Cast

Marsha Hunt

Acting

Cast

Marsha Hunt

Known for

Acting

Born

1917-10-17

From

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Died

2022-09-07

Also known as Marcia Virginia Hunt, Marcia Virginia "Marsha" Hunt

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.

Marsha Hunt

Marsha Hunt

Biography

Jigsaw

Thunder Trail

Hell Town

Annapolis Salute

Come On, Leathernecks!

Johnny Got His Gun

Easy Living

Twenty Years After

Pride and Prejudice

The Valley of Decision

Born to the West

Bombers B-52

Dalton Trumbo: Rebel in Hollywood

Flight Command

She Loves Me Not

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President

The Human Comedy

Easy to Take

The Accusing Finger

Actors and Sin

Blossoms in the Dust

These Glamour Girls

Unholy Partners

Panama Hattie

The Affairs of Martha

The Plunderers

Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial

Music for Millions

Thousands Cheer

Blue Denim

Star Reporter

Joe Smith, American

Cheers for Miss Bishop

The Grand Inquisitor

Raw Deal

Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity

Women in Hiding

The Hardys Ride High

I'll Wait for You

Murder Goes to College

Irene

No Place to Hide

The Happy Time

Hollywood Boulevard

Terror Among Us

With This Ring

Fear No Evil

Kid Glove Killer

College Holiday

Cry 'Havoc'

Mary Ryan, Detective

The Inside Story

Carnegie Hall

Hollywood: Style Center of the World

Lost Angel

Seven Sweethearts

Empire State Building Murders

Bride by Mistake

Pilot #5

Jigsaw

Back from the Dead

Ellery Queen, Master Detective

Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission

Take One False Step

The Arizona Raiders

Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman

Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga

The Penalty

A Letter for Evie

Winter Carnival

Chloe's Prayer

Diplomatic Passport

Desert Gold

Gentle Julia

The Long Shot

None Shall Escape