Holly Hunter was born on March 20, 1958, in Conyers, Georgia, to Marguerite “Dee Dee” (née Catledge), a homemaker, and Charles Edwin Hunter, a sporting goods manufacturer and farmer. She is the youngest of seven children. Hunter graduated from Rockdale County High School and earned a degree in drama from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Hunter moved to New York City to pursue her acting career, sharing an apartment with fellow actress Frances McDormand. She initially worked in off-Broadway productions. Her early film appearances were in low-budget horror films, including “The Burning” (1981).
Hunter’s breakthrough role came in the Coen brothers’ “Raising Arizona” (1987). She gained further recognition for her performance in “Broadcast News” (1987), earning her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Throughout the 1990s, Hunter solidified her position as a leading actress with roles in critically acclaimed films such as:
Hunter has also had a successful television career, starring in the TNT drama series “Saving Grace” (2007-2010), for which she received multiple Emmy Award nominations. She won an Emmy Award for her role in the television film “Roe vs. Wade” (1989) and another for “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom” (1993). She also starred in the HBO drama series “Succession” (2018-2023), receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding