Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born 15 June 1963) is an American actress.
Hunt was born in Culver City, California to a part-Jewish father and a Methodist mother. The daughter of an acting coach, she showed interest in acting as a child. In the 1970s and 1980s, she appeared in a number of made-for-TV movies.
In the 1990s, Hunt became well-known to television audiences as co-star of sitcom Mad About You, winning Emmy Awards for her performance in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999. By the end of the show in 1997, Hunt was the highest paid TV actress in history, earning $1 million per episode.
Hunt has also had a successful film career and has been in Hollywood movies such as Cast Away and the 1996 blockbuster Twister, which made her a household name. After winning an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1998 for her performance in As Good As It Gets, she took time off from movie work to play Viola in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the Lincoln Center in New York City. In 1998, Hunt was the first actress to win both an Emmy and an Academy Award in the same year.
In 2000, Hunt returned to the screen in four films: Dr. T & the Women with Richard Gere, Pay It Forward with Kevin Spacey & Haley Joel Osment, What Women Want with Mel Gibson, and Castaway with Tom Hanks.
In 2003, she returned to Broadway in Yasmina Reza's Life x 3.
Hunt was married to actor Hank Azaria from 1999 to 2000. She has a daughter, Makena'lei Gordon Carnahan (b. 2004), with Matthew Carnahan.
She currently owns a production company with Connie Tavel, Hunt/Tavel Productions under Sony.
Hunt also holds many awards records; She is the only actress to win a Golden Globe Award, an Academy Award and an Emmy Award in the same year, the only actress to win four consecutive Emmys, and the only actress to win four Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.
Hunt is a staunch Democrat and an activist for many like minded causes.
Helen Hunt: Awards Won
Academy Award
1998 Best Actress in As Good As It Gets
Emmy Award
1999 Outstanding Lead Actress in Mad About You
1998 Outstanding Lead Actress in Mad About You
1997 Outstanding Lead Actress in Mad About You
1996 Outstanding Lead Actress in Mad About You
Golden Globe Award
1998 Best Performance by an Actress in As Good As It Gets
1997 Best Performance by an Actress in Mad About You
1995 Best Performance by an Actress in Mad About You
1994 Best Performance by an Actress in Mad About You
Screen Actors Guild Award
1998 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in As Good As It Gets
1995 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in Mad About You
Helen Hunt: Trivia
She donated $100,000 to help the SAG cause.
Over 25 million people tuned in to see her performance in an episode of Mad About You titled, 'The Birth'.
Murphy Brown's Candice Bergen praised Hunt as her "hero" in her Emmy acceptance speech.
Hunt was approached by a publisher about writing a book, however, content was not discussed.
Steven Spielberg wrote Helen a fan letter after seeing Quarterback Princess and Hunt wrote Spielberg a fan letter too after seeing Saving Private Ryan.
|
