Kim Hunter


Actor
Kim Hunter

About

Also Known As
Janet Cole
Birth Place
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Born
November 12, 1922
Died
September 11, 2002
Cause of Death
Heart Attack

Biography

This vivacious, brunette will forever be remembered for her Oscar-winning role as Stella Kowalski in Elia Kazan's "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951), a role she had originated on Broadway. Kim Hunter has also amassed an impressive list of stage and television credits in a career that has spanned over 50 years. Although born in Detroit, Michigan, Hunter was raised in the Miami, Florida, ar...

Family & Companions

William A Baldwin
Husband
Married on February 11, 1944; divorced in 1946.
Robert Emmett
Husband
Writer. Married from December 20, 1951 until his death at age 78 on April 8, 2000.

Bibliography

"Loose in the Kitchen"
Kim Hunter, Domina Books (1975)

Biography

This vivacious, brunette will forever be remembered for her Oscar-winning role as Stella Kowalski in Elia Kazan's "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951), a role she had originated on Broadway. Kim Hunter has also amassed an impressive list of stage and television credits in a career that has spanned over 50 years.

Although born in Detroit, Michigan, Hunter was raised in the Miami, Florida, area. While still a teenager, she made her stage debut in a local production, was spotted by talent scouts and put under contract by film producer David O Selznick. After arriving in Hollywood, she was loaned out for her first film, the offbeat thriller "The Seventh Victim" (1943), which found her cast as a naive girl who stumbles upon devil worshipers in NYC's Greenwich Village. The same year, Hunter was cast in Edward Dmytryk's "Tender Comrade," a Ginger Rogers vehicle about women who live communally during WWII. Partly as a result of her participation in this film, Hunter's name appeared in "Red Channels," a pamphlet listing those with alleged Communist sympathies, that led to her being blacklisted in the 1950s.

Prior to this, however, Hunter had turned in several fine performances. She was a bride with suspicions that her husband (Dean Jagger) may be a murderer in "When Strangers Marry" (1944) and an American WAC in love with a British pilot (David Niven) in the Michael Powell-Emeric Pressburger classic "A Matter of Life and Death/Stairway to Heaven" (1946). After recreating her stage triumph in "Streetcar," Hunter had a strong role as the ex-wife of newspaper editor Humphrey Bogart in Richard Brooks' "Deadline U.S.A." (1952). As the blacklisting faded, she began to occasional film work delivering strong portrayals of a rebellious teenager's concerned mother in "The Young Stranger" (1957) and especially as the head of a mental institution in Robert Rossen's "Lilith" (1964). She also shone alongside Roddy McDowall in "Planet of the Apes" (1968) and lesser so in its to sequels. Her last film role to date was as murderer Harvey Keitel's interfering neighbor in the Dario Argento-directed segment of "Two Evil Eyes" (1990).

On stage, Hunter has worked constantly throughout the US since her 1947 Broadway debut in "Streetcar." Among her numerous credits are the Broadway productions of "Darkness at Noon" (1951), "The Children's Hour" (1952), "The Penny Wars" (1969) and "To Grandmother's House We Go" (1981), with Eva Le Gallienne. Hunter has appeared in regional productions in such roles as Eleanor of Aquitaine in "The Lion in Winter," Emily Dickinson in the one-woman show "The Belle of Amherst" and in the title role of "Driving Miss Daisy." In 1996, she returned to the Ethel Barrymore Theater on Broadway where "Streetcar" had premiered to appear as Lady Markby in a revival of Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband."

Hunter's small screen credits are also numerous, dating from her first appearances as a recurring player on "Actors Studio" (ABC, 1948-49; CBS, 1949-50). She has gone from playing the ingenue (as in the 1949 CBS production of "Little Women") to leading lady (i.e., "The Comedian," CBS 1957) to character roles ("Skokie," CBS 1981). Hunter has made guest appearances on numerous shows from an Emmy-nominated appearance on "Baretta" to the NBC sitcom "Mad About You." Her only series role was as Nola Madison on the ABC daytime drama "The Edge of Night" (1979-80), which also was Emmy-nominated.

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (Do Not Use) (2011)
Herself
Broadway: The Golden Age (2004)
Herself
Here's To Life (2000)
Out of the Cold (1999)
Elsa Lindepu
Blue Moon (1999)
Sheila Keating
A Price Above Rubies (1998)
Rebbitzn
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
Triumph Over Disaster: The Hurricane Andrew Story (1993)
Two Evil Eyes (1991)
Vivien Leigh: Scarlett And Beyond (1990)
Drop-Out Mother (1988)
The Kindred (1987)
Dr Amanda Hollins
Private Sessions (1985)
Rosemary O'Reilly
Skokie (1981)
F.D.R. -- The Last Year (1980)
Lucy Rutherford
The Golden Gate Murders (1979)
Sister Superior
The Dark Side of Innocence (1976)
Kathleen Hancock
Ellery Queen (1975)
Unwed Father (1974)
Bad Ronald (1974)
Elaine Wilby
Born Innocent (1974)
The Magician (1973)
Nora Coogan
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
[Dr.] Zira
In Search of America (1971)
Cora Chandler
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Zira
The Swimmer (1968)
Betty Graham
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Zira
The People Next Door (1968)
Lilith (1964)
Bea Brice
Money, Women and Guns (1959)
Mrs. Mary Kingman
The Young Stranger (1957)
Helen Ditmar
Storm Center (1956)
Martha Lockridge
Deadline--U.S.A. (1952)
Nora Hutcheson
A Streetcar Named Desire (1952)
Stella [Kowalski]
Anything Can Happen (1952)
Helen Watson
A Matter of Life and Death (1947)
You Came Along (1945)
Frances Hotchkiss
Tender Comrade (1944)
Doris White Dumbrowski
When Strangers Marry (1944)
Millie Baxter
The Seventh Victim (1943)
Mary Gibson

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (Do Not Use) (2011)
Other
Broadway: The Golden Age (2004)
Other
Sirens (1993)
Assistant (To Publicist)

Cast (Special)

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills (2001)
Vivien Leigh: A Delicate Balance (2000)
Interviewee
Roddy McDowall: Hollywood's Best Friend (1998)
Lee Strasberg: The Method Man (1998)
Tennessee Williams (1998)
Interviewee
Behind the Planet of the Apes (1998)
Glorious Technicolor (1998)
Marlon Brando: Breaking All the Rules (1996)
Interviewee
Rod Serling: Submitted For Your Approval (1995)
Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage (1994)
Voice
Martin Luther King: The Dream and the Drum (1986)
Stubby Pringle's Christmas (1978)
Mrs Harper
Give Us Barabbas! (1961)
Mara
The Comedian (1957)
Julie Hograth

Make-Up (Special)

The Best of Country '92: Countdown at the Neon Armadillo (1992)
Makeup
The Best of Country '92: Countdown at the Neon Armadillo (1992)
Hair

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Bloodlines: Murder in the Family (1993)
Cross of Fire (1989)
Backstairs at the White House (1979)

Life Events

1939

Stage acting debut at age 17 in title role of "Penny Wise" at the Miami Women's Club in Florida

1943

Film acting debut (on loan out from Selznick) in "The Seventh Victim"

1946

Gained renewed attention with role in "A Matter of Life and Death/Stariway to Heaven", directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

1947

Broadway debut as Stella in Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire"

1948

Made TV acting debut as recurring player in "Actors Studio" (ABC)

1949

Co-starred as Meg in CBS TV version of "Little Women"

1951

Reprised stage role of Stella in Elia Kazan's film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire"; won Oscar as Best Supporting Actress

1952

Appeared in Broadway revival of Lillian Hellman's "The Children's Hour"

1968

Co-starred with Roddy McDowall and Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes"; played ape-woman Zira

1970

Reprised Zira in two film sequels

1973

Featured in all-star Broadway revival of Clare Booth Luce's "The Women"

1981

Last Broadway appearance for 15 years "To Grandmother's House We Go"

1990

Last feature for a seven-years the Dario Argento-directed segment of "Two Evil Eyes"

1996

Returned to Broadway in revival of "An Ideal Husband"; play produced at Ethel Barrymore Theater where Hunter appeared in "A Streetcar Named Desire"

1997

Returned to features in small role in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"

1998

Cast as a rabbi's wife in "A Price Above Rubies"

1999

Acted on stage opposite husband in "On Golden Pond"

2000

Garnered praise as an elderly whose fate is up to her son and his domineering wife in "The Hiding Place"

2001

Acted on the NYC stage in a revival of "The Madwoman of Chaillot"

Photo Collections

The Seventh Victim - Movie Posters
Here are some original-release American movie poster for RKO's The Seventh Victim (1943), produced by Val Lewton.

Videos

Movie Clip

Matter Of Life And Death, A (1947) -- (Movie Clip) Camera Obscura Clever Dr. Reeves (Roger Livesey) shows off his "Camera Obscura" for American friend June (Kim Hunter) in a moment of gratuitous razzle-dazzle in A Matter of Life and Death, 1947, a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven, directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger.
Matter Of Life And Death, A (1947) -- (Movie Clip) Full Dress Affair June (Kim Hunter) and Dr. Reeves (Roger Livesey) enter suspended animation as "Conductor 71" (Marius Goring) visits Peter (David Niven) in Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell's A Matter of Life and Death, 1947, a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven.
Matter Of Life And Death, A (1947) -- (Movie Clip) G For George Following credits, from the filmmaking partners known as "The Archers" (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger), David Niven as a British bomber pilot and Kim Hunter the American radio operator receiving his signal, in A Matter of Life and Death, 1947, a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven.
Planet Of The Apes (1968) -- (Movie Clip) Human See Human Do Injured and now a captive, human Taylor (Charlton Heston), still unable to speak, has made more progress with ape scientist Zira (Kim Hunter) than with minder Julius (Buck Kartalian), but none with her boss Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans), introduced here, in Planet Of The Apes, 1968.
Planet Of The Apes (1968) -- (Movie Clip) How Do You Account For Me? Animal psychologist (and Chimpanzee) Zira (Kim Hunter) has proven that human Taylor (Charlton Heston), still unable to speak because of his throat injury, can communicate, though her colleague and boyfriend Cornelius (Roddy McDowall) isn't convinced by his story, in Planet Of The Apes, 1968.
Tender Comrade (1943) -- (Movie Clip) Kind Of Red And Uncomfortable On their first night in their new shared house, WWII defense factory workers Jo (Ginger Rogers) and just-married Doris (Kim Hunter) share fairly intimate info, in Tender Comrade, 1943, featuring future blacklist targets Hunter, Mady Christians, writer Dalton Trumbo and director Edward Dmytryk.
Tender Comrade (1943) -- (Movie Clip) You Have Very Small Ears Kind of a moment for Ruth Hussey (as Barbara, married to deployed Pete, who might well be a heel), with WWII California factory worker housemates, Kim Hunter, Patricia Collinge and Ginger Rogers (as newlywed Doris, Helen and Jo), about dating other men, in Tender Comrade. 1943.
Tender Comrade (1944) -- (Movie Clip) White For Dumbrowski? Looks like at least the crew visited the Douglas Aircraft plant in Long Beach, CA, military wives Jo (Ginger Rogers), Barbara (Ruth Hussey), Helen (Patricia Collinge) and Doris (Kim Hunter, one of her earliest roles), getting lunch in Tender Comrade, 1944.
Streetcar Named Desire, A (1952) -- (Movie Clip) Which One Is He? Travel-weary Blanche (Vivien Leigh) finds younger sister Stella (Kim Hunter) at the bowling alley, where she points out husband Stanley (Marlon Brando) early in Elia Kazan's A Streetcar Named Desire, 1952.
Deadline-U.S.A. (1952) -- (Movie Clip) Open, You Got Elected! Opening credits and a vignette of corruption featuring Martin Gabel (as gangster "Rienzi") from ex-newsman Richard Brooks' newspaper drama Deadline-U.S.A., 1952, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ethel Barrymore.
Deadline-U.S.A. (1952) -- (Movie Clip) You're A Spektic Intoxicated editor Hutcheson (Humphrey Bogart) commits a verbal typo but refrains from shouting "Stella" as he drops in on estranged wife Nora (Kim Hunter) in Richard Brooks' Deadline-U.S.A, 1952.
When Strangers Marry (a.k.a. Betrayed) -- (1944) -- (Movie Clip) Wealthy Philadelphian Strangled Terrific scene by director William Castle, hotel folks confer on the murder we saw in the opening, then we join anxious Millie (Kim Hunter), alone in her New York room, surprised she hasn’t heard from her new husband, though he instructed her to come there, in When Strangers Marry, a.k.a. Betrayed, 1944.

Trailer

Family

Donald Cole
Father
Engineer.
Grace Cole
Mother
Kathryn Deidre Baldwin
Daughter
Father, William A Baldwin.
Sean Robert Emmett
Son
Father, Robert Emmett.

Companions

William A Baldwin
Husband
Married on February 11, 1944; divorced in 1946.
Robert Emmett
Husband
Writer. Married from December 20, 1951 until his death at age 78 on April 8, 2000.

Bibliography

"Loose in the Kitchen"
Kim Hunter, Domina Books (1975)