Holly Hunter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Holly Hunter
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![]() Hunter at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
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Born | Conyers, Georgia, U.S.
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March 20, 1958
Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BFA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1981–present |
Spouse(s) | |
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.
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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
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?.
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 |
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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 | The Piano | Ada McGrath | |
The Firm | Tammy Hemphill | ||
1995 | Copycat | M.J. Monahan | |
Home for the Holidays | Claudia Larson | ||
1996 | Crash | Helen Remington | |
1997 | A 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 | |
The Incredibles | Helen Parr / Elastigirl | Voice role | |
2005 | Nine Lives | Sonia | |
The 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 |
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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 |
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2013 | Disney Infinity | Helen Parr / Elastigirl | |
2014 | Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes | ||
2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 |
Theme parks
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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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
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Hunter at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
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Hunter at the 2010 Metropolitan Opera opening night of Das Rheingold
See also
In Spanish: Holly Hunter para niños