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)
Ironside
1967
as Sissy Cardwell
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987
as Anne Jameson
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Elvira Tree
My Three Sons
1960
as Aunt Cecile Blackman
Matlock
1986
as Harriet
The Twilight Zone
1959
as Mrs. Henderson
Climax!
1954
as Ann Williams / Julie Brennan
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
as Viola / Phoebe Throssel
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
as Claire Andrews / Julie Reynolds / Dr. Sarah Martin / Catha Duncan
Studio One
1948
as Janet Willson / Kate Brookfield (uncredited)
Run for Your Life
1965
as Mrs. Southworth
Gunsmoke
1955
as Sarah
Marcus Welby, M.D.
1969
as Mrs. Bellows
Ben Casey
1961
The Defenders
1961
as Della Martin
The Outer Limits
1963
as Francesca Fields
The Name of the Game
1968
as Claudia Loring
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as Blanche Herbert
Laramie
1959
The Outsider
1968
Police Story
1973
as Mrs. Hines
The Detectives
1959
The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955
as Mary
Harry O
1974
Sam Benedict
1962
as Cora Wilcox
Your Show of Shows
1950
The Play on One
1988
as Elvi Rogers
Cain's Hundred
1961
as Gloria Bonner
Medical Story
1975
as Sylvia Brent
Profiles in Courage
1964
as Mrs. Ely
Panic!
1957
Accidental Family
1967
Breaking Point
1963
Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood
2010
as Self
Peck's Bad Girl
1959
as Jennifer Peck
Movies (80)
Jigsaw
1972
as Dr. Gehlen
Thunder Trail
1937
as Amy Morgan
Hell Town
1937
as Judy Rustoe
Johnny Got His Gun
1971
as Joe's Mother
Pride and Prejudice
1940
as Mary Bennet
Annapolis Salute
1937
as Julia Clemens
The Valley of Decision
1945
as Constance Scott
The Human Comedy
1943
as Diana Steed
Born to the West
1937
as Judy Worstall
Thousands Cheer
1943
as Marsha Hunt
Twenty Years After
1944
as (archive footage)
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
1988
as Self (archive footage)
Bombers B-52
1957
as Edith Brennan
Come On, Leathernecks!
1938
as Valerie Taylor
Flight Command
1940
as Claire
Dalton Trumbo: Rebel in Hollywood
2006
as Herself
Easy Living
1937
as Girl Getting Coat Dropped on Her at Finale (uncredited)
She Loves Me Not
1949
as Midge Mercer
Joe Smith, American
1942
as Mary Smith
I'll Wait for You
1941
as Pauline Miller
Unholy Partners
1941
as Gail Fenton
No Place to Hide
1956
as Anne Dobson
The Accusing Finger
1936
as Claire Patterson
Star Reporter
1939
as Barbara Burnette
Blossoms in the Dust
1941
as Charlotte
None Shall Escape
1944
as Marja Pacierkowski
The Affairs of Martha
1942
as Martha Lindstrom
The Plunderers
1960
as Kate Miller
These Glamour Girls
1939
as Betty Ainsbridge
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
1939
as Kitty Crusper
Raw Deal
1948
as Ann Martin
Irene
1940
as Miss Eleanor Worth
Women in Hiding
1940
as Jane Taylor
Easy to Take
1936
as Donna Westlake
The Hardys Ride High
1939
as Susan Bowen
With This Ring
1954
as Elise Miller John
Blue Denim
1959
as Jessie Bartley
Back from the Dead
1957
as Kate Hazelton
Actors and Sin
1952
as Marcia Tillayou (segment Actor's Blood)
Panama Hattie
1942
as Leila Tree
Seven Sweethearts
1942
as Regina 'Reggie' Van Maaster
Hollywood Boulevard
1936
as Patricia Blakeford
Pilot #5
1943
as Freddie Andrews
Cry 'Havoc'
1943
as Flo Norris
Kid Glove Killer
1942
as Jane Mitchell
Music for Millions
1944
as Rosalind
Empire State Building Murders
2008
as Norah Strinberg
Cheers for Miss Bishop
1941
as Hope Thompson
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
1947
as Martha Gray
Carnegie Hall
1947
as Nora Ryan
Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission
2021
as Self
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial
1996
as Herself
Mary Ryan, Detective
1949
as Mary Ryan
Terror Among Us
1981
as Marge
Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity
2015
as Self
The Grand Inquisitor
2008
as Hazel Reedy
Take One False Step
1949
as Martha Wier
Jigsaw
1949
as Mrs. Hartley's Secretary (uncredited)
College Holiday
1936
as Sylvia Smith
Murder Goes to College
1937
as Nora Barry
Bride by Mistake
1944
as Sylvia Lockwood
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
1940
as Self
The Inside Story
1948
as Francine Taylor
The Happy Time
1952
as Susan Bonnard
Ellery Queen, Master Detective
1940
as Barbara Braun
Lost Angel
1943
as Katie Mallory
Winter Carnival
1939
as Lucy Morgan
Fear No Evil
1969
as Mrs. Varney
Chloe's Prayer
2006
Rhumba Rhythm at the Hollywood La Conga
1939
as Herself (uncredited)
A Letter for Evie
1946
as Evie O'Connor
Diplomatic Passport
1954
as Judy Anderson
A Word to the Wives...
1955
as Alice
The Trial of Mary Dugan
1941
as Agatha Hall
The Penalty
1941
as Katherine Logan
The Long Shot
1939
as Martha Sharon
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
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
- Jigsaw (1972) — as Dr. Gehlen
- Thunder Trail (1937) — as Amy Morgan
- Hell Town (1937) — as Judy Rustoe
- Johnny Got His Gun (1971) — as Joe's Mother
- Pride and Prejudice (1940) — as Mary Bennet
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.