She was one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actresses — a blonde beauty who worked alongside the biggest stars and even took home an Oscar.
The 62-year-old actress was a child performer who popped up on The Bionic Woman with Lindsay Wagner in the 1970s.
In the 1980s she was in the film Girls Just Want To Have Fun with Sarah Jessica Parker then appeared in St Elsewhere.
Next came a massive gig: in the 1990s, she starred opposite Paul Reiser in the hilarious sitcom Mad About You for seven years.
Then the blonde went on to make movies with the A-list actors of her day: Mel Gibson and Jack Nicholson.
As well as her Oscar, she also picked up four Emmy Awards.
So, who is she?
On Wednesday the Los Angeles resident posted a rare selfie to Instagram when at the Dodgers game
She’s Helen Hunt!
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles resident posted a rare selfie to Instagram when at the Dodgers game.
Hunt was born on June 15, 1963, in Culver City, California, and began acting as a child, making her television debut in the 1973 series Pioneer Woman.
She gained widespread recognition for her role as Jamie Buchman in Mad About You (1992–1999), earning four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
In 1997, Hunt won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Carol Connelly in As Good as It Gets, starring opposite Jack Nicholson.
She continued her film success with leading roles in Twister (1996), Pay It Forward (2000), and The Sessions (2012), the latter earning her an Oscar nomination.
Hunt made her feature film directorial debut with Then She Found Me (2007).
She was married to producer Matthew Carnahan from 2001 to 2017, and they share a daughter, Makena Lei Gordon Carnahan, born in 2004.
Hunt reprised her iconic role as Jamie Buchman in the Mad About You revival, which aired in 2019 on Spectrum Originals.
She has also directed episodes of popular TV shows, including Blindspotting (2021) and The Politician (2020), further establishing herself as a skilled director
Helen was also a guest star on Hacks Season 3.
Helen Hunt charmed audiences as Jamie Buchman from 1992 to 1999, alongside Paul Reiser
Helen still carries that unmistakable movie-star glow; seen in 1999 at the Oscars
Hunt in 2000 at the What Women Want premiere in LA
In the movie Girls Just Want To Have Fun with Sarah Jessica Parker, left, in 1985
The blonde is seen here posing for a portrait in October 1983 in Los Angeles
In June Hunt said she refuses to conform to Hollywood’s beauty standards.
The actress used to feel pressure to look a certain way – but her outlook has changed in recent years.
Speaking to Flow Space, Helen explained: ‘It felt impossible not to internalize the way you’re supposed to look. And [there was] a certain amount of misery and shame around not looking exactly that way.’
Helen realised that Hollywood’s beauty standards were affecting her self-esteem. However, she now refuses to allow outside pressures to damage her mental health.
The star said: ‘I realized, ‘This could quietly ruin your whole life.’ I made a decision: I’m not playing. Not gonna [let it] take up a lot of space in my mind.’
Helen’s new approach has been heavily influenced by ‘The Only Diet There Is’, a book written by the spiritual leader Sondra Ray.
The actress explained: ‘What I took from it, is eat what you want and love every bite, period.’
Meanwhile, Helen previously admitted to obsessing about her appearance in the 80s.
The siren with beau Jeffrey Nordling at the LA Phil Opening Night Gala held at Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA on October 14
The movie star felt under pressure to look a certain way at the time – but a change of attitude has proven to be transformational for her.
She told HuffPost Live: ‘I had my run in the ’80s about being really worried about how I looked. Everybody was more fit, or more thin, and I maxed out on worrying about it.’
Helen’s change in attitude has benefited her mental and physical health.
The actress – who has won a host of accolades during her career, including an Academy Award and four Golden Globes – reflected: ‘I just gave up on worrying about it. When I gave it up, my brain and body got better.
‘I was taking these exercise classes called ‘abs, thighs, and buns’ and I was like, ‘I’m going to be dead one day — do I really want to give up an hour in this class?”
