How about a thread of Jeffrey Hunter? He is remembered as Captain Christopher Pike in the first Star Trek pilot (soon to be recast in the upcoming Star Trek XI film) and as Christ in King of Kings and in The Searchers.
He was one helluva of a good looking guy and died tragically young in 1969. His first wife was also actress Barbara Rush.
Any comments on Jeffrey?
This is what I remember of Jeffrey Hunter. He had amazing blue eyes. He played Jesus in King of Kings. Was married to a lady that played a nurse on General Hospital. (Can't recall her name.) Didn't he break his neck in a freak fall?
He was married to Emily McLaughlin who played Jesse Brewer in General Hospital.
He wanted the part of Mike Brady in the Brady Bunch. But, Sherwood Schwartz wouldn't consider him, deeming him "too good looking to play an architect." Hunter died months before the show premiered in 1969.
He is mostly remembered for those beautiful eyes. He was a handsome man, and I was sad when he died. My favorite movie is THE SEARCHERS; he was wonderful! Almost unknown fact is that he served in the Navy during World War 2.
Actor. Jeffrey Hunter was a Hollywood mainstay spanning two decades starring or co-starring in a wide variety of movies: dramas, comedies, westerns, science fiction and war films. He was well prepared when signed to a contract by 20th Century Fox Studios making a debut with Grace Kelly in the film 'Fourteen Hours.' While at Whitefish Bay High School in Milwaukee, then known by his birth name, Henry McKinnies, Jr., he acted on Milwaukee radio station WTMJ and in productions at the North Shore Children's Theater. Henry performed three summer stock seasons with the local Port Players. After graduation from high school where he co-captained the football team, he enlisted in the Navy during the closing months of the war but received a medical discharge with the rank of Seaman First Class after one year. The GI Bill enabled him to attend Northwestern University where he received a bachelor's degree from the School of Speech. During his college stay, he was cast in the lead role in many campus productions. While attending Graduate school in radio at UCLA and appearing in a school production, a talent scout was in the audience. A successful screen test was arranged. With a movie career looming, he assumed the name Jeffrey Hunter. His appearance in the western classic 'The Searchers' made him a Hollywood Star. He was cast in his most challenging role as Jesus Christ in 'The King of Kings' which won high phrase from religious movie critics who recommended it for all viewers. Hunter made the film 'The Man From Galveston' which was the pilot episode of a forthcoming television series 'Temple Houston' Thirty episodes of the series were filmed starring Jeffrey Hunter before falling to cancelation. Movie roles mostly disappeared but for the next several years he appeared in minor rolls in European and Asian films. Hunter signed a contract with Desilu Studios cast as Captain Christopher Pike of the U.S.S. Enterprise which was a two-part episode and a pilot for 'Star Trek.' However, he turned down his option to continue in the role in the television series which became a classic. A few months before his tragic death, he was married a third time to actress Emily McLaughlin who played a nurse on the ABC soap opera 'General Hospital.' While on location in Spain filming 'Viva America,' He was accidently injured on the set. Upon return to his home in Van Nuys, California he experienced dizziness and headaches and was briefly hospitalized. While in his residence, he fell striking his head. Taken to Valley hospital in Los Angeles, it was determined he had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Surgery failed and Jeffrey Hunter was gone at age 42. His funeral was a small private affair at St Mark's Episcopal Church, Altadena with burial following at Glen Haven Memorial Park
Renowned Death Hag
Here's some photographs of the late [SIZE=4]JEFF HUNTER[/SIZE] . . . . . . .
Originally Posted by KELT
Thanks for sharing. I am 45 and I can't imagine going the way he did! He must of fell pretty damn hard for that to happen? Anyone know the details?
Renowned Death Hag
If I recall correctly he punctured something in his neck when he fell into a cocktail table & that's what led to his death.
Thanks!
God thats horrible!! I have always heard he fell..just wasn't sure how!!
I am a Death Hag...I have to know how the famous died!!!
But that is sad!!!
This is a brief snippet of what findagrave says:
While in his residence, he fell striking his head. Taken to Valley hospital in Los Angeles, it was determined he had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Surgery failed and Jeffrey Hunter was gone at age 42.
Death Hag
Steve Howey who plays Van on the "Reba" show, could be his brother. Jeffrey
was a very good looking guy.
I had heard that after playing Jesus he went kinda crazy--sorta mystical and freaky. Like the role did something to him or gave him a Messiah-complex or something. Any truth to that?
Jeffrey appears to be a homosexual.....
I always felt guilty watching "King of Kings"
This was a very good looking guy...
Can we imagine if Hunter had been re-cast as James T. Kirk? We wouldn't have had the opportunity week after week to see Shatner ham it up!
Renowned Death Hag
Addendum
In 1969, Hunter tragically died during surgery to repair a skull fracture resulting from a fall in his home after he had suffered a major stroke. His death occurred only one week before the airing of the final Original Series episode, "Turnabout Intruder".
Shortly before his death, in an incident that received little mention in the press, he suffered from stroke-like symptoms with semi-paralysis of his right arm and loss of speech capability during a flight from Spain to the United States. Injuries Hunter had received a few weeks prior, on a movie set in Spain, when a car window shattered near him, were suggested as the cause of these symptoms, and also of the stroke that led to his death.
Christopher Hunter, Jeffrey's son, in an interview for an E! Mysteries & Scandals episode dealing with his father, stated that he thought the explosion cracked his skull. Later in the program, Christopher makes the statement that "I think alcoholism did contribute to his death as much as anything else".
Jeffrey Hunter's death certificate also notes 'fatty metamorphosis of the liver', consistent with long-term alcoholism, not as a cause of death, but rather as one of ??other significant conditions? detected during the autopsy conducted after Hunter's death.
sad way to go at such a young age
The Searchers is one of my favorites, but I really think Hunter overacted just a bit.
Renowned Death Hag
1926 - 1969
Real name: Henry McKinnies, Jr.
He was loaned out to co-star with John Wayne in John Ford's "The Searchers". This led to roles in a few other Ford films. Among his best-known roles is Jesus in "King of Kings" (known as "I Was A Teen-Aged Jesus" in my house - lol).
He was chosen as the lead in some new, wacky science fiction series - something called "Star Trek"His character was Captain Christopher Pike. He filmed the pilot - "The Cage", and then decided to continue in films, thus paving the way for William Shatner to step in as James T. Kirk.
He suffered signs of a stroke in 1969, and after recovering, suffered another stroke & died in a fall at home from a skull fracture. His first wife was actress Barbara Rush, and I stated in the Shell Kepler thread, his wife at the time of his death was actress Emily McLaughlin.
A nice memorial page with pictures of him in his youth is at http://www.jeffreyhuntermovies.com/
P~
Last edited by VeuveClicquotNJ; 02-18-2008 at 01:10 PM.
Handsome man, great eyes!
Wow I agree.
Movie star looks and a chiselled chin.
I think he was the best Jesus ever! His eyes & like CHERRY said that chiselled chin..........hard to top that for the son of God, perfect!
Hey guys, theres already a thread on Jeffrey, check it out here!
http://www.findadeath.com/forum/show...jeffrey+hunter
Maybe a mod can merge them.
Here is what Wikipedoa has to say:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Hunter
I remember reading at the time that he gave up drinking,smoking,and cursing to prepare for the part of Jesus, also that he was offered the part of Christopher Pike in the regular series and that his wife made him turn it down,something about being a "Movie Star" as compared to being a TV star."The Searchers" to me is one of the best westerns ever made,I always thought that "The Duke" deserved an oscar for it,but I think he was over looked on it.
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