Martita Hunt

Born to British parents in Argentina, Martita Hunt was raised on a ranch in that South American country. She first set foot in England at age 10, when her family moved back. In 1920, one year before her stage debut with the Liverpool Repertory, Hunt appeared in an obscure 2-reel comedy, A Rank Outsider. From 1923 through 1932, she was exclusively a London stage actress; she made her talking picture debut in Reserved for Ladies (1932), then spent the remainder of her career alternating between stage and screen assignments. Whether playing the regal Queen Matilda in Becket (1964) or the balmy Miss Havisham in Great Expectations, Hunt was always every inch the lady on screen (Well, nearly always; after all, she did play the blowsy "Ma" in 1941's East of Piccadilly).