Helen Hunt

Biography: Academy Award winner Helen Hunt stars as the engagingly neurotic Jamie Buchman in the comedy series Mad About You.

Helen Hunt is the daughter of Gordon Hunt, a prominent acting coach and director, who received a DGA Award for an episode of Mad About You. A native of Los Angeles, Helen made her acting debut as a child in Pioneer Women, a 1973 movie-for-television, which led to numerous roles in other TV movies including Bill: On His Own, Choices of the Heart, Land of Little Rain for PBS and The Miracle of Kathy Miller, one of her favorite roles, in which she played an athlete who overcame an injury to compete again.

Helen has starred in three other television films: "Into the Badlands," "Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Smart Story" and "In the Company of Darkness." Hunt also starred on the series "My Life and Times," and had a recurring role on "St. Elsewhere" as well as a guest appearance on the HBO series "The Hitchhiker," for which she was nominated for a Cable Ace Award.

After completing the feature film "Project X," Hunt moved to New York to gain more stage experience. In 1989, she achieved her dream of performing on Broadway when she was cast in "Our Town." Her other stage work includes Bianca in the 1990 'Shakespeare in the Park' production of "The Taming of the Shrew," with Tracey Ullman and Morgan Freeman.

In between her TV and stage performances, Hunt continued to work in features, including "Peggy Sue Got Married" and "Miles from Home" with Richard Gere. Other big-screen credits are "The Waterdance" (which she freely admits she "pursued like a bloodhound") and "Mr. Saturday Night" opposite Billy Crystal. In the summer of 1995, she completed the feature "Kiss of Death," co-starring opposite David Caruso and Nicholas Cage. Hunt also starred in the box office smash "Twister".

Helen never seriously considered a lengthy commitment to a television series until she got a call from actor/comedian Paul Reiser. "Paul called me at home to discuss the role as his wife in his new pilot," says Hunt. "I saw that he had a passion about marriage. He talked about things like, `Once you set up shop in a married relationship, how do you set the rules and still keep the magic going?' And I responded favorably." In addition to winning the 1996 Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, Hunt also won the 1996 American Comedy Award, her second, for Funniest Performer in a Television series. She has won an American Television Award, two Golden Globe Awards and an American Comedy Award for best actress in a comedy series as well as being voted best actress by Viewers for Quality Television.

Hunt's starring role in "As Good As It Gets", with Jack Nicholson and Cuba Gooding Jr. received much praise, and earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Marital Status: Helen married actor Hank Azaria on July 17, 1999. Hank does several voices on the TV show The Simpsons. They Divorced on December 18, 2000.
Honeymoon: Maui, Hawaii and Italy.

Residence: Lived in the hills of San Fernando, California with her three dogs (one of which is a white Samoyed dog named Johnny) until she divorced Hank Azaria. She now lives in a New York City apartment with her dog.

Education: Helen Hunt went to Cadman Elementary School in Manhattan and graduated from Providence High School. Hunt and her family moved back to California in 1972 and she attended Laurel Hall in North Hollywood, California before moving on to Providence High. After high school, she went to UCLA in 1982 but dropped out after two months.

Friends: Hank Azaria , Helen Slater , and Anthony Edwards . (Has every Thanksgiving with him).

Favorite actresses: Meryl Streep , Susan Sarandon , and Judi Dench .
Hobbies: Helen Hunt loves to paint, dance, yoga, act, read Shakespeare plays, chew gum, eat sushi, go to the Olympics, and ride on roller coasters. (They scare her to the point of crying.) She's also been known to try Jungian therapy.
Likes And Dislikes

Favorite word: kiss

Least favorite word: literally, unless you're British

Favorite sound: the Pacific Ocean

Least favorite sound: gossip

Turn on: enthusiasm

Turn off: cynicism

Profession besides her own that she'd want to be - dancer

Profession she wouldn't want to be - surgeon

When she gets to the pearly gates what does she want God to say to her - "You Showed courage."… Expand