Marsha Hunt was an actress whose career was on the rise in the 1930s and ‘40s before she was blacklisted during the Red Scare of the 1950s.
- Died: September 7, 2022 (Who else died on September 7?)
- Details of death: Died at her home in Sherman Oaks, California of natural causes at the age of 104.
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Early career and blacklisting
Hunt got her start as a model, and by the mid-1930s, she had begun her film career. As her career advanced, she became known as “Hollywood’s Youngest Character Actress” for the wide variety of roles she played. Hunt’s many movies included “Pride and Prejudice” (1940), “Blossoms in the Dust,” and “The Human Comedy.” As McCarthyism began to grip Hollywood with its accusations of Communist activity, Hunt joined with Hollywood notables including Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, and Bette Davis to form the Committee for the First Amendment. The committee was intended to support actors who were being blacklisted by Senator Joseph McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), but for some actors, the result of membership was their own blacklisting. Hunt was one of those actors, and by 1950, she had been labeled a Communist sympathizer, her studio contract was dropped, and her Hollywood career had all but dried up.
Later work
Thought film work was sparse for Hunt after her blacklisting, she found she was able to work on stage and sometimes in television. In the 1950s and ‘60s, she starred on TV’s “Peck’s Bad Girl” and made appearances on shows including “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Gunsmoke,” “The Twilight Zone,” and “My Three Sons.” In 1971, Hunt returned to the big screen when fellow blacklist victim Dalton Trumbo cast her in his film “Johnny Got His Gun.” She made later appearances in TV shows including “Police Story,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Matlock,” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” She also became a noted humanitarian who advocated for the United Nations Association and the San Fernando Valley Mayor’s Fund for the Homeless, among other organizations. In 2015, Hunt’s story was told in the documentary “Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Adversity.”
Hunt on McCarthyism
“Reds were suddenly becoming the dirtiest word in our lexicon. You could be a rapist. Oh well. But don’t be a communist. It was the worst name you could give any American.” —from a 2015 interview for Ms. In the Biz
Tributes to Marsha Hunt
Full obituary: Los Angeles Times
