Holly Hunter

Holly Hunter got her break in a chance encounter with playwright Beth Henley while in a NYC stalled elevator. The meeting led to Hunter becoming Henley's muse in several acclaimed productions, including "Crimes of the Heart" and "The Miss Firecracker Contest." Aspiring filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen saw her in the former play and wrote a part for her in their upcoming debut, a modern noir called "Blood Simple," but due to commitments with another play, she was forced to turn them down. Hunter then recommended her roommate, Frances McDormand, to the brothers, who cast her as the female lead, tapping Hunter to provide a voice on an answering machine in the film. M

Hunter landed her first onscreen role in a particularly violent slasher film produced by Harvey and Bob Weinstein called "The Burning." Her star-making role was in the Coen Brothers' "Raising Arizona" in 1987. Hunter next wowed audiences in "Broadcast News," the tribute to the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. Hunter brought smarts and sensuality to her turn as an overachieving news reporter, and critics responded by nominating her for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Hunter next projects included "Always" and 1993's "Once Around." She then took a serious turn in "Roe vs. Wade," a 1989 TV movie that earned her an Emmy nomination.

The year 1993 proved a high mark for Hunter's career with the release of "The Piano." Hunter won an Academy Award and countless other nods from critics and organizations around the globe, solidifying the opinion that Hunter was among the best actresses working in film at the time. She then won an Emmy for her performance in "The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom."

She appeared in "Crash" in which Hunter and James Spader play disaffected urbanites that develop a passionate sexual relationship built around the violence of car accidents. The project won a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996. She also returned to the Coen Brothers' fold during this time for a small but pivotal part as George Clooney's beloved in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," which blossomed into a runaway cult hit.

Hunter found a new legion of fans as the voice of Helen Parr, a.k.a. Elastigirl, in Brad Bird's charming and wildly successful animated film, "The Incredibles." In 2007, Hunter made her first venture into a network television series with "Saving Grace" for which she played a jaded police detective who encounters an angel with the power to redeem her past and present. The show earned Hunter renewed critical acclaim and accolades, leading to a numerous award nominations over the series' run.