Linda Hunt | |
---|---|
File:Linda Hunt.jpg Hunt in 2015 | |
Born | Lydia Susanna Hunt April 2, 1945 Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.[1] |
Education | Art Institute of Chicago (BFA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1976–present |
Spouse(s) | Karen Kline (m. 2008) |
Awards | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (1983) |
Lydia Susanna "Linda" Hunt (born April 2, 1945) is an American actress of stage and screen.
She made her film debut playing Mrs. Oxheart in Popeye (1980). Hunt portrayed the male character Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first person to win an Oscar for portraying a character of the opposite sex. Hunt has also appeared in films such as Dune (1984), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Pocahontas (1995), Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998), and Stranger Than Fiction (2006).
Hunt has had a successful career on television and in voice-over work, notably being the narrator for the Ancient Greek mythology themed God of War video game series. From 1997 to 2002, she played the recurring role of Judge Zoey Hiller on The Practice and played Commander Chennault on the sci-fi series Space Rangers. Beginning in 2009, she has portrayed Henrietta "Hetty" Lange on the CBS television series NCIS: Los Angeles, a role for which she has received two Teen Choice Awards.
Early life[]
Hunt was born on April 2, 1945, in Morristown, New Jersey. Her father, Raymond Davy Hunt (1902–1985), was vice president of Harper Fuel Oil. Her mother, Elsie Doying Hunt (1903 – c. 1994), was a piano teacher who taught at the Westport School of Music, and performed with the Saugatuck Congregational Church Choir in Westport, Connecticut, the town where Hunt would be raised.[2] She has one sibling, an older sister named Marcia (born 1940).[3] Hunt attended the Interlochen Arts Academy[4] and graduated from the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University).[5][6][7]
Career[]
Theatre[]
Hunt was a well-known live-stage actress before she entered film and television.[citation needed] She made her Broadway debut in a 1975 production of Ah, Wilderness.[8][better source needed] 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.[9][better source needed]
Hunt created the role of Aunt Dan in Wallace Shawn's play Aunt Dan and Lemon.[citation needed] She was a member of the Long Wharf Theatre Company in Connecticut. There, she played the Player Queen in a production of Hamlet, among other roles.[citation needed] She portrayed Sister Aloysius in the Pasadena Playhouse production of John Patrick Shanley's play Doubt.[citation needed] Hunt was praised for her performance as the title character in Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children.[10] Hunt 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 in New York.[citation needed]
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."[11]
Film[]
Known for her small stature,[12][13] Hunt made her film debut in 1980 in Robert Altman's musical comedy Popeye.[14][15]
Two years later, Hunt co-starred as Billy Kwan in 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.[16][17][18] In her screen test, Hunt wore a hairpiece, a fake moustache, and "paste-on pieces above her eyes to [appear] Asian."[19] 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.[19][20] In her 1986 interview with the Bomb magazine, Hunt remarked that Billy Kwan "is supra-personal [with] layers of sexual ambiguity[.]"[11]
Hunt also played Shadout Mapes in Dune (1984 film), a nurse in She-Devil (1989), an austere school principal opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop (1990), and assassin Ilsa Grunt in If Looks Could Kill (1991).[citation needed]
Television[]
Hunt's television appearances include recurring roles as Judge Zoey Hiller on David E. Kelley's series The Practice[21] and as Dr. Claire Bryson on Without a Trace.[22][23] She has narrated several installments of The American Experience on PBS.[21][24][25][26] Since 2009, she has co-starred as Operations Manager Henrietta "Hetty" Lange on the CBS show NCIS: Los Angeles. Her co-stars on that show have included Chris O'Donnell, LL Cool J, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, Miguel Ferrer and Barrett Foa.[27][28][29] Hunt has won two Teen Choice Awards for her work on NCIS: Los Angeles.[30]
Voice work[]
Hunt is known for her husky voice.[13] 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 at the Nourse Theater in San Francisco.[31] Hunt voiced the role of Grandmother Willow in the animated musical film Pocahontas (1995)[17] and its direct-to-video sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998).[32]
Hunt narrated the National Geographic documentary The Great Indian Railway (1995).[33][34] In 1998, she narrated the Discovery Channel documentary "Titanic: Untold Stories."[35] Hunt's voice work also includes the character of Management in Carnivàle (2003, 2005)[17][36] and the narrator for God of War video game series.[37] She narrated a PBS Nature special entitled Christmas in Yellowstone (2009).[38][39]
Personal life[]
Hunt has been in a relationship with psychotherapist Karen Kline[40] since 1978. The two were married in 2008.[41][42][43]
As a teenager, Hunt was diagnosed as having hypopituitary dwarfism. Hunt stands 4 feet 9 inches (145 cm) tall.[44]
Hunt is an ambassador for the Best Friends Animal Society.[45]
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.[46]
Filmography[]
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1980 | Popeye | Mrs. Holly Oxheart | |
1982 | The Year of Living Dangerously | Billy Kwan | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Australian Film Institute Jury Prize (shared with Peter Weir) Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress (tie with Mia Farrow for Zelig) Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress |
1984 | Dune | Shadout Mapes | |
The Bostonians | Dr. Charlotte Prance | ||
1985 | Eleni | Katina | |
Silverado | Stella | ||
1987 | Waiting for the Moon | Alice B. Toklas | |
1989 | She-Devil | Hooper | |
1990 | Kindergarten Cop | Miss Ingrid Schlowski | |
Carmilla | Narrator | ||
1991 | If Looks Could Kill | Ilsa Grunt | |
1992 | Rain Without Thunder | Atwood Society Director | |
1993 | Younger and Younger | Frances | |
Twenty Bucks | Angeline | ||
1994 | Prêt-à-Porter | Regina Krumm | National Board of Review Award for Best Acting Ensemble |
1995 | Pocahontas | Grandmother Willow | Voice |
1997 | The Relic | Dr. Ann Cuthbert | |
Amazon | Narrator | Voice | |
Eat Your Heart Out | Kathryn | ||
1998 | Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World | Grandmother Willow | Voice |
2002 | Dragonfly | Sister Madeline | |
2005 | Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution' | Narrator | Voice |
Yours, Mine and Ours | Mrs. Edna Munion | ||
The Great Transatlantic Cable | Narrator | ||
2006 | Stranger Than Fiction | Dr. Jill Mittag-Leffler | |
2007 | The Singing Revolution | Narrator | |
2017 | The Relationtrip | Dr. Lipschweiss | |
2018 | Solo: A Star Wars Story | Lady Proxima | Voice |
Video games[]
- God of War as Narrator
- God of War II as Gaia/Narrator
- God of War: Chains of Olympus as Narrator
- God of War III as Narrator
- God of War: Ghost of Sparta as Narrator
- God of War: Ascension as Narrator
Television credits[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | Great Performances | Nora | 1 episode |
1978 | Fame | Mona | |
1987 | American Playhouse | Alice B Toklas | 1 episode |
Basements | Rose Hudd | Segment: "The Room"—director: Robert Altman | |
The Room Upstairs | Mrs. Felicia Sanders | TV movie | |
1993 | Space Rangers | Commander Chenault | |
1997–2002 | The Practice | Judge Zoey Hiller | 24 episodes |
1998–2006 | The American Experience | Narrator | |
2003 | Before We Ruled the Earth | Narrator | |
2003–2005 | Carnivàle | Management—voice | 9 episodes |
2006 | Nature | Narrator | Episode: "Christmas in Yellowstone" |
2007 | The Unit | Dr. Eudora Hobbs | 2 episodes |
2008 | Without a Trace | Dr. Claire Bryson | 3 episodes |
2009–present | NCIS: Los Angeles | Henrietta "Hetty" Lange | Starring role |
2011, 2012 | Teen Choice Awards | Herself | Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress Action |
2014 | Scorpion | Henrietta "Hetty" Lange | Episode: "True Colors" |
Theatre[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1972 | Hamlet | Player | Broadway |
1975 | Ah, Wilderness! | Norah | Broadway |
1983 | Little Victories | N/A | Broadway |
Top Girls | Pope Joan / Louise | ||
1984 | End of the World | Audrey Wood | Broadway |
1985 | Aunt Dan and Lemon | Aunt Dan | Broadway |
1988 | The Cherry Orchard | Charlotta | Brooklyn Academy of Music |
See also[]
- List of LGBT Academy Award winners and nominees
References[]
- ↑ "Linda Hunt". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2007.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Linda Hunt Biography". filmreference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Family for Linda Hunt". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Hanson, Byron. "From the Archives with Byron Hanson: February 2010". Interlochen Center for the Arts. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Lacob, Jace (September 26, 2011). "The Cult of Linda Hunt". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "The Theatre School: History". DePaul University. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Head-Hunting | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "End of the World Broadway @ Music Box Theatre - Tickets and Discounts". Playbill.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Linda Hunt – Broadway Cast & Staff". www.ibdb.com.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Rich, Frank (January 29, 1984). "Theater: Mother Courage in Boston". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ 11.0 11.1 "BOMB Magazine — Linda Hunt by Craig Gholson". Bomb (Interview). Interviewed by Vincent Caristi and Craig Gholson. Summer 1986. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013.
{{cite interview}}
: - ↑ Stein, Megan (March 31, 2019). "'NCIS: LA' Star Linda Hunt Said She Was 'Teased a Lot' for Her Height Growing Up". Country Living.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Exclusive: 'NCIS' spin-off adds Oscar winner Linda Hunt". EW.com.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Today's top celebrity birthdays list for April 2, 2019". cleveland. April 2, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "The year a woman won an Oscar for playing a male character". The Independent. February 15, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Linda Hunt hurt in Hollywood crash; 'NCIS' star won Oscar". July 3, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Ngo, Sheiresa (April 21, 2019). "'NCIS: Los Angeles': Linda Hunt Net Worth and How She Makes Her Money".
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Chung, Philip W (November 28, 2008). "The 25 Most Infamous Yellow Face Film Performances". AsianWeek. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ 19.0 19.1 Unger, Bertil (January 15, 1986). "Size Is Small Problem for Hunt". New Straits Times. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KwROAAAAIBAJ&pg=6522%2C3742512.
- ↑ Wadler, Joyce (February 18, 1983). "When Seeming is Believing" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Linda Hunt of 'NCIS: Los Angeles'". EW.com.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ DeVault, Ryan (February 24, 2020). "Who plays Hetty on NCIS: L.A.? Linda Hunt returns!".
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Linda Hunt". TVGuide.com.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Boedeker, Hal. "HORROR IS REAL IN PBS' GRIPPING 'INFLUENZA 1918'". OrlandoSentinel.com.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "TV REVIEWS : 'Pancho Villa': The Real Hunt Continues". Los Angeles Times. November 3, 1993.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Wertheimer, Ron (November 11, 2002). "TELEVISION REVIEW; Remaining True to His Beliefs, Whatever the Consequences (Published 2002)" – via NYTimes.com.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "NCIS: LA: Granger's Gone, But Not Forgotten". Boone News-Republican.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Weiss, Joanna (September 22, 2009). "In sunny Los Angeles, 'NCIS' follows procedure" – via The Boston Globe.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Petski, Denise (September 10, 2020). "'NCIS: Los Angeles': Caleb Castille Upped To Series Regular For Season 12".
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (November 19, 2018). "NCIS: LA: Where in the World Is Hetty? Linda Hunt Offers Health Update".
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "City Arts & Lectures Has a New Home in San Francisco". 7x7 Bay Area. April 30, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Leydon, Joe (August 31, 1998). "Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World".
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "National Geographic | TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Goodman, Walter (May 17, 1995). "TELEVISION REVIEW; Seeing India Through a Train Window (Published 1995)" – via NYTimes.com.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Titanic: Untold Stories" – via IMDb.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Carnivàle: "The Day That Was The Day"". TV Club.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Rip Torn as Hephaestus in God of War 3". ScreenCrush.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "'Christmas in Yellowstone' on PBS is a Friday TV pick | The Seattle Times".
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Full Documentary Films Yellowstone National Park National Geographic Documentary". YouTube. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Linda Hunt Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards". TV Guide. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Linda Hunt". Fatctoidz. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Ocamb, Karen (August 10, 2008). "WeHo Marriages Go On". The BILERICO Project. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Keveney, Bill (15 November 2010). "Linda Hunt: A 4-foot-9 force of nature on 'NCIS: LA'". USA Today. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2010-11-16-huntinside16_ST_N.htm.
- ↑ Buchalter, Gail. "There are Always Answers" Parade Magazine, 1991.
- ↑ "Acclaimed Ambassadors – Linda Hunt". Best Friends Animal Society. Archived from the original on October 22, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Hetty Is Back! NCIS: Los Angeles Fan-Favorite Linda Hunt Returns After Recovering from Car Crash". PEOPLE. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
{{cite web}}
:
External links[]
- Linda Hunt at the Internet Movie Database
- Linda Hunt at the Internet Broadway Database
- Linda Hunt at the Internet Off-Broadway DatabaseLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 21: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Linda Hunt at City Arts & Lectures
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