Linda Hunt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Linda Hunt | |
| Birth name | Lydia Susanna Hunter |
| Born | April 2, 1945 (age 62) Morristown, New Jersey, USA |
| Other name(s) | Lydia Hunt |
| Spouse(s) | George Henry Albertson Junior (1976-1981) no children |
| Official site | Lydia-Hunter |
| Notable roles | Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously Mrs. Oxheart in Popeye Grandmother Willow (voice) in Pocahontas Gaia the Titan and narrator (voice) in God of War and God of War II |
Linda Hunt (born April 2, 1945) is an American film, stage and television actress. She is known for her Academy Award-winning role in 1983's The Year of Living Dangerously.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Hunt was born in Morristown, New Jersey to Elsie Doying, who taught at the Westport School of Music and accompanied the Saugatuck Congregational Church choir, and Raymond Davy Hunt, the long-time vice president of Harper Fuel Oil in Long Island. She has a sister, Marcia.
[edit] Career
Hunt's film debut occurred in 1980 in Robert Altman's musical comedy Popeye. She won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her role as the male Chinese-Australian dwarf Billy Kwan in the film The Year of Living Dangerously in 1982. This made her the first actor to ever win an Oscar for playing a character of the opposite gender.
Hunt is also a well known stage actress, who has received two Obie awards and a Tony nomination for her theatre work. She created the role of Aunt Dan in Wallace Shawn's play Aunt Dan and Lemon. Recently, she portrayed Sister Aloysius in the Pasadena Playhouse production of John Patrick Shanley's Tony Award-winning play "Doubt."
Beside her acting abilities, Hunt is distinguished by her small stature (she is 4' 9" or 1.45 m), and her rich, resonant voice, which she has used effectively in numerous documentaries, cartoons, and commercials. Hunt is the on-air host for City Arts & Lectures, a radio program recorded by KQED public radio. She was chosen by Walt Disney Feature Animation to lend her enigmatic speaking and singing voice to Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas. Her voice work also includes the character of "Management", on US TV series Carnivàle and Gaia, who serves as the Narrator in God of War and its sequel God of War II . She also narrates the introduction film at the Spy Museum in Washington, DC.
[edit] Filmography
- God of War II (2007) (VG) (voice) - Narrator/Gaia
- Nature, Christmas in Yellowstone (2006) - Narrator
- Stranger Than Fiction (2006) - Dr. Mittag-Leffler
- Auschwitz -- Inside the Nazi State (2005) - Narrator
- Yours, Mine and Ours (2005) - Mrs. Munion
- A Lot Like Love (2005) - Airline Attendant
- God of War (2005) (VG) (voice) - Narrator
- Dragonfly (2002) - Sister Madeline
- The Relic (1997) - Dr. Ann Cuthbert
- Eat Your Heart Out (1997) - Kathryn
- Pocahontas (1995) - Grandmother Willow (voice)
- Prêt-à-Porter (1994) - Regina Krumm
- Younger and Younger (1993) - Frances
- Twenty Bucks (1993) - Angeline
- Rain Without Thunder (1992) - Atwood Society Director
- If Looks Could Kill (1991) - Ilsa Grunt
- Kindergarten Cop (1990) - Miss Schlowski
- Carmilla (1990) - Narrator
- She-Devil (1989) - Hooper
- Waiting for the Moon (1987) - Alice B. Toklas
- Eleni (1985) - Katina
- Silverado (1985) - Stella
- Dune (1984) - Shadout Mapes
- The Bostonians (1984) - Dr. Prance
- The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) - Billy Kwan
- Popeye (1980) - Mrs. Oxheart
| Preceded by Jessica Lange for Tootsie |
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress 1983 for The Year of Living Dangerously |
Succeeded by Peggy Ashcroft for A Passage to India |
[edit] Selected television credits
- The Unit (2007)
- Carnivàle (9 episodes, 2003-2005) (voice) - Management
- The Practice (24 episodes, 1997-2002) - Judge Zoey Hiller
- Space Rangers (1993) - Cmdr. Chennault
- Fame (1978) - Mona
[edit] External links
- Linda Hunt at the Internet Movie Database
- Linda Hunt at City Arts & Lectures
