Marsha Hunt
Known for Acting · 115 credits
- Born
- 1917-10-17
- Died
- 2022-09-07
- Place of birth
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Also known as
- Marcia Virginia Hunt · Marcia Virginia "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
TV Shows (35)
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987
as Anne Jameson
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Elvira Tree
Ironside
1967
as Sissy Cardwell
The Twilight Zone
1959
as Mrs. Henderson
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
as Viola / Phoebe Throssel
Matlock
1986
as Harriet
Climax!
1954
as Ann Williams / Julie Brennan
My Three Sons
1960
as Aunt Cecile Blackman
Ben Casey
1961
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
as Claire Andrews / Dr. Sarah Martin / Julie Reynolds / Catha Duncan
Run for Your Life
1965
as Mrs. Southworth
The Outer Limits
1963
as Francesca Fields
Studio One
1948
as Janet Willson / Kate Brookfield (uncredited)
The Defenders
1961
as Della Martin
The Name of the Game
1968
as Claudia Loring
Marcus Welby, M.D.
1969
as Mrs. Bellows
Gunsmoke
1955
as Sarah
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as Blanche Herbert
The Detectives
1959
Harry O
1974
Laramie
1959
The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955
as Mary
Police Story
1973
as Mrs. Hines
Cain's Hundred
1961
as Gloria Bonner
Your Show of Shows
1950
Sam Benedict
1962
as Cora Wilcox
The Outsider
1968
Breaking Point
1963
The Play on One
1988
as Elvi Rogers
Medical Story
1975
as Sylvia Brent
Profiles in Courage
1964
as Mrs. Ely
Panic!
1957
Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood
2010
as Self
Accidental Family
1967
Peck's Bad Girl
1959
as Jennifer Peck
Movies (80)
Pride and Prejudice
1940
as Mary Bennet
Johnny Got His Gun
1971
as Joe's Mother
Hollywood Boulevard
1936
as Patricia Blakeford
Thunder Trail
1937
as Amy Morgan
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
1988
as Self (archive footage)
The Valley of Decision
1945
as Constance Scott
Cry 'Havoc'
1943
as Flo Norris
Irene
1940
as Miss Eleanor Worth
Easy Living
1937
as Girl Getting Coat Dropped on Her at Finale (uncredited)
Flight Command
1940
as Claire
The Plunderers
1960
as Kate Miller
Bombers B-52
1957
as Edith Brennan
Raw Deal
1948
as Ann Martin
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial
1996
as Herself
Born to the West
1937
as Judy Worstall
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
1939
as Kitty Crusper
Take One False Step
1949
as Martha Wier
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
1940
as Self
Fear No Evil
1969
as Mrs. Varney
Twenty Years After
1944
as (archive footage)
Hell Town
1937
as Judy Rustoe
Jigsaw
1949
as Mrs. Hartley's Secretary (uncredited)
Blossoms in the Dust
1941
as Charlotte
Pilot #5
1943
as Freddie Andrews
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
1947
as Martha Gray
The Human Comedy
1943
as Diana Steed
Lost Angel
1943
as Katie Mallory
Panama Hattie
1942
as Leila Tree
College Holiday
1936
as Sylvia Smith
The Accusing Finger
1936
as Claire Patterson
The Inside Story
1948
as Francine Taylor
Gentle Julia
1936
as Julia Atwater
The Penalty
1941
as Katherine Logan
Thousands Cheer
1943
as Marsha Hunt
The Trial of Mary Dugan
1941
as Agatha Hall
None Shall Escape
1944
as Marja Pacierkowski
Actors and Sin
1952
as Marcia Tillayou (segment Actor's Blood)
Carnegie Hall
1947
as Nora Ryan
These Glamour Girls
1939
as Betty Ainsbridge
Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission
2021
as Self
Murder Goes to College
1937
as Nora Barry
The Hardys Ride High
1939
as Susan Bowen
Seven Sweethearts
1942
as Regina 'Reggie' Van Maaster
Desert Gold
1936
as Judith 'Judy' Belding
A Letter for Evie
1946
as Evie O'Connor
Cheers for Miss Bishop
1941
as Hope Thompson
Terror Among Us
1981
as Marge
The Affairs of Martha
1942
as Martha Lindstrom
Ellery Queen, Master Detective
1940
as Barbara Braun
Unholy Partners
1941
as Gail Fenton
Blue Denim
1959
as Jessie Bartley
Women in Hiding
1940
as Jane Taylor
Come On, Leathernecks!
1938
as Valerie Taylor
No Place to Hide
1956
as Anne Dobson
Jigsaw
1972
as Dr. Gehlen
The Long Shot
1939
as Martha Sharon
Joe Smith, American
1942
as Mary Smith
Back from the Dead
1957
as Kate Hazelton
Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga
1939
as Herself (uncredited)
Empire State Building Murders
2008
as Norah Strinberg
The Happy Time
1952
as Susan Bonnard
Bride by Mistake
1944
as Sylvia Lockwood
Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity
2015
as Self
Annapolis Salute
1937
as Julia Clemens
Music for Millions
1944
as Rosalind
The Arizona Raiders
1936
as Harriett Lindsay
Mary Ryan, Detective
1949
as Mary Ryan
With This Ring
1954
as Elise Miller John
Winter Carnival
1939
as Lucy Morgan
Kid Glove Killer
1942
as Jane Mitchell
The Grand Inquisitor
2008
as Hazel Reedy
I'll Wait for You
1941
as Pauline Miller
Diplomatic Passport
1954
as Judy Anderson
Star Reporter
1939
as Barbara Burnette
The Virginia Judge
1935
as Mary Lee Calvert
Easy to Take
1936
as Donna Westlake
She Loves Me Not
1949
as Midge Mercer
A Word to the Wives...
1955
as Alice
Dalton Trumbo: Rebel in Hollywood
2006
as Herself
Chloe's Prayer
2006
About 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… With 115 credits spanning from 1935 to 2021, Marsha Hunt has appeared in 80 films and 35 TV shows.
Fans searching for Marsha Hunt movies, Marsha Hunt filmography, or the latest projects starring Marsha Hunt can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Marsha Hunt Movies
- Pride and Prejudice (1940) — as Mary Bennet
- Johnny Got His Gun (1971) — as Joe's Mother
- Hollywood Boulevard (1936) — as Patricia Blakeford
- Thunder Trail (1937) — as Amy Morgan
- The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind (1988) — as Self (archive footage)
Where to Watch Marsha Hunt Films
Most Marsha Hunt movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Marsha Hunt, check our movies catalogue and browse page.