biography

Martha Hyer Born into a well-to-do family in Fort Worth, Texas on August 10, 1924, actress Martha Hyer majored in drama at Northwestern University. Upon graduation in 1946, she made her way to Hollywood and, after a stint at the Pasadena Playhouse, snagged a contract with RKO. After a series of bit parts, Hyer moved into westerns and noir thrillers. Her first credited film appearance came in Thunder Mountain (1947; with Tim Holt), and she acted in a string of westerns including Outcast of Black Mesa (1950; with Charles Starrett) and Salt Lake Raiders (1950; with Allan Lane).

Martha HyerMartha HyerMartha HyerMartha Hyer

Beautiful pin-up shots of Martha Hyer

When Hyer's contract with RKO ended in 1951, she took time off to marry producer/director C. Ray Stahl, whom she met on the set of Oriental Evil (1950). She freelanced afterward for several studios including Monogram, Paramount, and Warner Bros., and was signed to a Universal-International contract later in the Hyer and Stahl worked on one more film together, the British adventure The Scarlet Spear (1954), released the year they called their marriage quits. Hyer's most successful period came in the mid to late 1950s, when she landed great roles a string of films and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Some Came Running (1958; with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin).


the films of martha hyer

The Battle of Rogue River (1954)

Martha Hyer

From Columbia's The Battle of Rogue River

Francis in the Navy (1955)

Martha Hyer

One of the entries in Universal-International's Francis, the Talking Mule series, Francis in the Navy

Red Sundown (1956)

Martha HyerMartha Hyer in Red Sundown

From the Universal-International western Red Sundown

Kelly and Me (1957)

Van Johnson, Martha Hyer, Frank Wilcox, and Herbert AndersonVan Johnson and Martha Hyer

LEFT: With Van Johnson, Frank Wilcox, and Herbert Anderson in Kelly and Me. RIGHT Again with Van Johnson

Mister Cory (1957)

Martha HyerMartha Hyer and Tony CurtisMartha Hyer and William Reynolds

From Universal-International's Mister Cory, directed by Blake Edwards. LEFT: Beautiful promotional photo. CENTER: With Tony Curtis. RIGHT: With William Reynolds

Once Upon a Horse (1958)

Martha HyerMartha Hyer

From Universal-International's Rowan and Martin comedy Once Upon a Horse

Desire in the Dust (1960)

Brett Halsey and Martha HyerMartha Hyer and Raymond Burr

LEFT: Necking with Brett Halsey in the potboiler Desire in the Dust. RIGHT: With Raymond Burr as her father, Col. Ben Marquand

The Last Time I Saw Archie (1957)

Robert Mitchum, France Nuyen, Jack Webb, and Martha Hyer

With Robert Mitchum, France Nuyen, and Jack Webb in The Last Time I Saw Archie. This film was based on actor/director Arch Hall Sr.'s experiences as a test pilot

Pyro (1963)

Martha HyerMartha Hyer

Hyer in a bad girl role in the American International thriller Pyro

Blood on the Arrow (1964)

Wendell Corey and Martha Hyer

With Wendell Corey in the Allied Artists western Blood on the Arrow

The Carpetbaggers (1964)

Robert Cummings and Martha Hyer

With Robert Cummings in the Paramount potboiler The Carpetbaggers

later years

Into the 1960s, Hyer's career remained strong; she starred in a string of 'A' and 'B' pictures including William Castle's Picture Mommy Dead (1966; with Zsa Zsa Gabor), but with her 1966 marriage to producer Hal Wallis, Hyer put the brakes on her career. She made just three films afterward, with her final film appearance in the crime drama Day of the Wolves (1971; with Richard Egan, Rick Jason, and John Lupton). After a few more television guest appearances, Hyer retired from acting in 1974. She was widowed in 1986 with the death of Wallis. Hyer published her autobiography Finding My Way in 1990. Sadly, she passed away on May 31, 2014 at the age of 89, leaving no immediate survivors.
FILM
Day of the Wolves (1973) with Richard Egan, John Lupton, and Jan Murray
Crossplot (1969) with Roger Moore and Bernard Lee
Once You Kiss a Stranger (1969) with Paul Burke and Carol Lynley
Catch As Catch Can (1967) with Vittorio Gassman
Some May Live (1967) with Peter Cushing and Joseph Cotten
House of 1,000 Dolls (1967) with George Nader and Vincent Price
Another Man's Wife (1967)
The Happening (1967) with Anthony Quinn, George Maharis, and Faye Dunaway
Picture Mommy Dead (1966) with Zsa Zsa Gabor, Don Ameche, Susan Gordon, and Wendell Corey; directed by Bert I. Gordon
The Night of the Grizzly (1966) with Clint Walker, Ron Ely, and Nancy Kulp
The Chase (1966) with Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, and Angie Dickinson
War Italian Style (1965) with Buster Keaton and Franco and Ciccio
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) with John Wayne, Dean Martin, Michael Anderson Jr., Earl Holliman, Jeremy Slate, James Gregory, George Kennedy, and Dennis Hopper
First Men in the Moon (1964) with Lionel Jeffries
Blood on the Arrow (1964) with Dale Robertson, Wendell Corey, and Paul Mantee
Bikini Beach (1964) with Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, John Ashley, Jody McCrea, Donna Loren, and Keenan Wynn
The Carpetbaggers (1964) with George Peppard, Alan Ladd, Carroll Baker, and Robert Cummings
Pyro (1963) with Barry Sullivan
Wives and Lovers (1963) with Janet Leigh, Shelley Winters, and Van Johnson
The Man from the Diner's Club (1963) with Danny Kaye
A Girl Named Tamiko (1962) with Laurence Harvey, Nick Adams, France Nuyen, and Gary Merrill
The Right Approach (1961) with Juliet Prowse and Francine York
The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961) with Jack Webb, Robert Mitchum, France Nuyen, and Richard Arlen
Desire in the Dust (1960) with Joan Bennett, Raymond Burr, Irene Ryan, and Brett Halsey
Mistress of the World (1960) with Sabu and Carlos Thompson
Ice Palace (1960) with Robert Ryan, Richard Burton, Carolyn Jones, Ray Danton, and Diane McBain
The Big Fisherman (1959) with John Saxon, Susan Kohner, and Howard Keel
The Best of Everything (1959) with Hope Lange, Suzy Parker, Stephen Boyd, Brett Halsey, and Joan Crawford
Once Upon a Horse (1958) with Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, and Nita Talbot
Some Came Running (1958) with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin
Houseboat (1958) with Cary Grant and Sophia Loren
Paris Holiday (1958) with Bob Hope and Anita Ekberg
My Man Godfrey (1957) with David Niven, June Allyson, and Robert Clarke
The Delicate Delinquent (1957) with Darrin McGavin and Jerry Lewis
Kelly and Me (1957) with Piper Laurie and Van Johnson
Battle Hymn (1957) with Rock Hudson and Jock Mahoney
Mister Cory (1957) with Tony Curtis and William Reynolds
Red Sundown (1956) with Rory Calhoun and Grant Williams
Showdown at Abilene (1956) with Jock Mahoney and Grant Williams
Fresh From Paris (1955) with Forrest Tucker and Margaret Whiting
Kiss of Fire (1955) with Rex Reason, Barbara Rush, and Jack Palance
Francis in the Navy (1955) with Donald O'Connor, Clint Eastwood, David Janssen, and Martin Milner
Trouble on the Trail (1954) with Guy Madison
Cry Vengeance (1954) with Mark Stevens
Sabrina (1954) with Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, and Audrey Hepburn
Lucky Me (1954) with Doris Day and Robert Cummings
Down Three Dark Streets (1954) with Broderick Crawford and Ruth Roman
Wyoming Renegades (1954) with Philip Carey
The Battle of Rogue River (1954) with George Montgomery and Richard Denning
The Scarlet Spear (1954)
Riders to the Stars (1954) with Richard Carlson and William Lundigan
So Big (1953) with Sterling Hayden, Steve Forrest, and Jane Wyman
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) with Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Mari Blanchard, and Anita Ekberg
Yukon Gold (1952) with Kirby Grant
Geisha Girl (1952) with Steve Forrest
Wild Stallion (1952) with Ben Johnson and Hugh Beaumont
The Lawless (1950) with Macdonald Carey and Gail Russell
Oriental Evil (1950)
The Kangaroo Kid (1950) with Jock Mahoney and Veda Ann Borg
Frisco Tornado (1950) with Allan "Rocky" Lane
Salt Lake Raiders (1950) with Allan "Rocky" Lane and Myron Healey
Outcasts of Black Mesa (1950) with Charles Starrett and Smiley Burnette
The Clay Pigeon (1949) with Bill Williams and Barbara Hale
The Judge Steps Out (1949) with Ann Sothern
Roughshod (1949) with Gloria Grahame, Robert Sterling, and John Ireland
Rustlers (1949) with Tim Holt and Steve Brodie
Gun Smugglers (1948) with Tim Holt
The Velvet Touch (1948) with Rosalind Russell
Thunder Mountain (1947) with Tim Holt and Steve Brodie

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
McCloud, episode A Cowboy in Paradise, originally aired January 20, 1974
O'Hara, U.S. Treasury, episode Operation: Good Citizen, originally aired March 3, 1972
The Young Lawyers, episode The Victims, originally aired February 10, 1971
The Virginian, episode The West vs. Colonel MacKenzie, originally aired September 16, 1970
It Takes a Thief, episode The King of Thieves, originally aired November 20, 1969
The Name of the Game, episode The Ordeal, originally aired November 22, 1968
Family Affair, episode Star Dust, originally aired December 18, 1967
Judd for the Defense, episode The Money Farm, originally aired November 17, 1967
The Beverly Hillbillies, episode The Richest Woman, originally aired January 5, 1966
Branded, episode $10,000 for Durango, originally aired November 28, 1965
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed the Grand Piano?, originally aired April 28, 1965
Kraft Suspense Theatre, episode Four into Zero, originally aired February 18, 1965
Bewitched, episode The Cat's Meow, originally aired January 21, 1965
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed the Toy Soldier?, originally aired January 20, 1965
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, episode Crimson Witness, originally aired January 4, 1965
The Farmer's Daughter, episode The Name of the Game, originally aired October 30, 1964
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed Cornelius Gilbert?, originally aired October 28, 1964
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed the Eleventh Best Dressed Woman in the World?, originally aired April 24, 1964
Kraft Suspense Theatre, episode Doesn't Anyone Know Who I Am?, originally aired February 27, 1964
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed April?, originally aired January 31, 1964
The Greatest Show on Earth, episode The Show Must Go on - To Orange City, originally aired January 28, 1964
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed Wade Walker?, originally aired November 15, 1963
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, episode A Piece of the Action, originally aired September 20, 1962
Route 66, episode An Absence of Tears, originally aired March 3, 1961
Zane Grey Theater, episode Morning Incident, originally aired December 29, 1960
The Deputy, episode Hang the Law, originally aired January 9, 1960
Rawhide, episode Incident West of Lano, originally aired February 27, 1959
Climax!, episode The Push-Button Giant, originally aired May 29, 1958
Playhouse 90, episode Reunion, originally aired January 2, 1958
Lux Video Theatre, episode Jezebel, originally aired November 8, 1956
Lux Video Theatre, episode Ivy, originally aired January 19, 1956
Lux Video Theatre, episode The Lady Gambles, originally aired October 27, 1955
The Best of Broadway, episode Broadway, originally aired May 4, 1955
Four Star Playhouse, episode Meet a Lonely Man, originally aired December 2, 1954
The Public Defender, episode The Big Race, originally aired September 20, 1954
Lux Video Theatre, episode Welcome Stranger, originally aired September 2, 1954
Lux Video Theatre, episode Final Round, originally aired February 18, 1954
Four Star Playhouse, episode Finale, originally aired September 24, 1953
Schlitz Playhouse, episode Pursuit, originally aired May 22, 1953
Fireside Theatre, episode The Return, originally aired February 10, 1953
Your Jeweler's Showcase, episode Teacher of the Year, originally aired December 2, 1952
The Unexpected, episode The Emperor of Nothing, originally aired August 13, 1952
Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, episode The Professor's Daughter, originally aired March 10, 1952
The Lone Ranger, episode The Man Who Came Back, originally aired January 5, 1950

martha hyer links

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Watch Martha Hyer's 1967 thriller Some May Live
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