Linda Hunt

Linda Hunt Bio

Lynn‑Lydia Susanna Hunt, known professionally as Linda Hunt, is an American actress whose career has spanned more than five decades across stage, film, television, and voice-over work. Born on April 2, 1945, in Morristown, New Jersey, she first drew wide attention for her film debut in the musical comedy Popeye (1980) and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1983 for her role as Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously, becoming the first person to win an Oscar for portraying a character of the opposite sex. Hunt is equally recognized for her long-running turn as Operations Manager Henrietta “Hetty” Lange on the CBS series NCIS: Los Angeles, a part she held from 2009 to 2023.

Early Life and Background

Linda Hunt was born on April 2, 1945, in Morristown, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Raymond Davy Hunt, who served as vice president of Harper Fuel Oil, and Elsie Doying Hunt, a piano teacher who taught at the Westport School of Music and performed with the Saugatuck Congregational Church Choir. Hunt was raised in Westport, Connecticut, and grew up alongside an older sister, Marcia.

As a teenager, Hunt was diagnosed with hypopituitary dwarfism, and she stands 4 feet 9 inches (145 cm) tall. Her petite frame would later become a recognizable physical feature on screen, and she has spoken openly about how her height shaped the kinds of roles she was offered early in her career.

Hunt received her formal training at the Interlochen Arts Academy before studying at the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The school, now part of DePaul University, gave her a foundation in classical stagecraft that informed her later work in theater, film, and television.

Path to Acting

Before entering film and television, Hunt built a reputation as a respected live-stage actress. She made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of the play Ah, Wilderness and went on to earn a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play for her work in End of the World in 1984. She also received two Obie Awards for her ensemble work in the Off-Broadway productions Top Girls and A Metamorphosis in Miniature, and she originated the role of Aunt Dan in Wallace Shawn’s play Aunt Dan and Lemon.

Hunt spent time as a member of the Long Wharf Theatre Company in Connecticut, where her roles included the Player Queen in a production of Hamlet. Critics praised her portrayal of the title character in Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children, and she later played Sister Aloysius in the Pasadena Playhouse production of John Patrick Shanley’s play Doubt. She also appeared as Pope Joan in Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls when the Royal Court Theatre production was staged at the Public Theater in New York.

Linda Hunt Career

Early Career (1972-1980)

Hunt began her professional acting career in 1972 and spent the first decade of her work primarily on the stage. Her early years were marked by steady theater employment, ensemble honors, and the kind of craft-building that prepared her for a screen breakthrough later in the decade.

Her first film role arrived in 1980, when she was cast as Mrs. Oxheart in Robert Altman’s musical comedy Popeye, starring Robin Williams. The performance introduced her small but commanding screen presence to a wide audience and opened the door to more substantial film work.

Breakthrough (1982-1983)

Hunt’s defining moment came in 1982 with The Year of Living Dangerously, Peter Weir’s adaptation of the novel of the same name. She co-starred as Billy Kwan, the male Indonesian photographer at the center of the story, wearing a hairpiece, fake moustache, and prosthetic brow pieces during her screen test. To prepare for the role, Hunt dyed and cut her hair short, shaved her eyebrows, wore padding and makeup, and carried a prop in her shirt pocket to complete the character’s silhouette.

For her performance, Hunt won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1983, becoming the first person ever to win an Oscar for portraying a character of the opposite sex. The win established her as a serious dramatic actress and led to a string of notable film roles through the 1980s and 1990s.

Notable Works and Milestones

Following her Oscar win, Hunt built a varied film résumé that included the Shadout Mapes in Dune (1984), roles in Silverado (1985) and Eleni (1985), a nurse in She-Devil (1989), the school principal Miss Schlowski opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop (1990), and assassin Ilsa Grunt in If Looks Could Kill (1991). She voiced Grandmother Willow in the animated musical Pocahontas (1995) and its direct-to-video sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998), and later appeared in Stranger Than Fiction (2006). Her voice also became familiar to gamers as the narrator of the God of War video game series.

Linda Hunt Award Nominations

Beyond her Oscar win, Hunt has earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play for her 1984 stage role in End of the World, as well as two Obie Awards for her ensemble work in the Off-Broadway productions Top Girls and A Metamorphosis in Miniature. Her television work on NCIS: Los Angeles brought her Teen Choice Award nominations during the show’s long run on CBS.

Linda Hunt Awards Won

Hunt’s most celebrated honor is the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, which she received in 1983 for The Year of Living Dangerously. She also won two Teen Choice Awards for her work as Hetty Lange on NCIS: Los Angeles, a recognition that reflected the character’s popularity with younger viewers of the long-running CBS series.

Linda Hunt Family

Linda Hunt is the daughter of Raymond Davy Hunt, who served as vice president of Harper Fuel Oil, and Elsie Doying Hunt, a piano teacher who taught at the Westport School of Music and sang with the Saugatuck Congregational Church Choir. She has one sibling, an older sister named Marcia.

Personal Life

Hunt has been in a relationship with psychotherapist Karen Kline since 1978, and the two were married in 2008. She is an ambassador for the Best Friends Animal Society, a role that reflects her longstanding interest in animal welfare and rescue work. In July 2018, People magazine reported that Hunt was involved in a multi-car accident in Los Angeles, an incident that led her to take nearly a year away from her duties on NCIS: Los Angeles.