Marsha Hunt

Marsha Hunt

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.

Acting

1988

1986

Matlock
Tv

Harriet

1984

1973

1971

1969

1969

1968

1967

Ironside
Tv

Unknown

1967

Ironside
Tv

Sissy Cardwell

1962

Sam Benedict
Tv

Cora Wilcox

1961

1960

1960

My Three Sons
Tv

Aunt Cecile Blackman

1959

1959

The Twilight Zone
Tv

Mrs. Henderson

1959

Blue Denim
Movie

Jessie Bartley

1957

Bombers B-52
Movie

Edith Brennan

1957

1955

1955

1952

The Happy Time
Movie

Susan Bonnard

1952

Actors and Sin
Movie

Marcia Tillayou (segment Actor's Blood)

1949

Jigsaw
Movie

Mrs. Hartley's Secretary (uncredited)

1948

Studio One
Tv

Janet Willson

1948

Studio One
Tv

Kate Brookfield (uncredited)

1948

Raw Deal
Movie

Ann Martin

1945

1944

None Shall Escape
Movie

Marja Pacierkowski

1943

Lost Angel
Movie

Katie Mallory

1943

1943

1943

Pilot #5
Movie

Freddie Andrews

1943

1942

Seven Sweethearts
Movie

Regina 'Reggie' Van Maaster

1942

1942

1941

1941

The Penalty
Movie

Katherine Logan

1940

1940

Irene
Movie

Miss Eleanor Worth

1939

These Glamour Girls
Movie

Betty Ainsbridge

1939

1937

Easy Living
Movie

Girl Getting Coat Dropped on Her at Finale (uncredited)

1936

The Accusing Finger
Movie

Claire Patterson

Infos

Full Name
Marsha Hunt
Gender
Female
Date of Birth
10/17/1917
Date of Death
9/7/2022
Also Known As

Marcia Virginia Hunt

Marcia Virginia "Marsha" Hunt