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.
Known For
Martha Wier
Take One False Step
Mrs. Hartley's Secretary (uncredited)
Jigsaw
Ann Martin
Raw Deal
Marsha Hunt
Thousands Cheer
Mary Bennet
Pride and Prejudice
Constance Scott
The Valley of Decision
Joe's Mother
Johnny Got His Gun
Jane Mitchell
Kid Glove Killer
Marja Pacierkowski
None Shall Escape
Diana Steed
The Human Comedy
Martha Gray
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
Barbara Braun
Ellery Queen, Master Detective
Norah Strinberg
Meurtres à l'Empire State Building
Flo Norris
Cry 'Havoc'
Judy Worstall
Born to the West
Charlotte
Blossoms in the Dust
Marcia Tillayou (segment Actor's Blood)
Actors and Sin
Gail Fenton
Unholy Partners
Claire
Flight Command
Freddie Andrews
Pilot #5
Edith Brennan
Bombers B-52
Leila Tree
Panama Hattie
Regina 'Reggie' Van Maaster
Seven Sweethearts
Nora Ryan
Carnegie Hall
Mary Ryan
Mary Ryan, Detective
Anne Dobson
No Place to Hide
Miss Eleanor Worth
Irene
Hazel Reedy
The Grand Inquisitor
Claire Patterson
The Accusing Finger
Jessie Bartley
Blue Denim
Jane Taylor
Women in Hiding
Herself
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial
Kate Hazelton
Back from the Dead
Katie Mallory
Lost Angel
Francine Taylor
The Inside Story
Kate Miller
The Plunderers
Judith 'Judy' Belding
Desert Gold
Harriett Lindsay
The Arizona Raiders
Pauline Miller
I'll Wait for You
Betty Ainsbridge
These Glamour Girls
Susan Bonnard
The Happy Time
Rosalind
Music for Millions
Barbara Burnette
Star Reporter
Julia Clemens
Annapolis Salute
Sylvia Lockwood
Bride by Mistake
Evie O'Connor
A Letter for Evie
Martha Lindstrom
The Affairs of Martha
Sylvia Smith
College Holiday
Elise Miller John
With This Ring
Nora Barry
Murder Goes to College
Mrs. Varney
Fear No Evil
Dr. Gehlen
Jigsaw
Girl Getting Coat Dropped on Her at Finale (uncredited)
Easy Living
Martha Sharon
The Long Shot
Katherine Logan
The Penalty
Susan Bowen
The Hardys Ride High
Patricia Blakeford
Hollywood Boulevard
Agatha Hall
The Trial of Mary Dugan
Amy Morgan
Thunder Trail
Valerie Taylor
Come On, Leathernecks!
Mary Smith
Joe Smith, American
Kitty Crusper
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
Alice
A Word to the Wives...
Judy Anderson
Diplomatic Passport
Lucy Morgan
Winter Carnival
Herself (uncredited)
Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga
Hope Thompson
Cheers for Miss Bishop
Marge
Terror Among Us
Self
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
(archive footage)
Twenty Years After
Self (archive footage)
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Mary Lee Calvert
The Virginia Judge
Self
Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity
Donna Westlake
Easy to Take
Self
Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission
Chloe's Prayer
Julia Atwater
Gentle Julia
Herself
Dalton Trumbo: Rebel in Hollywood
Midge Mercer
She Loves Me Not
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
79
Gender
Female
Birthday
1917-10-17
Place of Birth
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Also Known As
Marcia Virginia Hunt