Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...
mythology themed ''God of War'' video game series. From 1997 to 2002, she played the recurring role of Judge Zoey Hiller on ''
The Practice
''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy ...
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Westport School of Music, and performed with the Saugatuck Congregational Church Choir in Westport,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...
, the town where Hunt would be 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
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
(now at
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Ca ...
).
Career
Theatre
Hunt was a well-known live-stage actress before she entered film and television. She made her Broadway debut in a 1975 production 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
Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared.
Fo ...
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
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
's ''
Mother Courage and Her Children
''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical ...
''. 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
The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American L ...
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
Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New ...
's musical comedy ''
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.The Year of Living Dangerously'', Peter Weir's film adaptation of the novel of the same name. For her work in this film, Hunt won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1983, becoming the first person to win an Oscar for playing a character of the opposite sex. In her screen test, Hunt wore a hairpiece, a fake moustache, and "paste-on pieces above her eyes to ppearAsian." To play the role, Hunt had her hair dyed and cut short, had her eyebrows shaved, wore padding and makeup, and wore something in her shirt pocket. In her 1986 interview with the ''
Bomb
A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...
'' magazine, Hunt remarked that Billy Kwan "is supra-personal ithlayers of sexual ambiguity
Hunt also played the Shadout Mapes in ''Dune'' (1984 film), a nurse in '' She-Devil'' (1989), the austere school principal Miss Schlowski opposite
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
in '' Kindergarten Cop'' (1990), and assassin Ilsa Grunt in ''If Looks Could Kill'' (1991).
Television
Hunt's television appearances include recurring roles as Judge Zoey Hiller on David E. Kelley's series ''
The Practice
''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy ...
'' and as Dr. Claire Bryson on ''
Without a Trace
''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...
Hunt is known for her husky voice. She has narrated numerous documentaries, cartoons, and commercials. She is the on-air host for '' City Arts & Lectures'', a radio program recorded by KQED
public radio
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widel ...
documentary ''The Great Indian Railway'' (1995). In 1998, she narrated the Discovery Channel documentary "Titanic: Untold Stories." Hunt's voice work also includes the character of Management in ''
Carnivàle
''Carnivàle'' () is an American television series set in the United States Dust Bowl during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The series, created by Daniel Knauf, ran for two seasons between 2003 and 2005. In tracing the lives of disparate g ...
'' (2003, 2005) and the narrator for ''
God of War
A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in both monotheistic and polytheistic religions.
Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been p ...
'' video game series. She narrated a PBS Nature special entitled ''Christmas in Yellowstone'' (2006).
Personal life
Hunt has been in a relationship with
psychotherapist
Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome prob ...
Karen Kline since 1978. The two were married in 2008.
As a teenager, Hunt was diagnosed as having hypopituitary dwarfism. Hunt stands tall.
Hunt is an ambassador for the
Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society, (BFAS) founded in its present form in 1993, is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization. BFAS does outreach nationwide with shelters, rescue groups and members to promote pet adoption, no-kill anim ...
.
In July 2018, ''People'' magazine reported that she was involved in a multicar accident in Los Angeles. The accident resulted in Hunt taking most of a year off from '' NCIS: Los Angeles''.
Filmography
Video games
* ''
God of War
A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in both monotheistic and polytheistic religions.
Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been p ...
God of War III
''God of War III'' is an action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. First released for the PlayStation 3 on March 16, 2010, it is the fifth installment in the ''God ...
List of LGBT Academy Award winners and nominees
This list of LGBT Academy Award winners and nominees details the accomplishments of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Individuals are identified as LGBT though they ...