Jeffrey Hunter’s Final Resting Place
Glen Haven Memorial Park
Sylmar, California
Olive Section
Jeffrey Hunter passed away on May 27, 1969. Find articles about his death and funeral here.
Gravesite
Tag: Jeff Hunter
A KISS BEFORE DYING
A KISS BEFORE DYING …. 1956
Click here for film trivia!
(Gordon Grant) In this suspenseful film based on the Ira Levin novel, Jeff is an intelligent and inquiring ‘good guy’ whose actions play a pivotal role in the story. Jeff’s character becomes suspicious after he learns that smooth-talker Wagner is seriously involved with a woman from a wealthy family, but the woman is entirely unaware that her sister–an apparent suicide–was Wagner’s prior girlfriend. With Virginia Leith, Mary Astor, and future star Joanne Woodward.
Read a nice article about the making of the film, including an interview with Robert Wagner, here.
A GUIDE FOR THE MARRIED MAN
A GUIDE FOR THE MARRIED MAN …. 1967
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(Technical Adviser – Mountain Climber) Jeff has a cameo role in this comedy about a married man (Walter Matthau) led astray by a friend (Robert Morse). The comedy co-starred Inger Stevens, with Lucille Ball, Jack Benny as well as Jeff and many others in cameos. Jeff's cameo only lasts for a few seconds, and consists of one line: "Because she's there."
Films
THE FILMS OF JEFFREY HUNTER
Did Jeff vie for a role as President Kennedy? Click here to find out!
During his career, Jeffrey Hunter acted in almost 50 films. His first film was Julius Caesar (1950), in which he had an uncredited role as a member of the Roman Senate. The first role for which he received top billing was in Sailor of the King (1953). His last film was ¡Viva America! (1969). The year shown for each film is the year that the film was first released anywhere in the world; most of the films were released in the United States first.
Jeff also did some work as a producer; to learn more, click here.
For more detailed information on each film, such as cast and crew information, try a visit to imdb.com.
KING OF KINGS
KING OF KINGS …. 1961
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(Jesus Christ) Jeff won high praise for his sincere, luminous portrayal in this big-budget widescreen epic. Today, “King of Kings” is considered to be one of the best biblical films. Nicholas Ray directed and Orson Welles narrated. Jeff’s co-stars include Robert Ryan, Rip Torn, Siobhan McKenna, Viveca Lindfors, and Hurd Hatfield.
Be sure to check out the many photos below!
Though sharing a title with the 1927 silent film starring H.B. Warner, “King of Kings” is not really a remake. For example, Jeff portrays a young and vibrant Christ, while H.B. Warner played Christ while in his 50s, with white hair! Also, the two films tell the story of Christ’s life differently in many ways.
Sadly, “King of Kings” was the last high-profile film that Jeff acted in. To learn more, visit the King of Kings articles page. Some of the interesting articles from the early 1960s describe Jeff’s feelings and experiences in his role as Jesus, while other articles focus on how the film was made. For a more recent take on the film. visit this this biblical films blog site,
Home
A BIG WELCOME TO ALL JEFFREY HUNTER FANS!
“Without sounding smug, I’ve always felt that you have to be well prepared when old man opportunity comes knocking. I always wanted to be an actor, and so I did everything possible to prepare myself for my career.”
….. Jeffrey Hunter
“Be natural, sincere and honest on and off screen and stage or radio. A good acting job must come from the mind and heart.”
….. Jeffrey Hunter
“He was the finest, most decent man I’ve ever known.”
….. Longtime friend Lee Riordan
“Despite his looks and talent, there was nothing of the snob about Hank. His voice was quiet and gentle and his manners came right out of the Civil War South.”
….. Friend Don Kreger
JEFFREY HUNTER FEATURED PHOTO:
Did you know that Jeff guest-starred twice in the long-running TV series, The F.B.I.? Besides acting in The F.B.I.’s very first episode in 1965, he also appeared in the 1968 episode, The Enemies. In that episode, Jeff plays a badly-wounded spy, bleeding heavily, who reaches out to an old Army buddy for help. Of course, the F.B.I. is hunting for him, too!
Jeffrey Hunter Enjoyed a Wide-Ranging Career in Movies…
Born Hank McKinnies, Jeff was a fine actor whose film career spanned a wide range of roles:
- a college frat-boy in Take Care of My Little Girl as well as a cavalry officer with a conscience in Custer of the West;
- a brilliant scientist who drives himself insane in Brainstorm and also a high-tech spy in Dimension 5;
- a dashing prince of Baghdad in Princess of the Nile;
- World War II heroes: real-life ones in Hell to Eternity and The Longest Day, and fictional ones, in Sailor of the King and In Love and War;
- cowboys in the Old West – in Gun for a Coward and several other films – as well as American Indian warriors in White Feather and Seven Cities of Gold.
Also, Jeff acted opposite some of the greatest screen actors of his day: most notably in two John Ford movies: John Wayne in the influential The Searchers, and Spencer Tracy in The Last Hurrah.
…And in Radio and TV!
In many 1950’s radio dramas, Jeff showed off his college training as a radio actor. In addition, he guest-starred regularly on TV series, especially during the 1960’s – including a role as a serial killer (!) on the very first episode of the popular long-running series The FBI. Most notably, during NBC-TV’s 1963-64 season, he starred in and co-produced his own series, Temple Houston, playing a frontier lawyer in the Old West.
And then there was Star Trek….
Jeffrey Hunter’s Most Important TV Role was in Star Trek
Many of Jeff’s fans first discovered him as the iconic Captain Christopher Pike of the starship USS Enterprise. Although Jeff only portrayed Pike in Star Trek’s first-ever pilot episode, The Cage, Pike was actually introduced to the public in the two-part episode The Menagerie. In this episode, which aired in Star Trek The Original Series’ first season, extensive footage from The Cage played a central role in the story. The Cage itself was not shown to the public until the 1980s.
Since the Original Series, Pike’s character has remained a favorite of many Star Trek fans! So much so, that Christopher Pike has been brought to life again by two other excellent actors in recent years – Bruce Greenwood, in the Kelvin timeline series of Star Trek movies, and more recently Anson Mount, on Paramount Plus’s two streaming series Star Trek: Discovery and the still-in-production Star Trek: Strange New Worlds..
What was Jeffrey Hunter’s Most Unforgettable Role? How About…
We dedicate this website with love and gratitude to Jeffrey Hunter, whose work as an actor, and whose untimely death in 1969, touched the lives of so many.
There are many excellent resources about Jeffrey Hunter on the Web! In particular, we recommend IMDb and Memory Alpha.
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Although we gathered the materials on this website from advertising sources, no copyright infringement is intended. However, if anyone can prove copyright ownership of any materials and requests their deletion, we will remove said materials. Claudia Henry designed the site, with some content carried over from the original jeffreyhuntermovies site created by Jim Lalley and Claudia Henry.
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