Marsha Hunt
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 17, 1917
- Died
- September 7, 2022
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
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.
Filmography
Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission 2021
as Self
Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity 2015
as Self
- Empire State Building Murders
Empire State Building Murders 2008
as Norah Strinberg
The Grand Inquisitor 2008
as Hazel Reedy
Chloe's Prayer 2006
Actor
- Dalton Trumbo: Rebel in Hollywood
Dalton Trumbo: Rebel in Hollywood 2006
as Herself
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial 1996
as Herself
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind 1988
as Self (archive footage)
Terror Among Us 1981
as Marge
Jigsaw 1972
as Dr. Gehlen
Johnny Got His Gun 1971
as Joe's Mother
Fear No Evil 1969
as Mrs. Varney
The Plunderers 1960
as Kate Miller
Blue Denim 1959
as Jessie Bartley
Bombers B-52 1957
as Edith Brennan
Back from the Dead 1957
as Kate Hazelton
- No Place to Hide
No Place to Hide 1956
as Anne Dobson
A Word to the Wives... 1955
as Alice
Diplomatic Passport 1954
as Judy Anderson
With This Ring 1954
as Elise Miller John
The Happy Time 1952
as Susan Bonnard
Actors and Sin 1952
as Marcia Tillayou (segment Actor's Blood)
She Loves Me Not 1949
as Midge Mercer
Mary Ryan, Detective 1949
as Mary Ryan
Take One False Step 1949
as Martha Wier
Jigsaw 1949
as Mrs. Hartley's Secretary (uncredited)
Raw Deal 1948
as Ann Martin
The Inside Story 1948
as Francine Taylor
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman 1947
as Martha Gray
Carnegie Hall 1947
as Nora Ryan
A Letter for Evie 1946
as Evie O'Connor
The Valley of Decision 1945
as Constance Scott
Music for Millions 1944
as Rosalind
Bride by Mistake 1944
as Sylvia Lockwood
None Shall Escape 1944
as Marja Pacierkowski
Twenty Years After 1944
as (archive footage)
Lost Angel 1943
as Katie Mallory
Cry 'Havoc' 1943
as Flo Norris
Thousands Cheer 1943
as Marsha Hunt
Pilot #5 1943
as Freddie Andrews
The Human Comedy 1943
as Diana Steed
Seven Sweethearts 1942
as Regina 'Reggie' Van Maaster
Panama Hattie 1942
as Leila Tree
The Affairs of Martha 1942
as Martha Lindstrom
Kid Glove Killer 1942
as Jane Mitchell
Joe Smith, American 1942
as Mary Smith
Unholy Partners 1941
as Gail Fenton
Blossoms in the Dust 1941
as Charlotte
I'll Wait for You 1941
as Pauline Miller
The Penalty 1941
as Katherine Logan
Cheers for Miss Bishop 1941
as Hope Thompson
The Trial of Mary Dugan 1941
as Agatha Hall
Flight Command 1940
as Claire
Ellery Queen, Master Detective 1940
as Barbara Braun
Pride and Prejudice 1940
as Mary Bennet
Women in Hiding 1940
as Jane Taylor
Hollywood: Style Center of the World 1940
as Self
Irene 1940
as Miss Eleanor Worth
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President 1939
as Kitty Crusper
Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga 1939
as Herself (uncredited)
These Glamour Girls 1939
as Betty Ainsbridge
Winter Carnival 1939
as Lucy Morgan
The Hardys Ride High 1939
as Susan Bowen
Star Reporter 1939
as Barbara Burnette
The Long Shot 1939
as Martha Sharon
Come On, Leathernecks! 1938
as Valerie Taylor
Hell Town 1937
as Judy Rustoe
Born to the West 1937
as Judy Worstall
Thunder Trail 1937
as Amy Morgan
Annapolis Salute 1937
as Julia Clemens
Easy Living 1937
as Girl Getting Coat Dropped on Her at Finale (uncredited)
Murder Goes to College 1937
as Nora Barry
College Holiday 1936
as Sylvia Smith
The Accusing Finger 1936
as Claire Patterson
Easy to Take 1936
as Donna Westlake
Hollywood Boulevard 1936
as Patricia Blakeford
The Arizona Raiders 1936
as Harriett Lindsay
Gentle Julia 1936
as Julia Atwater
Desert Gold 1936
as Judith 'Judy' Belding
The Virginia Judge 1935
as Mary Lee Calvert
Credits from TMDB.