Veteran Hollywood actor and activist Marsha Hunt has died at the age of 104.
Best known for her roles in films such as These glamorous girls, Pride and Prejudice and A raw dealHunt fell into obscurity after being blacklisted by the industry during McCarthy’s communist witch hunt.
Roger C. Memos, writer and director of the 2014 documentary Marsha Hunt’s sweet predicamentconfirmed the news of her death before The Hollywood Reporter.
Hunt died of natural causes at his home in Sherman Oaks, California.
She began her career as a model before signing a contract with Paramount Pictures at the age of 17.
Her breakthrough came at MGM These glamorous girls in 1939, in which she co-starred with Lana Turner.
A number of other well-received roles followed, including that of Anthony Mann A raw deal in 1948
Hunt’s career took a turn in 1947 when she and her second husband, screenwriter Robert Presnell Jr., joined an organization opposed to the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Although she would later reveal that she had no specific connection to communism, Hunt refused to apologize for her association with the commission, which included a stunt in which she and other members flew to Washington, D.C., to attend hearings on HUAC and to support creators facing scrutiny.
In 1950, she was on the Hollywood blacklist.
In the following decades, she increasingly turned to humanitarian work. However, her screen career lasted with several projects, including in 1971 Johnny Gets His Gunand in series like Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Among the humanitarian causes Hunt campaigned on were world hunger, homeless shelters, the legalization of same-sex marriage and climate emergency awareness.
Beginning in 1983, Hunt served as mayor emeritus of Sherman Oaks for more than two decades after first moving there in 1946.
She was married to Presnell for four decades until his death in 1986 at the age of 71.
Hunt is survived by her nieces and nephews, including actor and director Alan Hunt.