Jeffrey Hunter

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Actor Born Henry H. McKinnies, Jr. on Nov. 25, 1926 in New Orleans, LA

Actor Jeffrey Hunter began his professional career in radio and summer stock and in 1950 came to Hollywood, where he was signed to a long-term contract by 20th Century Fox.

He portrayed Christ in the remake of the motion picture classic “King of Kings.” One of Hunter’s other important screen roles was that of the nephew of Mayor Skeffington, played by Spencer Tracy, in “The Last Hurrah.” His other films included “Call Me Mister,” “The Frogman,” “Red Skies of Montana,” “Sailor of the King,” “Seven Angry Men,” “Proud Ones,” “Kiss Before Dying,” “Hell to Eternity,” “Sergeant Rutledge” and “Brainstorm.”

In the early 1960s he starred in “Temple Houston,” a television series about a frontier lawyer.

Hunter was a native of New Orleans, a graduate of Northwestern University and a Navy veteran of World War II.

He died of injuries suffered when he fell down a flight of stairs at his Van Nuys home. Frank Bellow, also an actor and a friend of Hunter, found Hunter unconscious on the floor of a three-foot stairway when he came for a visit.

Police investigators told The Times that Hunter had experienced dizzy spells since suffering a head injury in an accidental explosion while making a picture in Spain. The scene called for a detonation aboard a train. Police said the on-set injury might have led to the accidental fall that took his life.

— Los Angeles Times May 28 and 29, 1969

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