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Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Hunter at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
Born (1958-03-20) March 20, 1958 (age 67)
Education Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Occupation Actress
Years active 1981–present
Spouse(s)
(m. 1995; div. 2001)
Partner(s) Gordon MacDonald (2001–present)
Children 2
Awards Full list

Holly Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is a talented American actress. She is known for playing many different characters in movies and TV shows.

She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as a Scottish woman who couldn't speak in the movie The Piano (1993). She was also nominated for this big award three other times. These nominations were for her roles in Broadcast News (1987), The Firm (1993), and Thirteen (2003).

Holly Hunter has also won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her work in TV movies. These were for Roe vs. Wade (1989) and The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993).

You might also know her voice as Elastigirl (Helen Parr) in the animated superhero movies The Incredibles (2004) and Incredibles 2 (2018). She has been in many other popular films like Raising Arizona (1987), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), and The Big Sick (2017). She also starred in the TV series Saving Grace from 2007 to 2010.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Holly Hunter was born in Conyers, Georgia. When she was a child, she had the mumps. This illness caused her to lose hearing in her left ear. Sometimes, this means movie scenes need to be changed so she can use her right ear.

She started acting when she was in high school in the early 1970s. She performed in local plays like Oklahoma and Fiddler on the Roof. After high school, she studied drama at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. She then acted in plays in Pittsburgh for a while.

Her Acting Journey

Holly Hunter Emmy crop
Holly Hunter at the Emmy Awards in 1989.

After college, Holly Hunter moved to New York City. She lived with another actress, Frances McDormand. One day, she met a playwright named Beth Henley when they were stuck in an elevator together. This meeting led to Holly getting roles in Henley's plays, like Crimes of the Heart.

Holly Hunter's first movie role was in a horror film called The Burning in 1981. She later moved to Los Angeles. In 1984, she worked with the famous filmmaking brothers Ethan Coen and Joel Coen for the first time. She had a small, uncredited voice role in their movie Blood Simple.

In 1987, she became a well-known star. She had a main role in the Coen brothers' film Raising Arizona. In the same year, she was nominated for an Academy Award for her acting in Broadcast News.

She continued to act in many movies. These included Miss Firecracker and Steven Spielberg's romantic drama Always. In 1993, she starred in two big movies: The Piano, where she played a woman who couldn't speak, and The Firm. She won an Academy Award for The Piano.

Holly Hunter also appeared in films like Home for the Holidays and the thriller Copycat. She was in Crash and played an angel in A Life Less Ordinary. In 2000, she reunited with the Coen brothers for O Brother, Where Art Thou?.

Holly Hunter Met Opera 2010 Shankbone
Holly Hunter at the Metropolitan Opera in 2010.

In 2003, Holly Hunter played a mother in the movie Thirteen. Her performance was highly praised, and she received nominations for the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

A year later, in 2004, she lent her voice to Elastigirl (Helen Parr) in the animated superhero movie The Incredibles. She voiced the character again in the video games and in the sequel Incredibles 2 in 2018.

In 2007, Holly Hunter became an executive producer for the TV show Saving Grace, where she also played the main character. For this role, she received several award nominations.

In 2008, she received a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. This is a special honor for people who have made a big impact in entertainment. In 2016, she played Senator Finch in the superhero movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. She also played a CEO in the HBO series Succession in 2019. More recently, she starred in the NBC comedy Mr. Mayor from 2021 to 2022.

Personal Life

Holly Hunter was married to Janusz Kamiński, a cinematographer, from 1995 to 2001.

Since 2001, she has been in a relationship with British actor Gordon MacDonald. They met while acting in a play together. In January 2006, Holly Hunter gave birth to their twin sons, Claude and Press.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1981 The Burning Sophie
1984 Swing Shift Jeannie
Blood Simple Helene Trend Voice, uncredited
1987 Raising Arizona Edwina "Ed" McDunnough
End of the Line Charlotte Haney
Broadcast News Jane Craig
1989 Miss Firecracker Carnelle Scott
Animal Behavior Coral Grable
Always Dorinda Durston
1991 Once Around Renata Bella
1993 Piano, TheThe Piano Ada McGrath
Firm, TheThe Firm Tammy Hemphill
1995 Copycat M.J. Monahan
Home for the Holidays Claudia Larson
1996 Crash Helen Remington
1997 Life Less Ordinary, AA Life Less Ordinary O'Reilly
1998 Living Out Loud Judith Moore
1999 Jesus' Son Mira
Woman Wanted Emma Riley
2000 Timecode Renee Fishbine
O Brother, Where Art Thou? Penny Wharvey McGill
2001 Festival in Cannes Herself
2002 Searching for Debra Winger Documentary
Moonlight Mile Mona Camp
2003 Levity Adele Easley
Thirteen Melanie Freeland Also executive producer
2004 Little Black Book Barb Campbell-Dunn
Incredibles, TheThe Incredibles Helen Parr / Elastigirl Voice role
2005 Nine Lives Sonia
Big White, TheThe Big White Margaret Barnell
Chicken Little Chicken Little Voice role; deleted scenes
2011 Portraits in Dramatic Time Herself Documentary
2012 Won't Back Down Evelyn Riske
Jackie Jackie
2013 Paradise Mrs. Mannerhelm
2014 Manglehorn Dawn
2016 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Senator Finch
Strange Weather Darcy Baylor
2017 Breakable You Eleanor Weller
The Big Sick Beth Gardner
Song to Song Miranda
2018 Incredibles 2 Helen Parr / Elastigirl Voice role
TBA Hurricanna TBA Post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1983 Svengali Leslie Television film
An Uncommon Love Karen
1984 With Intent to Kill Wynn Nolen
1987 A Gathering of Old Men Candy Marshall
1989 Roe vs. Wade Ellen Russell/Jane Doe
The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Three Little Pigs Narrator (voice) Television short
1992 Crazy in Love Georgie Symonds Television film
1993 The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom Wanda Holloway
2000 Harlan County War Ruby Kincaid
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her Rebecca Weyman Segment: "Fantasies About Rebecca"
2001 When Billie Beat Bobby Billie Jean King Television film; also executive producer
2007 Peep and the Big Wide World Robin (voice) Episode: "Big Bird/Chirp Flies the Coop"
2007–2010 Saving Grace Grace Hanadarko 46 episodes; also executive producer
2013 Top of the Lake GJ 6 episodes
Bonnie & Clyde Emma Parker 2 episodes
2018 Here and Now Audrey Bayer 10 episodes
2019 Succession Rhea Jarrell 6 episodes
2019–2020 Bless the Harts Marjune Gamble (voice) 3 episodes
2020 The Comey Rule Sally Yates 2 episodes
2021–2022 Mr. Mayor Arpi Meskimen Main role
2024 Mulligan Sheila (voice) 2 episodes
TBA Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Captain and chancellor Upcoming series

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Disney Infinity Helen Parr / Elastigirl
2014 Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes
2015 Disney Infinity 3.0

Theme parks

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Incredicoaster Helen Parr / Elastigirl Voice

Awards and Recognitions

In 1999, Holly Hunter received the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement. This award honors people who have achieved great things. In 2016, her old university, Carnegie Mellon University, gave her an Honorary Doctorate degree.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Holly Hunter para niños

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