Helen Hunt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Helen Hunt
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Hunt in 2025
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Helen Elizabeth Hunt
June 15, 1963 Culver City, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 1973–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Partner(s) | Matthew Carnahan (2001–2017) |
| Children | 1 |
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| Relatives | Peter H. Hunt (uncle) |
| Awards | Full list |
Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress and director, born on June 15, 1963. She has won many important awards for her work. These include an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.
Helen Hunt became very well known for playing Jamie Buchman in the TV show Mad About You (1992–1999). For this role, she won three Golden Globe Awards and four Emmy Awards. She also won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the movie As Good as It Gets (1997). She has starred in other popular films like Twister (1996), Cast Away (2000), What Women Want (2000), and Pay It Forward (2000).
Hunt also directs movies and TV shows. Her first movie as a director was Then She Found Me (2007). She was nominated for another Academy Award for her role in The Sessions (2012). She has directed episodes of popular TV shows like This Is Us and the new Mad About You series.
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Early Life and Education
Helen Hunt was born in Culver City, California. Her mother, Jane Elizabeth, was a photographer. Her father, Gordon Hunt, was a director for films, voice acting, and theater. Her uncle, Peter H. Hunt, was also a director.
When Helen was three years old, her family moved to New York City. Her father directed plays there, and Helen often went to see them. She graduated from Providence High School in Burbank, California. She also studied ballet and briefly attended the University of California, Los Angeles.
Acting Career
Helen Hunt started acting when she was a child in the 1970s. She appeared in TV shows like "Family" and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She also had a role in the movie Rollercoaster (1977).
Early Roles in the 1980s
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In 1982, Hunt starred in the TV film Desperate Lives. She also had a role in the ABC sitcom It Takes Two. In 1983, she appeared in TV films like Bill: On His Own with Mickey Rooney. She also had a recurring role on the TV show St. Elsewhere.
By the mid-1980s, Hunt began acting in movies for teenagers. Her first big film role was in the sci-fi movie Trancers (1984). She also appeared in Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985) with Sarah Jessica Parker. In 1986, she was in Francis Ford Coppola's Peggy Sue Got Married. In 1987, she starred with Matthew Broderick in Project X. She also appeared in Stealing Home (1988) and Next of Kin (1989).
Rise to Fame in the 1990s
In 1990, Hunt performed in a play called The Taming of the Shrew in Central Park. In 1991, she starred in Trancers II. She also had the main female role in the TV drama My Life and Times. In 1992, she appeared in several films, including The Waterdance and Mr. Saturday Night.
Helen Hunt became very famous for her role in the sitcom Mad About You (1992–1999). She starred alongside Paul Reiser as a couple living in New York City. She won four Emmy Awards for her acting in this show. For the last season, she and Paul Reiser earned a lot of money per episode. She also directed some episodes of Mad About You.
In 1995, Hunt played a wife in the movie Kiss of Death with Nicolas Cage. In the action film Twister (1996), Hunt played a storm chaser who studies tornadoes. This movie was very popular and made a lot of money.
Hunt won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets (1997). She played a waitress and single mom who falls for a writer played by Jack Nicholson. Critics praised her performance. The movie was a huge success, earning over $314 million worldwide. In 1998, she voiced a character on The Simpsons and acted in a play called Twelfth Night.
Films in the 2000s
In 2000, Helen Hunt starred in four movies. She was in the comedy Dr. T & the Women with Richard Gere. She also appeared in the drama Pay It Forward with Kevin Spacey. Her other two films that year were the romantic comedy What Women Want with Mel Gibson and the drama Cast Away with Tom Hanks. Both of these movies were very successful at the box office.
Hunt starred in Woody Allen's The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001). In 2003, she returned to Broadway in a play called Life x 3. In 2004, she starred in the drama A Good Woman. She was also part of the cast in Emilio Estevez's drama Bobby (2006). For Bobby, she won an award for Best Ensemble Cast.
Hunt made her first movie as a director with Then She Found Me (2007). She also starred in the movie as a teacher who meets her biological mother. Critics praised her acting and directing in this film.
Roles in the 2010s
In 2010, Hunt starred in the drama Every Day. In the true-story drama Soul Surfer (2011), she played the mother of surfer Bethany Hamilton. This movie earned over $47 million worldwide.
Hunt starred in The Sessions (2012). Her performance was highly praised by critics, and she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2013, Hunt played a geneticist in the drama Decoding Annie Parker. She also wrote and directed the drama Ride (2014), in which she starred as a mother who travels to California to be with her son.
In The Miracle Season (2018), based on a true story about a volleyball team, Hunt played coach Kathy Bresnahan. In 2019, Hunt appeared in the BBC series World on Fire. She also returned to her role as Jamie Buchman in the Mad About You revival series. In December 2018, Hunt was a guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional.
Recent Work in the 2020s
In 2020, Hunt appeared in the crime drama film The Night Clerk. In December 2020, it was announced that Hunt would star in the Starz series Blindspotting. In September 2022, she performed in a play called Eureka Day in London.
Personal Life
Helen Hunt was married to actor Hank Azaria from 1999 to 2000. In 2001, she began a relationship with producer Matthew Carnahan. They had a daughter in 2004 and separated in 2017.
Hunt participated in the 2017 Women's March in Los Angeles, California.
Works and Awards
See also
In Spanish: Helen Hunt para niños
