Holly Hunter

Age: 51
Height: 5' 2"

Birth Place: Conyers, Georgia, USA
Born: Mar. 20th, 1958

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Holly Hunter's Main TV Roles

Show	Character(s)
Saving Grace	Grace Hanad…

NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB

BIOGRAPHY:

Holly Hunter was born in Conyers, Georgia, the youngest of seven children whose father was a part-time sporting goods company representative and part-time farmer with a 250 acre farm. Her parents encouraged in her talent at an early age, and her first acting part was as Helen Keller in a fifth-grade play. In 1976 she went to Pittsburgh to pursue a degree in drama from Carnegie Mellon University. After graduating in 1980, she went to New York City, where she met playwright Beth Henley in a stalled elevator. Hunter went on to get roles in a number of Henley's southern gothic plays, including Crimes of the Heart and The Miss Firecracker Contest. In 1982 the actress went to Los Angeles. She landed her first starring role in the movies in the Coen brothers' Raising Arizona (1987), a part that is said to have been written with her in mind. She gained stardom in 1987 when she played the driven TV news producer Jane Craig in James L. Brooks' Broadcast News (1987). In 1993 she earned an Academy Award and worldwide acclaim with her performance as a mute bride to a New Zealand planter in The Piano (1993).

TRIVIA:

While living in the North Bronx, she turned down the lead role in _Blood Simple. (1984)_ (qv), but introduced the Coen Brothers to her roommate 'Frances McDormand' (qv), who got the role and ended up marrying one of the brothers. Hunter's voice can be heard on an answering machine message in the film.
Second cousin of Anaheim Angels' outfielder 'Tim Salmon (I)' (qv).
She had one line in her film debut, _The Burning (1981)_ (qv), among a few ad libs. Regarding missing canoes she says to Todd -- "What happens if we don't find them?"
Made her Broadway debut in 1982 in "Crimes of the Heart."
She won her Oscar-winning role in _The Piano (1993)_ (qv) over 'Anjelica Huston' (qv), 'Jennifer Jason Leigh' (qv), 'Juliette Binoche' (qv) and 'Isabelle Huppert' (qv). 'Sigourney Weaver' (qv)'s agent had turned it down without sending her the script.
Hired a sign language interpreter to help her create her own sign language for her role in _The Piano (1993)_ (qv).
In 1993, she won the Oscar for Best Actress for _The Piano (1993)_ (qv), in which she utilised her real-life piano skills. Eleven years later, 'Jamie Foxx' (qv) won Best Actor for _Ray (2004/I)_ (qv), in which he also played the piano. Both of them had been nominated for a supporting performance in those respective years, and both were nominated for a role they played opposite 'Tom Cruise' (qv). Hunter appeared in _The Firm (1993)_ (qv) and 'Jamie Foxx' (qv) appeared in _Collateral (2004)_ (qv).
Started playing piano at 9.