Marsha Hunt (actress, born 1946) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marsha Hunt
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Hunt in 2005
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| Born | April 15, 1946 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1967–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Mike Ratledge
(m. 1967; separated 1971) |
| Children | Karis |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Associated acts |
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Marsha Hunt (born April 15, 1946) is an American actress, writer, singer, and former model. She has lived mostly in Britain and Ireland. Marsha became very famous in London when she starred as Dionne in the musical Hair. She had special connections with musicians Marc Bolan and Mick Jagger. Mick Jagger is the father of her only child, Karis Jagger.
Marsha Hunt has written three novels. She has also written three books about her own life.
Contents
Marsha Hunt's Early Life
Marsha Hunt was born in Philadelphia in 1946. She lived in different parts of Philadelphia for her first 13 years. She remembers Philadelphia fondly, especially the "Philadelphia steak sandwiches".
Marsha's mother, Inez, was her main parent. She worked as a librarian. Marsha's father, Blaire Theodore Hunt, Jr., was one of America's first Black psychiatrists. He did not live with Marsha. Marsha learned when she was 15 that he had passed away three years earlier.
Marsha was raised by her mother, her aunt, and her grandmother. These were three strong but different women. Her mother Inez was "extremely intelligent". Her Aunt Thelma was "very glamorous". Her grandmother Edna was an "extremely aggressive" independent woman.
Marsha believes being poor taught her not to care much about material things. Her family greatly valued good grades. Marsha did very well in school. In 1960, her family moved to Kensington, California. This was so her brother and sister could attend Oakland High School. They were preparing to go to the University of California, Berkeley.
Marsha also went to Berkeley in 1964. There, she joined Jerry Rubin in protests against the Vietnam War. She recalled that during her time at Berkeley, they were "sitting in for the Free Speech Movement". They were also "daring to co-habit, and going to dances in San Francisco."
Moving to London
In February 1966, Marsha Hunt flew to London for a short trip. She was held for a while at the airport. A fellow detainee gave her contacts, including John Shepherd. He worked on the TV show Ready Steady Go!.
Through Shepherd, she met Kenny Lynch. She then appeared as an extra in Michelangelo Antonioni's film Blow-Up. Marsha said that in London in the 1960s, "anything seemed possible."
She lived briefly in Edinburgh, Scotland. Then she returned to London. There, she became a backing singer with Alexis Korner's trio Free at Last. She then met musician John Mayall. They had a short relationship. This inspired Mayall's songs ""Marsha's Mood" and "Brown Sugar."
Marsha said she did not have great musical talent. But she worked as a singer for 18 months. She intended to earn enough money to go back home.
Marriage to Mike Ratledge
In late 1966, Marsha Hunt met Mike Ratledge from the band Soft Machine. Marsha was having trouble getting a visa to stay in England. So she suggested marrying Ratledge.
Ratledge and Hunt got married on April 15, 1967. Soft Machine had many bookings. There was no time for a honeymoon. But Ratledge and Hunt spent two months together. Then the band went to France later that year. Marsha said in 1991 that she and Ratledge never held hands or kissed. She joked, "But that's what we called 'married'." They have remained good friends. Marsha says the secret to a happy marriage is to "separate immediately."
Music Career
After her marriage in 1967, Marsha Hunt took a singing job. She joined Long John Baldry's band Bluesology. Reg Dwight, later known as Elton John, was also in the band. She also tried out for Ratledge's band Soft Machine. In 1968, she briefly joined the group The Ferris Wheel.
That same year, Marsha became very famous in England. She appeared as "Dionne" in the rock musical Hair. It was a huge hit on the London stage. Marsha only had two lines in Hair. But she got a lot of media attention. Her photo appeared in many newspapers and magazines.
Her photograph was used on the poster and playbill. This was for the original London production. Her 1968 photo also replaced the original LP artwork. This happened when Reader's Digest re-issued the LP in Europe in 1976. Marsha says the role fit her perfectly. It expressed who she really was. She was one of three Americans in the London show. When the show began, she had no contract. But she was featured in so many stories. She was offered a contract right away.
Marsha played at the Jazz Bilzen and Isle of Wight music festivals in August 1969. She performed with her backup band. Her first single was a cover of Dr John's "Walk on Gilded Splinters". It was produced by Tony Visconti. It came out in 1969 and became a small hit. An album, Woman Child, followed in 1971.
Marsha met Marc Bolan in 1969. She went to the studio where Bolan's group was recording "Unicorn". Tony Visconti said that when Bolan and Hunt met, "You could see the shafts of light pouring out of their eyes into each other." He added, "We finished the session unusually early, and Marc and Marsha walked out into the night hand in hand."
In 1971, after her daughter Karis was born, Marsha appeared in the musical Catch My Soul. She also acted with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in the film Dracula A.D. 1972. She signed a recording contract with Phonogram Records. She led her own band, 22. The record company insisted on calling them "Marsha Hunt's 22". The band toured and released two singles. They also recorded demo songs mostly written by Marsha. These were later released as an album, Attention! Marsha Hunt. The band 22 broke up after their equipment was stolen. Also, Marsha's daughter became ill.
From 1973, Marsha co-hosted a popular late-night radio show. It was called Sarah. Marsha and Friends on London's Capital Radio.
Modelling Career
Three months after Hair opened, Marsha Hunt was on the cover of Queen magazine. This was a British high-fashion magazine. She was the first Black model to appear on their cover. Marsha Hunt has also been photographed by Lewis Morley and Horace Ové.
Relationship with Mick Jagger
Marsha Hunt said she met Mick Jagger in 1969. The Rolling Stones asked her to pose for an ad for "Honky Tonk Women". She refused to do it. Jagger called her later, and their relationship began.
Their relationship ended in June 1970. Marsha was pregnant with Jagger's first child, Karis. Karis was born in London in November 1970. She is Marsha's only child.
Jagger became closer to Karis when she was 11 years old. He supported her education. He paid for her to attend a private secondary school and Yale University. He also hired her to work for the Rolling Stones. She was a researcher for their documentary 25×5: the Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones. Jagger took her on holiday with his family when she was a teenager. He attended her Yale University graduation and her wedding in 2000. He was also at the hospital when her son was born in 2004.
Marsha Hunt as a Writer
Marsha Hunt started writing in 1985. Her first book was her autobiography, Real Life: The Story of a Survivor (1986). She found writing harder than she expected. But she kept going.
In 1996, she wrote another autobiography. It was called Repossessing Ernestine: A Granddaughter Uncovers the Secret History of Her American Family. This book was about her search for her father's mother, Ernestine. Ernestine was placed in a hospital for nearly 50 years.
After Marsha's father passed away when she was 12, her contact with his family was rare. Marsha found her father's father, Blair Hunt, shortly before he passed away in 1978. He was living quietly with his partner of 60 years. Marsha found out her grandfather had been a school administrator. He was also a leader in Memphis's Black community.
Blair Hunt spoke about his "poor dear sick wife." He had "put away" many years before. Marsha discovered that her father's mother, Ernestine, was born in 1896. She grew up in Memphis. She was "an intelligent, remarkably beautiful young woman". She did very well in school. She was "greatly envied for her pale skin, blue eyes and blonde hair."
Marsha found her grandmother in a rundown nursing home. Marsha could not find out why Ernestine spent 50 years in care. But Marsha wrote that the reasons might have been more about racism and sexism than mental illness.
In 2005, Marsha released her memoir about her fight with cancer. It was called Undefeated.
Novels by Marsha Hunt
In 1990, Marsha Hunt published her first novel, Joy. It is about a woman who joins a singing group. The group reminds readers of The Supremes. The woman later passes away early. The book is set in a fancy New York apartment. It takes place over one day in 1987. The novel often uses flashbacks. These describe life in a Black neighborhood in the 1950s and 1960s.
The book also talks about being famous in the music business. It shows how some rich people cannot achieve their American Dream. They also cannot lead happy lives. Marsha says that in her novel, all characters are victims. But they are also guilty. This reflects real life where "We get hurt, but we're also hurting each other all the time."
Marsha wrote Joy while touring England. She was with a group performing Othello. She said her fellow actors made fun of her while she wrote. Marsha says Joy is also about colourism. This was a preference for lighter skin within Black society at the time. Girls with fairer skin were often preferred. Marsha said living in England taught her how beautiful Black language was. She kept this "culturally important" feature in her novel.
Marsha Hunt's second novel, Free, came out in 1992. It tells the story of freed slaves and their children. They live in Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1913. Her novel Like Venus Fading (1998) was inspired by the lives of famous Black performers. These include Adelaide Hall, Josephine Baker, and Dorothy Dandridge.
Marsha wrote her first four books while living alone in France. She had no company except a barn cat. She was inspired to write by the silence and boredom.
Editor and Activist
In 1999, Marsha Hunt worked as a writer-in-residence. This was at Dublin's Mountjoy Prison. Later, she collected writings from the prisoners. She edited them into a book called The Junk Yard: Voices From An Irish Prison. The book has 15 stories. It became a number-one bestseller in Ireland in 1999.
In 1995, Marsha Hunt created the Saga Prize. This prize aimed to find new British-born Black writers. It recognized literature from Black Britons' experiences. The prize ran for four years until 1998. Winners included Diran Adebayo and Joanna Traynor.
During the 1997 Edinburgh International Book Festival, Marsha protested alone. She picketed Charlotte Square. She was protesting the "shoddy administration" of the festival. The festival director was fired after her protest.
Other Projects
Marsha Hunt has said she is writing a book about Jimi Hendrix. She considers it her life's work. She believes no one else can share her view on him. This is because "he and I shared something – black Americans who came to London were transformed and repackaged for the U.S." No release date has been given for this book.
Marsha Hunt's Acting Roles
Theatre Performances
In 1971, Marsha Hunt played Bianca in Catch My Soul. This was a rock-and-roll stage version of Othello. In 1973, she wrote, produced, and directed a new London show. It was called Man to Woman. The music from it was released on vinyl in 1982.
In 1975, Marsha appeared as Sabina in The Skin of Our Teeth. In 1991, she played Nurse Logan in a new play by Arthur Miller. It was called The Ride Down Mount Morgan. Marsha became a member of the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
In 1994, Marsha performed a one-woman play in Scotland. It was at the Edinburgh Festival. She played Baby Palatine, a 60-year-old woman. This woman becomes the wardrobe mistress for a female pop group. The play was based on Marsha's novel Joy (1990). Marsha was directed in the play by her daughter, Karis Jagger. Karis said it was her mother's idea. Karis said they "spent six weeks rehearsing in France."
Film Appearances
Marsha Hunt's film career included roles in Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972). She also appeared in Britannia Hospital (1982), The Sender (1982), and Never Say Never Again (1983). Other films include Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985) and Tank Malling (1989).
Television Roles
In 1988, Marsha Hunt played Elvi Rogers in The Play on One: Unreported Incident. In 1990, she played Bianca in the BBC television production of Othello.
Documentaries
In 1997, Irish filmmaker Alan Gilsenan made God Bless America. It showed six American cities through the eyes of six American authors. Marsha Hunt was invited to take part. Her part resulted in Marsha Hunt's Philadelphia.
Marsha has also been the subject of a documentary. It was called Beating Breast Cancer on ITV. It was broadcast on September 26, 2005.
Health and Personal Life
Battling Cancer
In late 2004, Marsha Hunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was told she needed surgery. Marsha waited five months before seeking treatment. She later wondered if she would have faced an earlier stage of cancer if she had not waited.
When she chose to have surgery, she decided to have it done in Ireland. She felt that Irish people are more supportive of illness than people in the U.S. She thought treatment in the U.S. would feel impersonal.
The Irish Independent reported on August 27, 2008, that Marsha stood on a table. This was at the opening of the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin. She wanted everyone to see that she had survived third-stage breast cancer. She had treatment including chemotherapy and radiation at the hospital.
Personal Life and Identity
Marsha Hunt says the biggest misunderstanding about her is that she is wealthy. But she describes herself as "rich in spirit." She believes wealth is not needed for happiness. She has lived a "writing life" for the past two decades.
She enjoys living alone. She finds that being single leads to experiences she would not have if she were part of a couple. Marsha has lived in Ireland since 1995. She also lives in France. She owns a home in the countryside, about 60 miles from Paris.
When Marsha came to live in Europe, people called her an American. They did not call her African American or Black. She describes her skin color as "oak with a hint of maple." She notes that "Of the various races I know I comprise—African, American Indian, German Jew and Irish—only the African was acknowledged." Marsha created her own word to describe herself: Melangian. This word is based on the French word melange (mixture) and the word melanin.
Marsha Hunt is featured in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. This is a Smithsonian Institution museum in Washington D.C.. It opened in 2016.
