Marsha Hunt, a well-known actress, model and activist, died on September 6 at the age of 104. She died naturally at her home in Sherman Oaks, where she had lived since 1946. She was recognized for her roles in films such as Born to be Wild, Pride and Prejudice, Kid Glove Killer, Cry ‘Havoc’ and others. Details about her funeral will be announced shortly.
“I wanted to get rid of it, not look back. But now I think it’s important that young people know, understand, and make sure that this doesn’t happen again, the grip of hysteria and paranoia that has crippled our society.”
—Marsha Hunt, 1997 #REST IN PEACE pic.twitter.com/WaA8dvH7eI— Farran Nehme (@selfstyledsiren) September 10, 2022
Marsha Hunt’s journey in the entertainment world
Marsha Hunt was initially reluctant to appear in films. However, she signed a deal with Paramount Pictures in June 1935, when she was 17 years old. From 1935 to 1938, she starred in 12 Paramount pictures, including Easy to Take, Gentle Julia, The Accusing Finger, Murder Goes to College, and others. She starred in a number of films made by Republic Pictures and Monogram Pictures after her contract was canceled in 1938. She then appeared in such films as These Glamor Girls, Pride and Prejudice and Cheers for Miss Bishop as a supporting actress.
Marsha Hunt then signed a contract with MGM in 1941 and was featured in six of their photos for the next six years. She has appeared in 21 films, the most famous being The Penalty, Panama Hattie, Pilot No. 5, None Shall Escape and others were. Marsha was selected to join the Board of Directors of Screen Actors Guild in 1945. Because of the actions of the House Un-American Activities Committee, she and her husband, Robert Presnell Jr., joined the Committee for the First Amendment in 1947.
She traveled to Washington with 30 other well-known Hollywood figures to oppose HUAC’s operations. However, she was ordered to stop her actions if she wanted to work in the film industry. In 1950, she was listed as one of 151 actors, playwrights and directors labeled future communists or communist sympathizers in the anti-communist magazine Red Channels.
Marsha Hunt largely started appearing on television and in a few movies after the release of Red Channels. She stated that filmmakers thought she and the others were unhirable and blamed producer Richard J. Collins for her blacklisting. However, she appeared in 1957 and appeared in six films. In 1960 she declared her semi-retirement.
Breaking Point, My Three Sons, Gunsmoke, and Star Trek: The Next Generation were all series in which Hunt appeared. She can also be seen in such films as Johnny Got His Gun, Chloe’s Prayer, The Grand Inquisitor and others. In 1933 she released The Way We Wore: Styles of the 1930s and 1940s and Our World Since Then.
other works
Marsha founded the San Fernando Valley Mayor’s Fund for the Homeless in 1960 and produced a one-hour program on refugee issues. She also served on the advisory board of the San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center. Marsha Hunt initially married Jerry “Jay” Hopper, but they divorced in 1943. She later married Robert Presnell Jr. in February 1946. Hunt gave birth to a daughter in July 1947, but she died the next day. Marsha and Robert were married until Robert died in June 1986.
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