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Marsha Hunt
Actor
Born October 17, 1917 (104 years)
Marsha Hunt (born Marcia Virginia Hunt; October 17, 1917) is an American retired actress, model, and activist, with a career spanning over 70 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.
Filmography
| 2021 | Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission · as Unknown |
| 1987 | Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) · as Anne Jameson |
| 1986 | Matlock (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1985 | Shadow Chasers (TV Series) · as Cora Walsh |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) · as Elvira Tree |
| 1981 | Terror Among Us · as Marge |
| 1976 | Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch · as Heroine |
| 1973 | Police Story (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1971 | Johnny Got His Gun · as Joe's Mother |
| 1969 | Marcus Welby, M.D. (TV Series) · as Mrs. Bellows |
| 1968 | The Name of the Game (TV Series) · as Claudia Loring |
| 1967 | Ironside (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1963 | The Outer Limits (TV Series) · as Francesca Fields |
| 1963 | Breaking Point (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1960 | The Plunderers · as Kate Miller |
| 1960 | My Three Sons (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1959 | The Detectives (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1959 | Laramie (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1959 | The Twilight Zone (TV Series) · as Mrs. Henderson |
| 1957 | Bombers B-52 · as Edith Brennan |
| 1957 | Back from the Dead · as Kate Hazelton |
| 1956 | Zane Grey Theater (TV Series) · as Catha Duncan |
| 1955 | A Word to the Wives... · as Alice |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke (TV Series) · as Sarah |
| 1955 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) · as Blanche Herbert |
| 1954 | Diplomatic Passport · as Judy Anderson |
| 1954 | Climax! (TV Series) · as Ann Williams |
| 1949 | |
| 1948 | Raw Deal · as Ann Martin |
| 1948 | The Inside Story · as Francine Taylor |
| 1948 | Studio One (TV Series) · as Kate Brookfield (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman · as Martha Gray |
| 1945 | The Valley of Decision · as Constance Scott |
| 1944 | Music for Millions · as Rosalind |
| 1943 | The Human Comedy · as Diana Steed |
| 1942 | Panama Hattie · as Leila Tree |
| 1941 | Blossoms in the Dust · as Charlotte |
| 1941 | Cheers for Miss Bishop · as Hope Thompson |
| 1941 | I'll Wait for You · as Pauline Miller |
| 1941 | The Trial of Mary Dugan · as Agatha Hall |
| 1940 | Pride and Prejudice · as Mary Bennet |
| 1940 | Flight Command · as Claire |
| 1939 | Star Reporter · as Barbara Burnette |
| 1939 | Long Shot · as Martha Sharon |
| 1937 | Born to the West · as Judy Worstall |
| 1937 | Thunder Trail · as Amy Morgan |
| 1937 | Hell Town · as Judy |
| 1936 | The Arizona Raiders · as Harriett Lindsay |
| 1936 | Desert Gold · as Judith 'Judy' Belding |
| 1936 | Easy to Take · as Donna Westlake |