Thomas O’Driscoll Hunter died peacefully in his home in Rowayton, Connecticut, on December 27, 2017.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1932, he led a creative and adventurous life. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in art and proudly served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps. Driven by his passions he embarked on an exciting acting career leading to a ten-year residence in Italy where he starred in several “spaghetti westerns” and other action films shot around the world.
In Rome, he formed his own theater company and co-wrote the screenplays for the films “The Human Factor” and “The Final Countdown.” Upon returning to the States, he wrote and directed plays, ran theater workshops, and published a novel, “Softly Walks the Beast,” and an autobiography, “Memoirs of a Spaghetti Cowboy: Oddball Tales of Luck and Derring-Do.”
Tom loved the ocean, was an avid tennis player, photographer, cartoonist, storyteller, and, as a longtime member of the Screen Actors Guild, a great lover of film. He wrote original songs for the album “Back from Nam” as well as lyrics to music composed by his father-in-law, Eddy Courts. He even designed two small-footprint energy-efficient homes for the family in Massachusetts!
With his kindness, humor, imagination and love, he transformed the lives of friends and family, including that of his late first wife, Katherine Hunter and his second wife of 45 years, Isabelle Hunter, daughters Kaki Hunter of Moab and Georgia Hunter Farinholt, sister Susan Hunter, and grandsons Boody Springer, Wyatt and Ransom Farinholt and many nieces and nephews. We miss you Papa! With love from all who knew you. (I’ll leave some copies of his books at the library!)
