Helen Hunt began studying acting at the age of eight with her father, respected director and acting coach Gordon Hunt. A year later she made her professional debut and afterwards worked steadily in films, theatre and television.
Mad About You (1992): $1,000,000 per episode (last season)
Graduated from Providence High School in Burbank, California. She and her Mad About You co-star, Paul Reiser, were both given $1,000,000 per episode salaries for the 1999 TV season. Attended UCLA for 1 month. Celebrates Thanksgiving every year with Anthony Edwards. Did a guest voice on The Simpsons in episode: #9.16 "Dumbbell Indemnity," as Moe's girlfriend, Renee. The voice of Moe is Hank Azaria, Helen's real-life love at that time. Got the role in Twister based on her performance in The Waterdance. Daughter of Gordon Hunt. One of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People. [1998] Got the lead in As Good as It Gets after Holly Hunter turned it down. After divorcing Hank Azaria, she moved to New York, intending to do theater work, especially William Shakespeare. [2000] Dated Eric Stoltz, her The Waterdance co-star. Has won Four Emmys, four Golden Globes, a Blockbuster Award, two Screen Actors Guild awards, four American Comedy Awards, three Viewers for Quality Television Awards and an Oscar, along with other awards. [2001] In the early 1990s she dated her agent at Creative Artists Agency, Doc O'Conner. Her best friend is Helen Slater. Witnessed the World Trade Center attacks from the roof of her brand new New York apartment and decided to leave the city right away, but could not get a flight out. She booked a private jet at considerable expense and flew herself and her staff out of Connecticut three days later, the first day they allowed private jets to fly. [September 2001] She appeared in four movies released in the year 2000. Two of them were in theaters at the same time during the end-of-the-year holiday season, and grossed over $150 million each: Cast Away and What Women Want. Only the second actress to win a Golden Globe, an Oscar, and an Emmy in the same calendar year. The first was Liza Minnelli in 1973. Daughter, Makena Lei Gordon Carnahan, born 13 May 2004 with boyfriend Matthew Carnahan. Beat Teri Hatcher for the role of Jamie Buchman in Mad About You at the final auditions. She and her ex-husband, Hank Azaria, have both guest-starred on the TV show Friends, though not in the same episode. Her daughter, Makena Lei, was named after a friend's dream. The name means "many flowers of heaven." The baby's middle name, Gordon, is in honor of Helen's father, Gordon Hunt. Frequents Hawaii, which she first visited when she was 14. Says, "It's where I feel right. I can write here, think, chill and get a clear head.". Asked novelist Robert B. Parker to create a female private detective for her to play. The result was Parker's series of novels featuring Sunny Randall.