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Marsha Hunt has spent more than 70 years of her life as an actress.
After graduating high school she moved to Hollywood to pursue her acting career and at age 17 was signed to a contract with Paramount Pictures. Her film debut was in The Virginia Judge (1935). She went on to make 54 films over a 17 year period first at Paramount and later signing with MGM Studios. Some of her titles include Gentle Julia (1936), Easy to Take (1936), The Hardys Ride High (1939), Pride and Prejudice (1940), Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941), The Affairs of Martha (1942), Kid Glove Killer (1942), Thousands Cheer (1943) and The Human Comedy (1943).
Always active in politics and civil rights issues she found herself blacklisted in the early 50s and work in film became harder to find. Although she kept acting in numerous TV shows and on stage she found more time for her social issues becoming a tireless worker for the United Nations, dedicating herself to the fight against world hunger, cerebral palsy, and homelessness. She supports numerous other causes including UNICEF, The March of Dimes, and The American Red Cross.
She has received many honors for her good works including the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award in 1998.
She published a beautiful book on fashion in 1993 entitled "The Way We Wore: Styles of the 1930s and '40s and Our World Since Then" and a documentary on her life, Sweet Adversity, was released earlier this year.
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