Arthur Hunnicutt - Actor
Created | Updated Oct 31, 2007
Arthur Lee Hunnicutt typically played a wise, plain spoken man with a distinct Arkansas drawl that made him noteworthy for playing successful character roles and supporting roles in scores of films and television shows. He began his film career with Wildcat (1942) as Watchfob Jones and went on to play in many B-list westerns. By 1952, He won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in The Big Sky. After the notoriety brought on by the Oscar nomination, he became one of the most sought after character actors in Hollywood.
History
Hunnicutt was born in Gravelly, Arkansas (Yell County) on February 17th, 19101. He went on to attend Arkansas State Teacher’s College (now University of Central Arkansas in Conway) until his Junior year when he dropped out due to the lack of finances in the Great Depression. He then taught school while he gathered money to attend the Phidela Rice School of Voice in Cleveland. Eventually, he moved to Martha’s Vineyard and wound up landing roles on Broadway. His first important New York engagement was in the Theatre Guild's production of Love's Old Sweet Song. He moved to Hollywood in 1949 and began appearing in films.
In 1952 he was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar in The Big Sky, directed by Howard Hawks. Despite his long and varied career, this would be his only Academy nomination.
Hunnicutt was famous for playing a man much older than his actual age. When Percy Kilbride retired at 67 years old from the Ma and Pa Kettle series in 1955, Hunnicutt, though only 40, essentially replaced the Pa Kettle character by playing Ma's brother-in-law, Sedge, in The Kettles in the Ozarks (1955).
His last role was in the 1975 film, Moonrunners, where he played an old moonshine maker, finally portraying someone near his own age.
Hunnicutt spent his last years in Woodland Hills, California. On September 26th, 1979, he died from cancer. He is buried in the Coop Prairie Cemetery in Mansfield, Arkansas.
Appearances/Filmography
Hunnicutt appeared in over 54 movies and more than 12 television series that included Bonanza, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, Wild Wild West, Daniel Boone, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, Adam-12, Perry Mason, and numerous Disney productions.
Further Reading and Images
Arkansas Encyclopedia of History and Culture; A. HunnicuttWikipedia Entry; A. HunnicuttInternet Movie Database list/filmography of Hunnicutt films and television appearances.1The 1910 U. S. Census was taken of Gravelly Township in Yell County, AR on April 18, 1910, e. D. 169, house hold no. 34/34, shows Arthur Hunnicutt living with his father, mother, brothers and sisters. His age is listed as “2/12” months old.
