvira Tree · 1 ep
Terror Among Us
Movie · as Marge
Medical Story
TV · as Sylvia Brent · 1 ep
Harry O
TV · 1 ep
Police Story
TV · as Mrs. Hines · 2 eps
Jigsaw
Movie · as Dr. Gehlen
Johnny Got His Gun
Movie · as Joe's Mother
Fear No Evil
Movie · as Mrs. Varney
Marcus Welby, M.D.
TV · as Mrs. Bellows · 1 ep
The Outsider
TV · 1 ep
The Name of the Game
TV · as Claudia Loring · 1 ep
Ironside
TV · as Sissy Cardwell · 1 ep
Accidental Family
TV · 1 ep
Run for Your Life
TV · as Mrs. Southworth · 1 ep
Profiles in Courage
TV · as Mrs. Ely · 1 ep
Breaking Point
TV · 1 ep
The Outer Limits
TV · as Francesca Fields · 1 ep
Sam Benedict
TV · as Cora Wilcox · 1 ep
Cain's Hundred
TV · as Gloria Bonner · 1 ep
Ben Casey
TV · 1 ep
The Defenders
TV · as Della Martin · 1 ep
The Plunderers
Movie · as Kate Miller
My Three Sons
TV · as Aunt Cecile Blackman · 1 ep
Blue Denim
Movie · as Jessie Bartley
The Twilight Zone
TV · as Mrs. Henderson · 1 ep
Laramie
TV · 1 ep
The Detectives
TV · 1 ep
Peck's Bad Girl
TV · as Jennifer Peck · 14 eps
Bombers B-52
Movie · as Edith Brennan
Back from the Dead
Movie · as Kate Hazelton
Panic!
TV · 1 ep
No Place to Hide
Movie · as Anne Dobson
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
TV · as Claire Andrews, Julie Reynolds, Dr. Sarah Martin, Catha Duncan · 1 ep
A Word to the Wives...
Movie · as Alice
Gunsmoke
TV · as Sarah · 1 ep
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
TV · as Blanche Herbert · 1 ep
The 20th Century Fox Hour
TV · as Mary · 1 ep
With This Ring
Movie · as Elise Miller John
Diplomatic Passport
Movie · as Judy Anderson
Climax!
TV · as Ann Williams, Julie Brennan · 1 ep
Actors and Sin
Movie · as Marcia Tillayou (segment Actor's Blood)
The Happy Time
Movie · as Susan Bonnard
Your Show of Shows
TV · 2 eps
Take One False Step
Movie · as Martha Wier
Jigsaw
Movie · as Mrs. Hartley's Secretary (uncredited)
Mary Ryan, Detective
Movie · as Mary Ryan
She Loves Me Not
Movie · as Midge Mercer
Raw Deal
Movie · as Ann Martin
The Inside Story
Movie · as Francine Taylor
Studio One
TV · as Janet Willson, Kate Brookfield (uncredited) · 1 ep
The Philco Television Playhouse
TV · as Viola, Phoebe Throssel · 1 ep
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
Movie · as Martha Gray
Carnegie Hall
Movie · as Nora Ryan
A Letter for Evie
Movie · as Evie O'Connor
The Valley of Decision
Movie · as Constance Scott
None Shall Escape
Movie · as Marja Pacierkowski
Music for Millions
Movie · as Rosalind
Bride by Mistake
Movie · as Sylvia Lockwood
Twenty Years After
Movie · as (archive footage)
Thousands Cheer
Movie · as Marsha Hunt
The Human Comedy
Movie · as Diana Steed
Cry 'Havoc'
Movie · as Flo Norris
Pilot #5
Movie · as Freddie Andrews
Lost Angel
Movie · as Katie Mallory
Kid Glove Killer
Movie · as Jane Mitchell
Panama Hattie
Movie · as Leila Tree
Seven Sweethearts
Movie · as Regina 'Reggie' Van Maaster
The Affairs of Martha
Movie · as Martha Lindstrom
Joe Smith, American
Movie · as Mary Smith
Blossoms in the Dust
Movie · as Charlotte
Unholy Partners
Movie · as Gail Fenton
I'll Wait for You
Movie · as Pauline Miller
The Penalty
Movie · as Katherine Logan
The Trial of Mary Dugan
Movie · as Agatha Hall
Cheers for Miss Bishop
Movie · as Hope Thompson
Pride and Prejudice
Movie · as Mary Bennet
Ellery Queen, Master Detective
Movie · as Barbara Braun
Flight Command
Movie · as Claire
Irene
Movie · as Miss Eleanor Worth
Women in Hiding
Movie · as Jane Taylor
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Movie · as Self
These Glamour Girls
Movie · as Betty Ainsbridge
Star Reporter
Movie · as Barbara Burnette
The Long Shot
Movie · as Martha Sharon
The Hardys Ride High
Movie · as Susan Bowen
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
Movie · as Kitty Crusper
Winter Carnival
Movie · as Lucy Morgan
Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga
Movie · as Herself (uncredited)
Come On, Leathernecks!
Movie · as Valerie Taylor
Born to the West
Movie · as Judy Worstall
Annapolis Salute
Movie · as Julia Clemens
Murder Goes to College
Movie · as Nora Barry
Easy Living
Movie · as Girl Getting Coat Dropped on Her at Finale (uncredited)
Thunder Trail
Movie · as Amy Morgan
Hell Town
Movie · as Judy Rustoe
The Accusing Finger
Movie · as Claire Patterson
Desert Gold
Movie · as Judith 'Judy' Belding
The Arizona Raiders
Movie · as Harriett Lindsay
College Holiday
Movie · as Sylvia Smith
Hollywood Boulevard
Movie · as Patricia Blakeford
Easy to Take
Movie · as Donna Westlake
Gentle Julia
Movie · as Julia Atwater
The Virginia Judge
Movie · as Mary Lee Calvert