Linda Hunt

Linda Hunt (born Lydia Susanna Hunt; April 2, 1945) is an American actress. She made her film debut playing Mrs. Oxheart in ''Popeye'' (1980). Her portrayal of the male character Billy Kwan in '' The Year of Living Dangerously'' (1982) won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first and, as of 2025, the only person to win an Oscar for portraying a character of the opposite sex. Hunt has also appeared in films such as ''Dune'' (1984), '' Silverado'' (1985), '' Kindergarten Cop'' (1990), ''Pocahontas'' (1995), '' Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World'' (1998), and ''Stranger Than Fiction'' (2006).

Hunt has had a successful career on television and in voice-over work, notably being the narrator for the Ancient Greek mythology themed ''God of War'' video game series. From 1997 to 2002, she played the recurring role of Judge Zoey Hiller on ''The Practice'' and played Commander Chennault on the sci-fi series ''Space Rangers''. From 2009 to 2023, she portrayed Henrietta "Hetty" Lange on the CBS television series '' NCIS: Los Angeles'', a role for which she has received two Teen Choice Awards.

Early life

Hunt was born on April 2, 1945, in Morristown, New Jersey. Her father, Raymond Davy Hunt (1902–1985), was vice president of Harper Fuel Oil. Her mother, Elsie Doying Hunt (1903 – c. 1994), was a piano teacher who taught at the Westport School of Music, and performed with the Saugatuck Congregational Church Choir in Westport, Connecticut, the town where Hunt was raised. She has one sibling, an older sister named Marcia (born 1940). Hunt attended the Interlochen Arts Academy and graduated from the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University).

As a teenager, Hunt was diagnosed with hypopituitary dwarfism. Hunt stands tall.

Career

Theatre

Hunt was a well-known live-stage actress before she entered film and television. She made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of ''Ah, Wilderness''. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her work in the 1984 play ''End of the World''. She also received two ensemble Obie Awards for her work Off-Broadway in ''Top Girls'' and ''A Metamorphosis in Miniature''.

Hunt created the role of Aunt Dan in Wallace Shawn's play '' Aunt Dan and Lemon''. She was a member of the Long Wharf Theatre Company in Connecticut, where she performed the Player Queen in a production of ''Hamlet'', amongst other roles. She portrayed Sister Aloysius in the Pasadena Playhouse production of John Patrick Shanley's play ''Doubt''. Hunt was praised for her performance as the title character in Bertolt Brecht's '' Mother Courage and Her Children''. She also appeared as Pope Joan in Caryl Churchill's ''Top Girls'' when London's Royal Court Theatre's production was staged at the Public Theater in New York.

In an interview with writer Craig Gholson and actor Vincent Caristi, Hunt said: "Acting onstage is like an explosion each night. And what comes in at you all the time as you are trying to . . . create something which is a tremendous act of organization and concentration."

Film

Known for her small stature, Hunt made her film debut in 1980 in Robert Altman's musical comedy ''Popeye

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