American actress, best known for her role on the TV series, “Mad About You,” 1992-99. Co-starring with Paul Reiser, Hunt won four consecutive Emmy Awards for her portrayal of the caustic but charming “Jamie Buchman.” Her talents translated to the big screen as well, and in 1997, she starred in an Oscar-winning performance opposite Jack Nicholson with “As Good As It Gets.”
The daughter of famed theater director and acting coach, Gordon Hunt, Helen was a precociously talented child, and decided she would become an actress at the age of six. By the time she was nine, she had already studied acting and hired an agent and within the year, was drawing a regular paycheck. She appeared on the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” and later as a regular on “Swiss Family Robinson,” 1975. After graduating from Providence High School in Burbank, CA, she attended the University of California in Los Angeles for one month but left to pursue a full-time acting career. Her first adult television role was in the sitcom, “It Takes Two,” 1982, and in 1986, she broke into films with “Peggy Sue Got Married.”
When a role in “The Waterdance” came up, Hunt pursued it “like a bloodhound” and gave one of her finest early film performances. She quickly gained a reputation as a conscientious and hard-working actress. In 1996, she starred in the blockbuster hit, “Twister,” and afterward, she was inundated with offers to star opposite some of Hollywood’s biggest names. In 2001, she was seen in several movies including “What Women Want” with Mel Gibson and “Castaway” with Tom Hanks.
From 1986-88, Hunt had a relationship with the actor Matthew Broderick. After it ended, she dated for a short time before beginning a serious relationship with the actor Hank Azaria. They were married on 7/17/1999 but separated one year later, and on 12/18/2000, Hunt filed for divorce. Moving on with her life, Hunt took up residence in New York with her dog as company. She, her mom and sister formed The Healing Hands Project to provide reconstructive surgery to people who have been facially disfigured.
At age 40, she and beau Matthew Carnahan, age 43, have announced that they are expecting their first child in the summer of 2004. They began dating in 2001.
The actress gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Makena Lei Gordon Carnahan, on May 13, 2004 in Los Angeles.
Link to Wikipedia biography