Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Hunter is a tantalizing what-if of mid-century Hollywood, a strikingly handsome leading man with those piercing blue eyes who never quite got the career his talent deserved. For Star Trek fans he's forever the original Captain Pike, the road not taken before Shatner, and there's something poignant about that footnote. His turn in The Searchers holds up beautifully opposite John Wayne, and playing Jesus in King of Kings took real nerve. His early death at 42 cut everything short, which is why he lingers in my mind as one of those actors I always wish I'd gotten to see age into his prime.
Overview
Jeffrey Hunter (November 25, 1926 - May 27, 1969) was an American film and television actor and producer. Educated at Northwestern University, he appeared in numerous films during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably John Ford's The Searchers and as Jesus in King of Kings. He also played Captain Christopher Pike in the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage." He died in 1969 at the age of 42, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jeffrey Hunter
- Name (Japanese)
- ジェフリー・ハンター
- Reading
- じぇふりー・はんたー
- Born
- November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Tiger
- Origin
- New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Actor / Film producer / Television actor / Film actor / Television producer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Northwestern University
Awards & achievements
- Hollywood Walk of Fame Star
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Actor — see all → · Film producer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.