Jimmy Hunt dead: Cheaper by the Dozen star dies after suffering heart attack

Actor Jimmy Hunt has died, aged 85. It's been announced that the former child star's death came just weeks after he had a heart attack.

Jimmy rose to fame as a child star in the 1940s and he went on to appear appearing in films like the original Cheaper By the Dozen (1950) and Invaders from Mars (1953). He's then said to have retired from acting as a teenager, but later returned for a role in the remake of the latter film.

It's been announced that Jimmy died last week. His daughter-in-law, Alisa Hunt, told the Hollywood Reporter that Jimmy had a heart attack six weeks ago and died on Friday in a hospital in the city of Simi Valley, located in California.

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His first acting credits include Song of Love (1947) and The Mating of Millie (1948). He then went on to appear in films such as Top o' the Morning (1949), with him working alongside Bing Crosby and Ann Blyth in the romantic-comedy.

The following year, Jimmy was seen in the original Cheaper By the Dozen film, based on the novel of the same name by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. It was released in 1950, two years after the book's publication.

Jimmy played William Gilbreth, one of the twelve children being raised by a couple in the 1920s. The character's parents, Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth, were played by Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy, respectively.

The film later spawned a sequel, Belles on Their Toes (1952), based on the follow-up to the novel. Jimmy returned for the sequel, but is said to have appeared as another sibling, Fred Gilbreth, played by Anthony Sydes in the first film, instead.

Jimmy is also known for his role in Invaders from Mars (1953). He starred as David MacLean in the science-fiction film, in which his character witnesses a flying saucer before noticing some relatives and neighbours acting strangely.

The film, directed by William Cameron Menzies, also starred Arthur Franz and Helena Carter as Dr. Stuart Kelston and Dr. Patricia Blake respectively. Last year, it was described as an "indie classic" and inducted into the National Film Registry of the US.

A remake of Invaders from Mars, directed by Tobe Hooper, was released more than three decades later in 1986. Jimmy, who had retired from acting by then, appeared as a police chief in the remake.

During his acting career, Jimmy also appeared in films like the Lone Hand (1953), in which he starred alongside Joel McCrea and Barbara Hale. He also worked with the likes of Tony Curtis and Lori Nelson on the film All American (1953).

According to the Hollywood Reporter, as a teenager, Jimmy decided to retire from acting in order to play sports in high school. He's said to have then gone to college and served for three years in the army, before becoming a sales manager for an industrial tool and supply company.

The news of his death has prompted some tributes on social media. One fan wrote on X earlier: "I'm grateful to have met Jimmy Hunt two summers ago. A lovely man! I'm so sorry to hear this news."

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