Jeffrey Hunter (November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969) was a handsome and versatile American actor, a popular leading man of the 1950s and 60s who is best remembered for his iconic roles as the driven young cowboy in The Searchers (1956) and as Jesus Christ in the biblical epic King of Kings (1961).
With his classic good looks and earnest demeanor, Hunter became a favorite of legendary director John Ford, who cast him as John Wayne’s determined companion, Martin Pawley, in the classic Western The Searchers, and as the political protégé to Spencer Tracy in The Last Hurrah (1958). After making his debut in the 1951 thriller Fourteen Hours, he starred in a wide variety of films.
Hunter also holds a unique place in television history as the original star of Star Trek. He played Captain Christopher Pike in the show’s first pilot, “The Cage” (1965), but declined to continue with the series. His promising career was tragically cut short by a series of on-set injuries and health issues, culminating in his death from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1969 at the age of 42.
