Stage, film and television actress Kim Hunter (nee Janet Cole), was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1922.
She studied acting and made her stage debut in Florida in a production of PENNY WISE at the Miami Women's Club in 1939. In 1943 she was discovered by a talent scout for David O. Selznick and was put under contract. Her film debut was in THE SEVENTH VICTIM. Kim Hunter is best known for her role as Stella in Tennessee Williams' A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE which she played both on stage and screen.
Her film career was interrupted for a time during the 1950's when she was blacklisted for being a sponsor for the 1949 World Peace Conference. During this period she worked in the theater appearing in DARKNESS AT NOON and THE CHILDREN'S HOUR.
Kim Hunter has had a varied career encompassing work in television, film and the stage. Her television credits include the soap opera THE EDGE OF NIGHT, while her films include STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, LILLITH, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and PLANET OF THE APES.
Kim Hunter is married to Robert Emmett and has two children.
From the description of Kim Hunter scripts and rehearsal notes, 1957-1993. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122627060
Stage, film and television actress Kim Hunter (nee Janet Cole) was born in Detroit, Michigan on November 12, 1922. She attended public schools in Miami Beach, Florida where she studied acting and made her stage debut in a production of Penny Wise at the Miami Women's Club in1939. In 1943 she was discovered by a David O. Selznick talent scout and was put under contract only to be immediately loaned out to Val Lewton for his thriller The Seventh Victim, her film debut. In 1947 Ms. Hunter won the role of Stella in the Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire . For her portrayal she received both the Donaldson Award and the Variety NY Drama Critics Award. When she repeated her role in the 1951 film version, she won an Academy Award for best supporting actress. Ms. Hunter joined the Actors' Studio in 1948.
Her film career was interrupted for a period during the 1950's when she was blacklisted, ostensibly for being a sponsor for the 1949 World Peace Conference. Fortunately she was still able to work in the theater during this time, appearing in several plays including Darkness at Noon and a revival of The Children's Hour .
Kim Hunter has had a distinguished career working extensively in theater, film, and television. She starred on Broadway, in national tours, and in regional theater; appeared in numerous television films, series, and mini-series; and was featured on the soap opera The Edge of Night . Her many film appearances include Stairway to Heaven, Lillith, and The Planet of the Apes films for which she is most well-known.
Ms. Hunter is also the author of an autobiographical cookbook entitled Kim Hunter - Loose in the Kitchen . She has been married to writer Robert Emmett since 1951, has two children, and resides in New York City.
From the guide to the Kim Hunter scripts and rehearsal notes, 1957-1993, (The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.)
