Join us for a 90-minute Career Retrospective with Holly Hunter, currently starring in THE BIG SICK.
Moderated by Stacey Wilson Hunt, New York Magazine.
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A prominent actress on both stage and screen, Academy Award-winning actress Holly Hunter has portrayed a vast array of complex and powerful characters throughout her career.
Hunter has been nominated for four Academy Awards for the films “Broadcast News”, “The Firm,” “The Piano” and “Thirteen.” In 1993, Hunter won the Academy Award and the award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance in “The Piano.” In 2008, Hunter received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award.
Hunter was most recently seen in “The Big Sick,” directed by Michael Showalter, produced by Judd Apatow and Barry Mendel, and also starring Kumail Nanjiani, Ray Romano and Zoe Kazan. The film, which first premiered to rave reviews at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, was released by Amazon and Lionsgate in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, June 23rd, with a wide release on Friday, July 14th. “The Big Sick” is based on the real courtship of Kumail Najiani and his wife, Emily Gordon, and how his traditional Muslim family are unhappy with his relationship with Emily, an American. When Emily is waylaid by a mysterious illness, Kumail is forced to take charge of the crisis with her parents, Beth (Hunter) and Terry (Romano).
Also this year, Hunter starred in “Strange Weather,” a drama about a mother (Hunter) who, in an effort to deal with the grief over the death of her son, travels the back roads of the deep south to settle a score. Brent Lang of Variety deemed this “…one of her richest, most lived-in performances.” The film, directed by Katherine Dieckmann, also stars Carrie Coon.
This summer, Hunter began production on the Alan Ball HBO series, “Here, Now” which will also star Tim Robbins. The series will tell the story of a multi-racial family made up of husband, wife, three adopted children from Somalia, Vietnam and Colombia and one biological child, who find their bonds tested.
In 2018, Holly will reprise her voice role as Elastigirl in the highly-anticipated Pixar sequel, “The Incredibles 2.”
Hunter will also appear alongside Tony Shalhoub in “Breakable You.” The film premiered at the 2017 Palm Springs International Film Festival and is scheduled for a home entertainment release in March 2018.
In 2016, Hunter was seen in the box-office hit “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The film also starred Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Henry Cavill and Jesse Eisenberg, among others. Hunter played Senator Finch who is on the U.S. Senate committeeleading the investigation into Superman and his seemingly non-accountability toany governing body.
In 2015, Hunter was seen co-starring in the film “Manglehorn” opposite Al Pacino and directed by David Gordon Green. “Manglehorn” premiered at the 2014 at the Venice Film Festival and was also featured at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released in June 2015 by IFC.
Also in 2015, Hunter was seen on-stage in the revival of David Rabe’s Tony Award winning play “Sticks and Bones” opposite Richard Chamberlain, Nadia Gan, Morocco Omari, Bill Pullman, Ben Schnetzer and Raviv Ullman. Directed by Scott Elliot (“Hurlyburly”), the show opened to rave reviews at The New Group Theater.
In 2013, Hunter was seen in the Sundance Channel series “Top of the Lake,” co-starring Elisabeth Moss, written and directed by Academy award winner, Jane Campion and co-director, Garth Davis. Hunter played “GJ,” a guru at a local women’s camp who becomes involved in the investigation into the disappearance of a12-year-old girl that is 5 months pregnant in a picturesque but remote mountaintown. Hunter’s performance garnered her a Screen Actor’s Guild Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries.
Additionally in 2013, Hunter co-starred in “Paradise,” written and directed by Diablo Cody opposite Julianne Hough, Russell Brand, Nick Offerman and Octavia Spencer. The comedy follows a young conservative woman suffering a crisis of faith after surviving aplane crash. Hunter also co-starred in the Lifetime/History series “Bonnie & Clyde,” which also starred William Hurt, Emile Hirsch, and Holliday Grainger.
In 2007, Hunter made her television series debut in TNT’s edgy drama, “Saving Grace” which earned her nominations for two Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Hunter starred as Grace Anadarko, a tormented, fast-living Oklahoma City police detective who, despite being at the top of her field, took self-destruction to new heights. After seeing tremendous tragedy in her life, both professionally and personally, Grace reached a critical point one night and met a rough-hewn angel (Rippy) with a similar past who wanted to helplead her back to the right path. Directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan and written and produced by Nancy Miller (co-executive producer of “The Closer”) “Saving Grace” ended after four seasons in 2010.
In 2005, Hunter starred in the independent drama “Nine Lives,” directed by Rodrigo Garcia. “Nine Lives” is a series of vignettes which offered glimpses into the lives of nine women. The film also starred Kathy Baker, Glenn Close and Sissy Spacek.
Hunter last appeared on-stage in 2004 in Marina Carr’s “By the Bog of Cats,” directed by Dominic Cooke at Wyndham's Theater in London. Hunter played Hester Swane, an Irish traveler with an unearthly connection to her land, who is tormented by the memory of a mother who deserted her. In 2001, Hunter starred in the American premiere of the play at the San Jose Repertory Theatre in California.
In 2003, Hunter was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as a mother dealing with her daughter’s wild and rebellious behavior in the film “Thirteen,” directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Hunter was also honored with nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press, SAG, BAFTA and the Broadcast Film Critics Association for this role. That same year, Hunter was also seen in the film “Levity” starring with Morgan Freeman and Billy Bob Thorton. “Levity” opened the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and was directed by Ed Solomon.
In 2001, Hunter starred in ABC's "When Billie Beat Bobby" where she portrayed tennis legend Billie Jean King in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between King and Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs. The role garnered Hunter an Emmy nomination for Best Actress in a Television Miniseries or Movie.
In 2000, Hunter was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role in Showtime's"Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her.” The film tells stories about love and loss in the lives of five women. The film won an award in "Un Certain Regard" at the Cannes Film Festival and also screened at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. Hunter also starred in Showtime's original movie "Harlan County War," for which she garnered both an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie.
Also in 2000, Hunter appeared in the Coen brothers' film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" with George Clooney and John Turturro and Mike Figgis' "Time Code.” In 1999, Hunter starred in "Jesus' Son," released by Lion's Gate, opposite Billy Crudup. In 1998, Hunter starred in New Line Cinema’s adult-comedy “Living Out Loud” opposite Danny Devito, Elias Koteas and Queen Latifah.
In 1993, Hunter received the Academy Award for her performance as a mute Scottish widow in Jane Campion’s “The Piano.” For this role, she received the Cannes Film Festival Award, The British Academy Film Award, the New York Film Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, the National Board of Review Award and a Golden Globe Award, all for Best Actress. That same year, Hunter garnered an Academy Award nomination for her performance as the investigative secretary in “The Firm,” based on the John Grisham novel.
In 1987, Hunter was nominated for another Academy Award for her portrayal of a driven career-woman producer in the feature film “Broadcast News.” Forthis role, she received the New York Film Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Film Critics Award, The National Board of Review Award and the Berlin Film Festival Award, all for Best Actress.
Other film credits include “The Incredibles,” “Little Black Book,” “The Big White,”“Home For the Holidays,” “Copycat,” “Once Around,” “Always,” “Raising Arizona,”“Crash” and “A Life Less Ordinary.”
In 1982, Hunter made her Broadway debut in Beth Henley’s “Crimes of the Heart” followed by “The Wake of Jamey Foster.” Her other New York stage appearances include “The Miss Firecracker Contest,” “Battery,” ”The Person I Once Was, ” “A Weekend Near Madison” and "Impossible Marriage."
Hunter co-produced and starred in Beth Henley’s “Control Freaks” and produced Ray Barry’s “Mother’ Son” at the Met Theatre in Los Angeles.
Her television work includes HBO’s “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom,” for which she won the Emmy Award for Best Actress. This role also garnered her a Golden Globe nomination. Hunter was awarded the Emmy for her role as Jane Roe in NBC’s “Roe vs. Wade.”
