filmmaker screenwriter actress
Actress Helen Hunt was born on June 15, 1963, in Culver City, California. The daughter of Gordon Hunt, an acting coach and theater director, and Jane Hunt, a photographer, Hunt grew up in Los Angeles and New York. She decided on an acting career early: by age 9, she had begun studying drama, had an agent and had landed a role in the 1973 television movie Pioneer Woman.
Hunt studied ballet, and briefly attended UCLA for 1 month.
She made her film debut as a child artist in television movie ‘Pioneer Woman’ in 1973.
All through the 1970-80’s she appeared in various television series, television films, and feature films in minor roles. As a teenager she appeared in several television series like ‘The Swiss Family Robinson’ (1975-76) and ‘It takes two’ (1982-83).
As a young woman, she was cast in a recurring role in the medical drama ‘St. Elsewhere’ as Clancy Williams during the 1984-86 seasons.
Her big television break happened when she was offered the role of Jamie Buchman, a newly wed woman, in the NBC sitcom ‘Mad About You’ in 1992. The highly popular show ran till 1999.
The success of ‘Mad About You’ ensured that the actress got noticed for her vast talents. After playing minor roles in films so far, she was being offered more substantial roles. She played Dr. Jo Harding in the disaster drama film ‘Twister’ in 1996 which became a huge commercial hit.
Her role of Carol Connelly in the 1997 romcom ‘As Good as it Gets’ in which she plays a single mother in love with a complicated man earned her several awards and nominations.
Even though a versatile actress, she seems to have a penchant for comedies as is suggested by her choice of roles. She played the female lead Darcy McGuire opposite Mel Gibson in the 2000 romcom ‘What Women Want’.
She acted in Woody Allen’s crime comedy ‘The Curse of the Jade Scorpion’ in 2001 which also featured Elizabeth Berkley, Charlize Theron and Wallace Shawn. The film received mixed reviews but garnered a cult following.
In the 2006 American drama film ‘Bobby’ she played Samantha, a campaign donor. The film was a fictionalized account of the shooting of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
She turned screenwriter, director and producer in 2007 with the comedy drama ‘And Then She Found Me’ in which her character April finds herself entangled in a variety of family problems simultaneously.
One of her most poignant roles came in ‘The Sessions’, a 2012 film about the disabled poet Mark O’Brien and his experience with a sex surrogate. She was critically appreciated for her role.
Helen Hunt is Methodist and Jewish, but seems to identify more with her Jewish roots.
She is a true Hollywood liberal.
Quotations:
"The best movies have one sentence that they're exploring, a thesis, something that people can argue about over dinner afterward."
"I know you're always supposed to want more of everything. But in truth, I'm having a nice ebb and flow of being in my daughter's life every day and getting to keep my work life alive. I'm not nominated for ten thousand everythings every minute, but I am acting and telling stories I love."
Helen Hunt radiates reliability and consistency. People trust Helen and feel secure with her judgment. Hunt is seen as a cornerstone of a business and is relied upon to do her work efficiently and expertly. She has strength and respectability.
Hunt tends to dress in a utilitarian manner, concerned mostly with convention, practicality, durability, and price. She presents herself as someone who values correctness, control, and precision. All of this stems from the fact that Helen's most prized characteristic is her work. Helen wants to be judged on the basis of her performance, rather than her appearance.
Helen Hunt is frugal and has learned to respect a dollar. She is concerned about the security of her future and those she loves. However, this may appear to others as a bit too austere. Hunt tends to wear earth colors and conventional attire. She could benefit by putting a little flair in her dress, wear more uplifting colors, and loosen her dress with less severe lines. If Helen wears a brown suit, she better include a bright tie or some jewelry.
Helen Hunt is a family person. She loves the intimacy, consistency, and the security a family provides. Helen is a good provider and protector. But family members may take her efforts for granted. Hunt is a true patriot. She loves her country and is an integral part of her community. Helen Hunt's consistency and adherence to her well-laid plans usually pays off in a comfortable and secure future.
Height: 5' 7" (1,7 m).
zodiac sign: Gemini.
Hunt, who previously dated her Project X costar Matthew Broderick, married her longtime boyfriend, actor Hank Azaria, in July 1999. The couple separated in August 2000 and later divorced. In May 2004, Hunt and her beau, writer-producer Matthew Carnahan, welcomed a baby girl named Makena Lei.
She had a very brief marriage with actor Hank Azaria that hardly lasted a couple of years.
She is currently in a relationship with director/producer Matthew Carnahan with whom she has one daughter.
