Marsha Hunt

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.

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: October 17, 1917

Deathday: September 07, 2022

Popularity:

4.635

Known For

Take One False Step
Take One False Step

1949-08-14

Jigsaw
Jigsaw

1949-03-11

Raw Deal
Raw Deal

1948-05-21

Thousands Cheer
Thousands Cheer

1943-09-13

Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice

1940-07-26

The Valley of Decision
The Valley of Decision

1945-05-03

Johnny Got His Gun
Johnny Got His Gun

1971-08-04

Kid Glove Killer
Kid Glove Killer

1942-04-17

None Shall Escape
None Shall Escape

1944-02-03

Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman

1947-03-01

The Human Comedy
The Human Comedy

1943-03-02

Ellery Queen, Master Detective
Ellery Queen, Master Detective

1940-11-30

Empire State Building Murders
Empire State Building Murders

2008-08-14

Cry 'Havoc'
Cry 'Havoc'

1943-11-23

Born to the West
Born to the West

1937-12-10

Blossoms in the Dust
Blossoms in the Dust

1941-08-15

Actors and Sin
Actors and Sin

1952-06-18

Unholy Partners
Unholy Partners

1941-11-01

Flight Command
Flight Command

1940-12-27

Pilot #5
Pilot #5

1943-06-24

Bombers B-52
Bombers B-52

1957-11-22

Panama Hattie
Panama Hattie

1942-09-30

Seven Sweethearts
Seven Sweethearts

1942-11-13

Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall

1947-02-28

Mary Ryan, Detective
Mary Ryan, Detective

1949-11-03

No Place to Hide
No Place to Hide

1956-08-28

Irene
Irene

1940-04-23

The Grand Inquisitor
The Grand Inquisitor

2008-01-01

The Accusing Finger
The Accusing Finger

1936-11-17

Blue Denim
Blue Denim

1959-07-30

Women in Hiding
Women in Hiding

1940-06-22

Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial

1996-02-27

Back from the Dead
Back from the Dead

1957-08-12

Lost Angel
Lost Angel

1943-12-23

The Inside Story
The Inside Story

1948-03-14

The Plunderers
The Plunderers

1960-11-05

The Arizona Raiders
The Arizona Raiders

1936-06-27

Desert Gold
Desert Gold

1936-03-26

I'll Wait for You
I'll Wait for You

1941-05-16

These Glamour Girls
These Glamour Girls

1939-08-18

The Happy Time
The Happy Time

1952-10-30

Music for Millions
Music for Millions

1944-12-18

Star Reporter
Star Reporter

1939-02-22

Annapolis Salute
Annapolis Salute

1937-09-10

Bride by Mistake
Bride by Mistake

1944-07-26

A Letter for Evie
A Letter for Evie

1946-01-28

The Affairs of Martha
The Affairs of Martha

1942-06-21

College Holiday
College Holiday

1936-12-19

With This Ring
With This Ring

1954-01-01

Murder Goes to College
Murder Goes to College

1937-02-24

Fear No Evil
Fear No Evil

1969-03-03

Jigsaw
Jigsaw

1972-03-26

Easy Living
Easy Living

1937-07-16

The Long Shot
The Long Shot

1939-01-06

The Penalty
The Penalty

1941-03-13

The Hardys Ride High
The Hardys Ride High

1939-04-21

Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard

1936-08-20

The Trial of Mary Dugan
The Trial of Mary Dugan

1941-02-14

Thunder Trail
Thunder Trail

1937-10-21

Come On, Leathernecks!
Come On, Leathernecks!

1938-08-08

Joe Smith, American
Joe Smith, American

1942-02-01

Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President

1939-12-01

A Word to the Wives...
A Word to the Wives...

1955-01-01

Diplomatic Passport
Diplomatic Passport

1954-08-13

Winter Carnival
Winter Carnival

1939-07-28

Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga
Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga

1939-09-02

Cheers for Miss Bishop
Cheers for Miss Bishop

1941-02-21

Terror Among Us
Terror Among Us

1981-01-12

Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Hollywood: Style Center of the World

1940-05-29

Twenty Years After
Twenty Years After

1944-01-01

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

1988-10-01

The Virginia Judge
The Virginia Judge

1935-09-17

Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity
Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity

2015-09-13

Easy to Take
Easy to Take

1936-11-06

Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission
Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission

2021-02-02

Chloe's Prayer
Chloe's Prayer

2006-12-20

Gentle Julia
Gentle Julia

1936-04-10

Dalton Trumbo: Rebel in Hollywood
Dalton Trumbo: Rebel in Hollywood

2006-09-22

She Loves Me Not
She Loves Me Not

1949-11-04