Thomas Hunter (actor)

Thomas Hunter
Born
Thomas O'Driscoll Hunter

(1932-12-19)December 19, 1932
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 2017(2017-12-27) (aged 85)
Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1966–1984

Thomas O'Driscoll Hunter (December 19, 1932 – December 27, 2017) was an American actor known for work in Spaghetti Westerns and as a Hollywood screenwriter.[1] He was also the founder of the New England Repertory Company.[2]

Biography

Born in Savannah, Georgia, Hunter served in the United States Marine Corps[3] and graduated from the University of Virginia. He studied acting with Sanford Meisner and Uta Hagen.[4]

He entered film in a small role in Blake Edwards' What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966). After completing the film, a chance meeting with Dino De Laurentiis led him to be invited to star as the lead in The Hills Run Red leading him to a career in European - primarily Italian[5] - cinema with guest appearances in American television series. His dissatisfaction with European cinema led him to found the New England Repertory Company.

Hunter published two books. The novel Softly Walks the Beast is an end-of-the-world story that takes place in the not-too-distant future and centers on a dwindling community of smart and resourceful people on a college campus, struggling against the horrible and seemingly unstoppable after-effects of a nuclear war. "Softly Walks the Beast" was first published in 1982 and a second edition was published in 2014.[6]

In 2015, Hunter published his memoir Memoirs of a Spaghetti Cowboy: Tales of Oddball Luck and Derring-Do, which chronicles his adventures starring in numerous Spaghetti Westerns and other foreign productions while living in Rome.[7]

Filmography

Screenwriter

Actor

Year Title Role Director Notes
1966 What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? American GI #3 Blake Edwards
1966 The Hills Run Red Jerry Brewster / Jim Houston Carlo Lizzani
1966 Death Walks in Laredo Whitey Selby Enzo Peri [it]
1967 Love Nights in the Taiga Frank Heller Harald Philipp
1968 Anzio Pvt. Andy Edward Dmytryk
1968 The Magnificent Tony Carrera Tony Carrera José Antonio de la Loma [es]
1969 Battle of the Commandos Capt. Kevin Burke Umberto Lenzi
1969 Revenge [it] Richard Marlowe Pino Tosini [it]
1971 The Vampire Happening Internatslehrer Jens Larsen Freddie Francis
1971 Madness - Gli occhi della luna [it] Cesare Rau
1971 X312 - Flight to Hell [de] Tom Nilson Jesús Franco
1971 Il sorriso del ragno Massimo Castellani
1971 Carlos Pedro Hans W. Geißendörfer TV movie
1971 Equinozio Maurizio Ponzi
1973 Night Flight from Moscow Henri Verneuil
1974 Wer stirbt schon gerne unter Palmen [de] Werner Becker Alfred Vohrer
1975 The 'Human' Factor Taylor Edward Dmytryk
1976 The Cassandra Crossing Captain Scott George P. Cosmatos
1976 Cross Shot Turrini Stelvio Massi
1983 The Act The John Sig Shore (final film role)

Notes

  1. ^ "Thomas O'Driscoll Hunter". The Sun Chronicle. 28 December 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  2. ^ "Quest of the Hunter". 15 October 2007.
  3. ^ Grainger, Julian Thomas Hunter Interview Spaghetti Cinema
  4. ^ "Tom Hunter has a New Rep". 18 May 2000.
  5. ^ "Cinema: addio a Thomas Hunter, per un decennio star di Cinecittà". SWI swissinfo.ch (in Italian). 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  6. ^ Softly Walks the Beast
  7. ^ Memoirs of a Spaghetti Cowboy: Tales of Oddball Luck and Derring-Do