Ross Hunter
| Ross Hunter | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Martin Terry Fuss May 6, 1926 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 10, 1996 (aged 69) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Resting place | Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Glenville High School |
| Occupation | Film and television producer, actor |
| Years active | 1944–1979 |
| Partner(s) | Jaques Mapes |
Ross Hunter (May 6, 1926 – March 10, 1996) was an American film and television producer and actor. Hunter is best known for producing light comedies such as Pillow Talk (1959), and the glamorous melodramas Magnificent Obsession (1954), Imitation of Life (1959), and Back Street (1961).
Hunter was born Martin Terry Fuss in Cleveland, Ohio on May 6, 1926. He was of Austrian-Jewish and German Jewish descent. Hunter attended Glenville High School where he later taught English and drama (he also taught these subjects at Rawlings High School). During World War II, he worked in United States Army Intelligence. After his time in the Army, he returned to his job as a drama teacher. He eventually moved to Los Angeles after his students sent his photo to Paramount Pictures. Paramount Pictures passed on signing him to a contract and he subsequently signed with Columbia Pictures. It was at Columbia that a casting agent changed his name from "Martin Fuss" to "Ross Hunter".
During the 1940s, Hunter acted in a number of B-movie musicals. When his acting career stalled, he returned to teaching drama at the Ben Bard Dramatic School and also taught speech therapy. Hunter missed working in films and decided to return to the business and focus on film production. During the late 1940s, Hunter enrolled at the Motion Picture Center Studio where he was trained in film production. In 1951, Universal-International hired him as a producer for the film Flame of Araby, starring Jeff Chandler and Maureen O'Hara. During production, Hunter cut $172,000 from the film's budget which pleased Universal executives who raised his salary.
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