Holly Hunter

Holly Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an American actress. Born in Conyers, Georgia, her first acting role was as Helen Keller in a fifth-grade play, before appearing in Rockdale County High School stagings of Oklahoma!, Man of La Mancha, and Fiddler on the Roof. In Pittsburgh, she graduated with a drama degree at Carnegie Mellon University and performed in local theater.

She then moved to New York City with Frances McDormand, beginning a Broadway career. After appearing in a slasher film released in 1981, The Burning, she moved to Los Angeles a year later, taking on various supporting roles in theatrical and television films before starring in Raising Arizona (1987) and receiving an Academy Award nomination for her starring role in Broadcast News (1987). She later went on to win two Primetime Emmy Awards for her performances in the television films Roe vs. Wade (1989) and The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993).

For her performance as a mute Scottish woman in The Piano (1993), she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Later on, she was nominated for two more Oscars in The Firm (1993), and Thirteen (2003). Other major accolades she has won include an AACTA Award, a Silver Bear, a BAFTA Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Golden Globe.