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Bonnie Hunt

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Bonnie Hunt
Born
Bonnie Lynn Hunt
Occupation(s)Actress, Comedian, Writer, Director, Presenter, Producer
Years active1984–present
SpouseJohn Murphy (1988-2006)

Bonnie Lynn Hunt is a two-time Golden Globe– and an Emmy Award-nominated American actress, comedienne, writer, director, television producer and daytime television host of The Bonnie Hunt Show.

Biography

Early life

Hunt, the daughter of Alice, a homemaker of Polish descent,[1] and Bob Hunt, an electrician of Irish descent.[2][3] She was raised in a large Catholic family,[3] and has three older brothers, Patrick, Kevin, and Tom, two older sisters, Cathy and Carol, and one younger sister, Mary. Hunt was educated in Catholic schools and attended St. Ferdinand Grammar School and Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago.

In 1982, Hunt worked as an oncology nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. In 1984, she co-founded An Impulsive Thing, an improvisational comedy troupe, with Holly Wortell, Andy Miller and John Gripentrog. Hunt also performed as a member of Chicago's world-famous The Second City, joining in 1986.

Career

Hunt refused[4] to become a cast member of Saturday Night Live because the show's producers generally frowned on her preferred improvisational style. In 1992, she turned down a higher-paying role on Designing Women[5] to co-star in Davis Rules with Jonathan Winters, Randy Quaid, and Audrey Meadows.

In 1993, Hunt teamed with good friend David Letterman to produce The Building, a short-lived sitcom that was modeled after early-1950s television shows. The show was also filmed live; mistakes, accidents, and forgotten lines were often left in the aired episode.

Hunt and Letterman re-teamed in 1995 with The Bonnie Hunt Show (later retitled Bonnie), which featured many of the same cast members as The Building and the same loose style. The show was praised by critics but was canceled after 11 of the 13 episodes produced were aired. In 2002, Hunt returned to television with Life with Bonnie, a show known for clean and offbeat humor. Her role on that show earned her a 2004 Emmy nomination, her first. Despite fair ratings, the show was canceled in its second season. Hunt announced on Live with Regis and Kelly that ABC had offered her another sitcom, in which she would have played a divorced detective. This pilot, Let Go (also known as Crimes and Dating), was not picked up for the fall 2006 schedule.

Hunt wrote, directed, and co-starred in the 2000 film Return to Me, a romantic comedy starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. It was filmed in her Chicago neighborhood and included bit parts[6][7][8] for a number of her relatives.

A recognizable film actress, Hunt has starred opposite Charles Grodin in the popular children's films Beethoven and Beethoven's 2nd. She played opposite Robin Williams in Jumanji as well as opposite Steve Martin in Cheaper by the Dozen and its sequel. She played the sister of Renée Zellweger in the movie Jerry Maguire. Also, she played the biological mother, Grace Bellamy, of Mark Austin (played by Kip Pardue) in Loggerheads, a 2005 independent film written and directed by Tim Kirkman. Hunt not only starred as the voice of Sally Carrera in Pixar's Cars but received a writing credit on the film as well.

Personal life

Hunt married investment banker John Murphy in 1988. However, during her June 6, 2006, appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, she mentioned that she was single again.

Hunt's hometown is Chicago[9] and she is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, having not missed an Opening Day at Wrigley Field since 1977. She is also a supporter of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, of which she is an honorary board member.[10]

Hunt often says that her favorite show is Big Brother. Hunt joked with Emma Roberts that the two should go on the show if there is ever a celebrity season.

The Bonnie Hunt Show

File:BonnieHuntShowInterview.jpg

In 2007 Bonnie Hunt taped a pilot episode for Telepictures. The pilot passed and the talk show was created. The Bonnie Hunt Show premiered on September 8, 2008. Since then the show has received great praise. The set is a tribute to Dean Martin and on the wall are pictures of her dog Charlie and more of her family. Once a week she will talk with her mom Alice in the segment Ask Alice. The show tapes in Culver City, California. In its first year the show is nominated for 3 Daytime Emmy Awards in opening theme, hairstyle, and makeup. Despite low ratings the show is expected to come back for a second season.[11]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1988 Rain Man Sally Dibbs
1991 Beethoven Alice Newton
1993 Dave White House Tour Guide
Beethoven's 2nd Alice Newton
1994 Only You Kate Corvatch
1995 Now and Then Mrs. DeWitt
Jumanji Sarah Whittle/Madam Serena
1996 Getting Away with Murder Dr. Gail Holland
Jerry Maguire Laurel Boyd
1998 A Bug's Life Rosie Voice
Kissing a Fool Linda Streicher
1999 Random Hearts Wendy Judd
The Green Mile Jan Edgecomb
2000 Return to Me Megan Dayton also director/writer
2001 Monsters, Inc. Mrs. Flint Voice
2002 Stolen Summer Margaret O'Malley limited release
2003 Cheaper by the Dozen Kate Baker
2005 Cheaper by the Dozen 2
Loggerheads Grace
2006 From Hair To Eternity Martha Bakerson
I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With Stella Lewis
Cars Sally Carrera Voice
2008— present The Bonnie Hunt Show Herself Talk-Show
2011 Cars 2 Sally Carrera Voice
'Cheaper by the Dozen 3 Kate Baker

References