Hollywood actress Marsha Hunt dies at 104

Marsha Hunt, the bright-eyed star who appeared in movies like these glamorous girls, Pride and Prejudice s a gross deal Before his career ended with the communist witch hunt that hit Hollywood, he died. He was 104 years old.

He died of natural causes Tuesday night at his home in Sherman Oaks, where he had lived since 1946, said Roger Memos, a documentary writer and director. Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Trouble – he said the hollywood reporter.

Hunt also appeared alongside Mickey Rooney in the Academy Award-nominated Best Picture film. human comedy (1943) at a time when he was known as “the youngest actor in Hollywood”.

A former model who signed to Paramount Pictures at age 17, the Chicago native made her first big hit as Suicide Squad opposite Lana Turner at MGM. these glamorous girls (1939).

I play Walter Brennan’s girlfriend. Joe and Ethel Turpe call the president (1939), Hunt from 16 to 65 on screen. She played nurse Mary Bennett. Pride and Prejudice (1940) and in Anthony Mann’s classic film noir a gross deal (1948), she was a good girl alongside Claire Trevor and Dennis O’Keefe.

Years later, St. Johnny has the gun (1971) – written by blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo – Hunt played the mother of quadruple amputee hero Timothy Bottoms.

Though he never matched the stardom of some of his co-stars, Hunt was proud of his career, especially early on. “I played four leading roles before I was 30, and I was the youngest actress in Hollywood… no two roles are the same,” she told Ms. in Biz in 2015.

In 1947, Hunt and her second husband, screenwriter Robert Presnell Jr., joined the First Amendment Committee, which challenged the legality of the House Un-American Activities Committee, which sought to expel Communists from the entertainment industry.

The committee, which also included Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Danny Kaye, John Huston and other Hollywood liberals, bought a plane to Washington to attend the HUAC hearings and supported the 19 creatives under scrutiny.

However, Bogart and the others soon backed off, saying that the Communists had tricked them and their trip to Washington was useless. While it has boosted their careers, Hunt has no regrets. In June 1950 it was cataloged red channelsA right-wing pamphlet that singled out dozens of actors, directors, screenwriters and others for sympathizing with “subversion.”

“You know, I was never interested in communism,” he said in a 2004 interview. “I was very interested in my industry, my country and my government. But I was surprised by the behavior of my government and the mistreatment of my industry. So I spoke up and protested like everyone else on that flight. But then they told me, once I was blacklisted, you see, I was an outspoken liberal and that was bad. I was told it wasn’t really about communism, it was what everyone feared, it was about control and power.

“The way you get control is to get everyone to agree on whatever is appropriate at the moment, whatever it is. Don’t read anything, don’t talk, don’t have your own ideas, don’t be articulate about it, don’t be eloquent, and if you’re one of those things, you’re controversial. And it’s just as bad, maybe worse, than a communist. Which was still pretty cool, you know: the Communist Party was still legal in the United States and ran for public office. But he would lose his career, his good name, his savings, perhaps his marriage, his friends, if he were a communist. It was horrible, just horrible. “

Your story has been told Marsha Hunt’s Sweet TroubleReleased in 2015.

She was born Marcia Virginia Hunt in Chicago on October 17, 1917. Her father, Earl, was an insurance executive and her mother, Minabel, was a vocal coach. She and her family moved to New York, and at age 16, she graduated from the Horace Mann School for Girls.

Hunt started her modeling career when her high school yearbook photographer used her image as an advertising model. She was hired by the Powers Agency, became the popular “Powers Girl” and learned to pose and behave in front of the lens.

A friend of photographers Robert and Sarah Mack, Hunt moved to Hollywood at age 17, signed with Paramount when her agent, Zeppo Marx, made $250 a week, and landed her first female lead in her first film. virginia judge (1935). Appeared as a genie and love interest in several movies – John Wayne gave birth to a romance born in the west (1937), but the studio refused to renew his contract in 1938.

Landed at MGM hardys walk high (1939) and released in the studio The Mary Duggan Trial (1941) as Brooklyn Choir Girl; inside child glove killer (1942), the first American feature film directed by Fred Zinemann; In a WWII drama scream “destruction” (1943); and as the most nominated character in Jules Dassin’s romantic comedy A letter to Eve (1946).

The show’s poll placed her in the top 10 Stars of Tomorrow (others on the list included Roddy McDowall, Gloria DeHaven, Sidney Greenstreet, June Allison and Barry Fitzgerald) and when she wasn’t performing, she served as a host. In the famous Hollywood canteen for the American military.

In 1948, Hunt made his Hollywood stage debut. joy to the worldDirected by Jules Dassin; Two years later, he returned to Broadway in The George Bernard Show. devil’s disciple and decorate the cover life magazine.

later of the devil disciple closed, Hunt went to Europe, but when he returned, red channels It was published and his career – he had already made more than 50 films – would never be the same.

He was invited to shows like Ford Television Theater, Climax! s Alfred Hitchcock PresentsHe was a regular on the short-lived 1959 series. Peck’s Bad Girl and appeared later gun smoke, the twilight zone, ben casey, my three children, iron side, murder, he wrote s Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Hunt was a member of the SAG board and served on several progressive committees; One advised actress Olivia de Havilland in her lawsuit against the studio system and Warner Bros., and another urged studios to cast minority actors out of stereotypical roles.

In 1955, a trip around the world opened his eyes to the plight of Third World countries and turned his attention to humanitarian efforts, appearing on behalf of the United Nations and becoming what he called a “patriot of the planet”.

In April 2015, she was named the inaugural winner of the Marsha Hunt for Humanity Award, created by Kat Kramer, daughter of famous liberal director and producer Stanley Kramer.

Hunt was “one of the first great actors in Hollywood to dedicate his life to a cause,” noted Kat Kramer, “paving the way for Angelina Jolie, Sean Penn, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Patricia Arquette, Sharon Stone, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Tippi Hedren, Ed Bagley Jr., Ed Asner and Martin Sheen: Celebrities Using Their Fame to Be Voices for Change.

Hunt appears with all his charm in the 1993 book. How We Dressed: Styles of the 1930s and 1940s and Our World SinceFeaturing photos of her in many of her own period outfits.

Hunt moved to Sherman Oaks in 1946 and served as honorary mayor for over two decades. She and Presnell were married for 40 years until her death in 1986, aged 71. They didn’t have children.

He is survived by a nephew, actor/director Alan Hunt, and other nieces and nephews. Donations can be made in his memory to the LA Family Housing.

In 2008, Hunt starred in a 22-minute film. grand inquisitorWritten and directed by Eddie Mueller.

“Working with him was the most profitable collaboration of my life. I suspect it always will be,” the host of TCM’s Noir Alley later said. a gross deal s grand inquisitor He played back on the cable channel last month. “He’s simply the most remarkable person I’ve ever met.”