Helen Hunt

Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born 15 June 1963) is an American actress.

Hunt was born in Culver City, California to Gordon Hunt, a half-Jewish film director, and Jane Novis, a Methodist photographer. 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 Cast Away 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.

Filmography

Then She Found Me (2007)
Empire Falls (Made for TV) (2005)
A Good Woman (2005)
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
Timepiece (2001)
Cast Away (2000)
Pay It Forward (2000)
What Women Want (2000)
Dr. T & the Women (2000)
Twelfth Night (Made for TV) (1998)
Twister: Ride it Out (1998)
As Good as It Gets (1997)
Twister (1996)
Kiss of Death (1995)
In the Company of Darkness (Made for TV) (1993)
Sexual Healing (1993)
Trancers III (1992)
Bob Roberts (1992)
Mr. Saturday Night (1992)
Only You (1992)
The Waterdance (1992)
Into the Badlands (Made for TV) (1991)
Trancers II (1991)
Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story (Made for TV) (1991)
Next of Kin (1989)
Incident at Dark River (Made for TV) (1989)
The Frog Prince (1988)
Stealing Home (1988)
Miles from Home (1988)
Shooter (Made for TV) (1988)
Project X (1987)
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
The Nativity (1986)
Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1985)
Waiting to Act (1985)
Trancers (1985)
Sweet Revenge (Made for TV) (1984)
Choices of the Heart (Made for TV) (1983)
Quarterback Princess (Made for TV) (1983)
Bill: On His Own (Made for TV) (1983)
Desperate Lives (Made for TV) (1982)
The Miracle of Kathy Miller (Made for TV) (1981)
Angel Dusted (Made for TV) (1981)
The Best Little Girl in the World (Made for TV) (1981)
I Think I'm Having a Baby (Made for TV) (1981)
Child Bride of Short Creek (Made for TV) (1981)
Transplant (Made for TV) (1979)
Rollercoaster (1977)
The Spell (Made for TV) (1977)
Having Babies (Made for TV) (1976)
The Swiss Family Robinson (Made for TV) (1975)
All Together Now (Made for TV) (1975)
Death Scream (Made for TV) (1975)
Pioneer Woman (Made for TV) (1973)

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

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.