Holly Patricia Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an American actress. For her performance as Ada McGrath in the 1993 drama film '' The Piano'', Hunter won the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year ...

. She earned three additional Academy Award nominations for '' Broadcast News'' (1987), ''

The Firm The FIRM (stylized as The FIRM) is a brand of exercise videos and equipment currently owned by Gaiam. The original "The FIRM" videos are best known for popularizing a hybrid of aerobic exercise and weight training. History In 1979, Anna Ben ...

'' (1993) and ''

Thirteen Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

'' (2003). For her roles in the television films ''

Roe vs. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and s ...

'' (1989), and '' The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom'' (1993), she won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. She also starred in the TNT drama series '' Saving Grace'' (2007–2010). Hunter's other film roles include '' Raising Arizona'' (1987), '' Home for the Holidays'' (1995), '' O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' (2000), ''

The Incredibles ''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Brad Bird, it stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, ...

'' (2004), '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' (2016), and '' The Big Sick'' (2017), the latter of which earned her a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.

Early life

Hunter was born in Conyers, Georgia, the daughter of Marguerite "Dee Dee" (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Catledge). She is unable to hear with her left ear due to a childhood case of the

mumps MUMPS ("Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System"), or M, is an imperative, high-level programming language with an integrated transaction processing key–value database. It was originally developed at Massachusetts Gene ...

. The condition sometimes leads to complications at work, and some movie scenes have to be altered from the script for her to use her right ear. She is

irreligious Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and anti ...

. She began acting at

Rockdale County High School Rockdale County High School is located in the heart of Conyers, Georgia, United States, in the old-town district. RCHS is one of three high schools located in Rockdale County, along with Heritage High School, and Salem High School. RCHS also ho ...

in the early 1970s, performing in local productions of ''

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

'', ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cerva ...

'', and ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

''. Hunter earned a degree in drama from

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, and for a while performed in the theater scene there, playing ingenue roles at City Theater, then named the City Players.

Career

Hunter moved to New York City and roomed with fellow actress Frances McDormand, living in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

"at the end of the D ubwaytrain, just off 205th Street, on Bainbridge Avenue and Hull Avenue". A chance encounter with playwright

Beth Henley Elizabeth Becker Henley (born May 8, 1952) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actress. Her play ''Crimes of the Heart'' won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 1981 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play, and a ...

, when the two were trapped alone in an elevator, led to Hunter's being cast in Henley's plays '' Crimes of the Heart'' (succeeding Mary Beth Hurt on Broadway), and

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

's ''

The Miss Firecracker Contest ''The Miss Firecracker Contest'' is a Southern literature play written by Beth Henley. It was originally produced in Los Angeles in 1980 at the Victory Theater directed by Maria Gobetti. It got a production at the Manhattan Theatre Club off-Broadw ...

''. "It was like the beginning of 1982. It was on 49th Street between Broadway and Eighth venue... on the south side of the street," Hunter recalled in an interview. " e were trapped10 minutes; not long. We actually had a nice conversation. It was just the two of us." Hunter made her film debut in the 1981 slasher movie '' The Burning''. After moving to Los Angeles in 1982, Hunter appeared in TV movies before being cast in a supporting role in 1984's '' Swing Shift''. That year, she had her first collaboration with the writing-directing-producing team of brothers

Ethan Coen Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

and Joel Coen, in '' Blood Simple'', making an uncredited appearance as a voice on an answering-machine recording. More film and television work followed until 1987, when she earned a starring role in the Coens' '' Raising Arizona'' and was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in '' Broadcast News'', after which Hunter became a critically acclaimed star. Hunter went on to the screen adaptation of Henley's ''

Miss Firecracker ''Miss Firecracker'' is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Thomas Schlamme. It stars Holly Hunter, Mary Steenburgen, Tim Robbins, Alfre Woodard, and Scott Glenn. The film, set in Yazoo City, Mississippi, was written by Pulitzer Prize-winnin ...

''; Steven Spielberg's '' Always'', a romantic drama with

Richard Dreyfuss Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (; born Dreyfus; October 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for starring in popular films during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, including '' American Graffiti'' (1973), ''Jaws'' (1975), '' Close Encounters of the ...

; and the made-for-TV 1989

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

'' about the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

case ''

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and st ...

''. Following her second collaboration with Dreyfuss, in '' Once Around'', Hunter garnered critical attention for her work in two 1993 films, resulting in her being nominated for two Academy Awards the same year: Hunter's performance in ''

'' won her a nomination as Best Supporting Actress, while her portrayal of a mute Scottish woman entangled in an adulterous affair with Harvey Keitel in

Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films ''The Piano'' (1993) and '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for which she has received a tot ...

's '' The Piano'' won her the Best Actress award. Hunter went on to star in the comedy-drama '' Home for the Holidays'' and the thriller '' Copycat'', both in 1995. Hunter appeared in

David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation ...

's ''

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch ...

'' and as a sardonic angel in '' A Life Less Ordinary''. The following year, Hunter played a recently divorced New Yorker in Richard LaGravenese's '' Living Out Loud''; starring alongside

Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...

, and

Martin Donovan Martin Donovan (born Martin Paul Smith; August 19, 1957) is an American actor. He has had a long collaboration with director Hal Hartley, appearing in many of his films, such as ''Trust'' (1990), ''Surviving Desire'' (1991), ''Simple Men'' (1992) ...

. Hunter rounded out the 1990s with a minor role in the independent drama '' Jesus' Son'' and as a housekeeper torn between a grieving widower and his son in

Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a British-Canadian actor and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox drama series ''24 (TV series), 24'' (2001–2010, 2014), for which he won an Emmy Award ...

's drama ''

Woman Wanted ''Woman Wanted'' is a 1999 film directed by Kiefer Sutherland (later credited as Alan Smithee). It is based on a novel by Joanna Glass, who also wrote the screenplay. It stars Sutherland, Holly Hunter, Michael Moriarty, and Sutherland's mother, ...

''. Following a supporting role in the Coens' '' O Brother, Where Art Thou?'', Hunter took top billing in the same year's television movie '' Harlan County War'', an account of labor struggles among

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

coal-mine workers. Hunter would continue her small screen streak with a role in '' When Billie Beat Bobby'', playing tennis pro

Billie Jean King Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former World number 1 ranked female tennis players, world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's double ...

in the fact-based story of King's exhibition match with

Bobby Riggs Robert Larimore Riggs (February 25, 1918 – October 25, 1995) was an American tennis champion who was the World No. 1 amateur in 1939 and World No. 1 professional in 1946 and 1947. He played his first professional tennis match on December ...

; and as narrator of ''Eco Challenge New Zealand'' before returning to film work with a minor role in the 2002 drama '' Moonlight Mile''. The following year found Hunter in the redemption drama '' Levity''. Holly Hunter Met Opera 2010 Shankbone

In 2003, Hunter had the role of a mother named Melanie Freeland, whose daughter is troubled and going through the perils of being a teenager in the film ''

''. The film was critically acclaimed along with Hunter and her co-stars and earned her nominations for the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

for Best Supporting Actress. In 2004, Hunter starred alongside

Brittany Murphy Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and pursued a career in acting. Her breakthrough role was as Tai Fras ...

in the romantic satire '' Little Black Book'', and provided the voice for Helen Parr (also known as

Elastigirl Helen Parr (née Truax), also known as Elastigirl and Mrs. Incredible, is a fictional superhero who appears in Pixar's List of Pixar films, animated superhero film ''The Incredibles (franchise), The Incredibles'' (2004) and its sequel ''Incredi ...

) in the acclaimed computer-animated superhero film, ''

''. She reprised the role in the ''Disney Infinity'' video game series, and in the film's long awaited sequel ''

Incredibles 2 ''Incredibles 2'' is a 2018 American computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Brad Bird, it is the sequel to ''The Incredibles'' (2004) and the second ...

'' in 2018. In 2005, Hunter starred alongside

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

in the

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to disc ...

-drama '' The Big White''. Hunter became an executive producer, and helped develop a starring vehicle for herself with the TNT cable-network drama '' Saving Grace'', which premiered in July 2007. For her acting, she received a

nomination, two

nominations, and an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination. On May 30, 2008, Hunter received a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

. In 2009, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award. In 2016, Hunter played Senator Finch in '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice''. Hunter's likeness was used to portray Senator Finch in the '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice''

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prop ...

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

comic a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

s, released by

Dr. Pepper Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink. It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904. It is now also sold in Europ ...

on February 3, 2016. Hunter stars opposite

Ted Danson Edward Bridge "Ted" Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'', for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. ...

in the 2021 NBC comedy ''

Mr. Mayor ''Mr. Mayor'' is an American sitcom television series created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock for NBC. The series stars Ted Danson, Bobby Moynihan, Holly Hunter, Vella Lovell, Mike Cabellon, and Kyla Kenedy and premiered on January 7, 2021. I ...

''.

Personal life

Hunter was married to

Janusz Kamiński Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński (; born June 27, 1959) is a Polish cinematographer and director of film and television. He has established a partnership with Steven Spielberg, working as a cinematographer on his films since 1993. He won the Academy Awa ...

, cinematographer of ''

Schindler's List ''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the 1982 novel ''Schindler's Ark'' by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The film f ...

'' and '' Saving Private Ryan'', from 1995 until 2001. She has been in a relationship with British actor Gordon MacDonald since 2001. The couple met in San Jose Repertory Theatre's production of playwright

Marina Carr Marina Carr is an Irish playwright who has written almost thirty plays, including '' By the Bog of Cats'' (1998). Early life and education Carr was born in Dublin, Ireland, but spent the majority of her childhood in Pallas Lake, County Of ...

's ''

By the Bog of Cats ''By the Bog of Cats'' is a play by Marina Carr. ''By the Bog of Cats'' premiered at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre in October 1998. A 2004 revival of the play in London's West End starred Hollywood actress Holly Hunter in the role of protagonist Hest ...

'', in which she played a woman abandoned by her lover of 14 years, played by MacDonald."Twins for Oscar Winner Holly Hunter"
January 18, 2006, ''People'' In January 2006, Hunter gave birth to the couple's twin sons, Claude and Press.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

In 1999, Hunter received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. In 2016, Hunter was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree by her alma mater,

For film

For television

References

External links

* * *
"What people don't know about Holly"
(interview), ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', November 22, 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Holly P 1958 births Living people People from Conyers, Georgia Actresses from Georgia (U.S. state) American film actresses American people of English descent American people of Scottish descent American people of Welsh descent American television actresses American voice actresses Best Actress Academy Award winners Best Actress AACTA Award winners Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Silver Bear for Best Actress winners Best Actress BAFTA Award winners American agnostics