Hunter's first film role was in the 1943 film noir, "The Seventh Victim", and her first starring role was in the 1946 British fantasy film "A Matter of Life and Death". In 1947, she was Stella Kowalski on stage in the original Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire." Recreating that role in the 1951 film version, Hunter won both the Academy and Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actress. In the interim, however, in 1948, she had already joined with "Streetcar" co-stars Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, and 47 others, to become one of the first members accepted by the newly created Actors Studio.