Holly Hunter is the youngest of seven children. At an early age her parents encouraged her to pursue her acting talent, and her first gig was the part of Helen Keller in a 5th grade play.
      In 1976 she went to Pittsburgh and earned at a degree in drama from Carnegie Mellon University. And upon graduation, she made the move to New York, where she went on to get roles in Beth Henley plays, including "Crimes of the Heart" and "The Miss Firecracker Contest", and later she also starred in the screen version.
      In 1982 Hunter moved to Los Angeles, and landed her first starring role in features in the Coen brothers' "Raising Arizona", a part that is said to have been written with her in mind. But she gained the most attention from audiences and critics alike in 1987 when she took on the role of a driven TV news producer in James L. Brooks' "Broadcast News", a part which garnished her with numerous awards for Best Actress.
      In 1993 she earned an Academy Award and worldwide acclaim with her stirring performance as a mute bride in Jane Campion's "The Piano", opposite Sam Niell and Harvey Kietel.
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Bio info taken from several sources. [Please let us know of any errors]