(“The Kid”) Jeff appears in a cameo as a young soldier in this film version of the Broadway musical, updated from World War II to the Korean War. Starring Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, Danny Thomas, and Dale Robertson.
(Jim Grayam) In this film noir, Jeff plays a brilliant scientist who becomes consumed with desire for a beautiful married woman. He plots to kill her husband, then feign insanity to avoid going to jail. Interesting plot twists follow. Anne Francis and Dana Andrews play the married couple. Viveca Lindfors also stars as a psychiatrist. Other cast members include Kathie Brown – who also appeared with Jeff in an episode of his TV series Temple Houston – as well as Stacy Harris and Strother Martin.
(Dr. Bob Grayson) Jeff plays a doctor who falls in love with the eldest daughter (Jeanne Crain) among twelve offspring of a widow (Myrna Loy) in this pleasing family comedy follow-up to Cheaper by the Dozen, set in the early 1900’s.
Born: November 25, 1926
Died: May 27, 1969
Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies, Jr. in New Orleans, the only child of a Louisiana sales engineer and his wife. The family moved to Milwaukee in 1930, and young “Hank,” as he was known, grew up in Wisconsin.
While still in high school, Hunter acted on Milwaukee radio station WTMJ; this led to summer stock work and then to Chicago theater activity.
He served in the U.S. Navy at Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois 1945-1946. Afterwards, he attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where he earned a bachelor’s degree from the School of Speech. He continued his stage appearances and had a small uncredited role in the 1949 film version of Julius Caesar, which starred Charlton Heston.
Soon after, Hunter moved to California to attend UCLA on a scholarship, He was spotted by Hollywood talent scouts when he appeared in a school production of “All My Sons” in May of 1950. He made a screen test at Paramount, but it was 20th Century Fox that signed him to a contract. At Fox, he made his first “mainstream” film appearance in Fourteen Hours, a film which also served as the debut for Grace Kelly. In that film, he is billed with the stage name Jeffrey Hunter. A Fox executive had chosen that name for him.
Over the next two decades, Jeffrey Hunter would show his versatility as an actor by starring or co-starring in a wide variety of dramas, comedies, westerns, science fiction and war films. He often portrayed the handsome decent, wholesome suitor or husband in domestic contemporary dramas and comedies of the period. His work spanned the stage, radio, films, and television.
Jeff earned top billing for the first time in the well-received Sailor of the King (1953), a war film made in Europe.
His movie career gained momentum after he co-starred with John Wayne in the The Searchers (1956), directed by the renowned John Ford. Hunter, who often displayed a wry sense of humor, said in an interview, “I was told I had arrived when, during the filming of The Searchers, they gave me almost as much ammunition as they gave John Wayne.” This film inspired many later film directors’ work, and many consider it to be one of the best westerns ever made.
After The Searchers, Jeff made two more films with Ford: the political comedy/drama The Last Hurrah (1958), co-starring Spencer Tracy, and Sergeant Rutledge (1960), a Western courtroom drama.
In 1961, Hunter won the difficult and challenging role of Jesus Christ in King of Kings. His reverent performance earned Hunter considerable praise. According to director Nicholas Ray’s biography, the Vatican approved the script before filming began.
In 1963, Hunter signed a two-year contract with Warner Brothers. At Warners, he finally starred in his own TV series: “Temple Houston”. In this show he portrays the attorney son of the famous Texan Sam Houston. He filmed nearly 30 episodes of the hour-long show before it was canceled in 1964. Hunter’s 1963 film The Man From Galveston was originally the pilot episode of this television series.
In 1964 Hunter portrayed Captain Christopher Pike of the U.S.S. Enterprise in the original “Star Trek” television pilot, “The Cage.” After that pilot was rejected, he turned down the option to make an unprecedented second pilot. The two-part episode “The Menagerie,” in “Star Trek’s” first season, incorporated significant footage from “The Cage” and introduced Captain Pike to “Star Trek” fans.
During the last years of his life, he mostly worked in films made in Europe and Asia. Jeff’s last stage appearance was in “The Rainmaker” in Chicago, in 1967.
Hunter married actress Barbara Rush on December 1, 1950. They had one child, a son, Christopher. Although they divorced on March 29, 1955, Rush would remember him fondly and said she considered him to be the handsomest man she ever met.
On July 7, 1957, Hunter married Joan “Dusty” Bartlett, a former model. Jeff met Dusty when she worked as a stuntwoman on Jeff’s film A Kiss Before Dying. They had two sons – Todd and Scott. He also adopted Steele, Dusty’s son from a previous marriage. This marriage ended in divorce in 1967.
After a whirlwind courtship, Hunter married actress Emily McLaughlin in February 1969. She is best known for her role as Nurse Jessie Brewer on the ABC soap opera “General Hospital.” She played Nurse Jessie from 1963 until her death in 1990.
In 1969, while filming ¡Viva America! in Spain, Jeffrey Hunter was accidentally injured in an on-set explosion. Soon afterward he began complaining of dizziness and headaches. On May 26th, 1969, he fell down a short flight of stairs at home and struck his head. Around that same time, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. He died the next day during surgery to repair the skull fracture. What exactly caused his death has been the subject of some debate since then. Jeffrey Hunter was only 42 years old.
Check out Paul Green’s excellent biography of Jeffrey Hunter for more details. It’s available here.
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.
(Captain Christopher Pike) In one of the most enduring roles of his career, Jeffrey Hunter stars as the iconic first captain of the Federation starship, the U.S.S. Enterprise. The Cage was the first pilot for what became the Star Trek TV series. Although NBC did not pick up the first pilot, the network did pick up a second pilot starring William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk. In Star Trek canon, Kirk succeeded Pike as captain of the Enterprise.
In an interview during production of “The Cage”, Jeffrey Hunter’s enthusiasm shone through when he said:
“We run into pre-historic worlds, contemporary societies and civilizations far more developed than our own. It’s a great format because writers have a free hand – they can have us land on a monster infested planet, or deal in human relations involving the large number of people who live in this gigantic ship.”
In “The Cage,” aliens capture Captain Pike when he responds to a distress call from the planet Talos IV. Although the call appears to be from a research vessel that had crashed there in the past, the aliens had actually sent the call. Then, the aliens force more illusory experiences on Pike, including the tempting woman Vina. To escape, Pike must figure out how to resist the illusions. Co-stars Susan Oliver as Vina, Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock (who smiles briefly!), and Majel Barrett as Number One.
“The Menagerie”, the only two-part episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, includes most of “The Cage” into the story. From Star Trek‘s first season, this episode won a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
“The Menagerie” takes place a few years after “The Cage,” At this point, a radioactive explosion has severely disabled Christopher Pike. Now, he is confined to a wheelchair and can only communicate through “Yes” or “No” electronic signals. The Federation has court-martialed Mr. Spock (Nimoy) for trying to take Pike back to Talos IV. After Pike’s visit to Talos IV in “The Cage”, the planet had been declared off-limits to Federation vessels. During Spock’s court-martial defense, “The Menagerie” shares a lot of video from “The Cage”. Sean Kenney plays the disabled Pike. Regular cast members of Star Trek: The Original Series co-star, including William Shatner as Kirk and DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy.
(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,
“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
Did you know that Jeffrey Hunter 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!
Born Hank McKinnies, Jeff was a fine actor whose career spanned a wide range of roles:
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.
In many 1950’s radio dramas, he showed off his college training as a radio actor. He also 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 series The FBI. During NBC-TV’s 1963-64 season, he starred in and co-produced his own series, Temple Houston, as a frontier lawyer in the Old West.
Many fans first discovered Jeffrey Hunter as the iconic first captain of the starship USS Enterprise – Christopher Pike, in the early days of Star Trek.
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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