Bonnie Hunt

Bonnie Hunt

Hunt and her mother Alice at the 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards
Born Bonnie Lynne Hunt
September 22, 1961
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater Notre Dame High School for Girls
Occupation Actress, writer, director, producer, talk show host
Years active 1984–present
Spouse(s) John Murphy (m. 1988–2006)

Bonnie Lynne Hunt (born September 22, 1961)[1] is an American stand-up comedienne, actress, director, producer, writer, host, and voice artist. She has appeared in Rain Man, Beethoven, Beethoven's 2nd, Jumanji, Jerry Maguire, The Green Mile, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. Hunt has done voice work in A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., Monsters University, Toy Story 3, Cars, and Cars 2. Hunt has starred in Grand and Davis Rules, and has created, produced, written, and starred in The Building, Bonnie, and Life with Bonnie. From 2008 to 2010, she hosted The Bonnie Hunt Show.

Early life

Hunt was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Robert Edward Hunt, an electrician, and Alice E. Hunt (née Jatczak), a homemaker.[2] Her father was of Irish and Belgian ancestry and her mother is of Polish descent.[3][4][5] She was raised in a large Catholic family,[4] and has three older brothers named Patrick, Kevin, and Tom, two older sisters named Cathy and Carol, and a younger sister named Mary.

Hunt was educated in Catholic schools and attended St. Ferdinand Grammar School and Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago.

In 1982, she worked as an oncology nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. In 1984, she co-founded an improvisational comedy troupe called An Impulsive Thing 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

In 1990, Hunt played a role on Grand. She refused to become a cast member of Saturday Night Live because the series' producers generally frowned on her preferred improvisational style.[6] In 1992, she was offered the part of B. J. Poteet, a replacement for Julia Duffy, on Designing Women.[6] Instead, she chose to co-star in Davis Rules.

In 1993, Hunt teamed with good friend David Letterman to produce The Building. The series 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. She 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 directed, co-wrote, and co-starred in Return to Me. It was filmed in her Chicago neighborhood and included bit parts for a number of her relatives. The film, which received a positive reception from critics,[7] was largely influenced by Hunt's blue-collar Catholic upbringing in Chicago.[8]

Hunt at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival

Hunt starred as Alice Newton opposite Charles Grodin in Beethoven and Beethoven's 2nd. She played opposite Robin Williams in Jumanji and opposite Steve Martin in Cheaper by the Dozen and its sequel. She played the sister of Renée Zellweger in the movie Jerry Maguire and Jan Edgecomb opposite Tom Hanks in the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Green Mile. 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. She has provided her voice for a total of five Pixar films: A Bug's Life as Rosie the black widow spider; Monsters, Inc. as training supervisor Mrs. Flint; Cars as the heroine Sally Carrera; and Toy Story 3 as Dolly. In addition, Hunt received a writing credit on the film Cars, and reprised her Sally role in the sequel Cars 2.

The Bonnie Hunt Show

Main article: The Bonnie Hunt Show

In 2007, Hunt taped a pilot episode for Telepictures. The pilot was approved and the talk show was created. The Bonnie Hunt Show premiered on Monday, September 8, 2008. The show's set design was a tribute to Dean Martin and on the walls are pictures of historic television personalities and of Hunt's family members. The show was inspired by the format of Live with Regis and Kelly with the host and guests often interacting with the audience. Many of show's staffers were longtime friends of Hunt's from Chicago. The show typically started with an opening monologue followed by guest interviews and games played with the audience. Hunt's mother Alice often appeared in webcasts from her home in Chicago. A characteristic of the show was Hunt's over-the-top faux indignation at non-PG language after which she would enjoy the double-entendre drenched material she had pretended to poo-poo. The Bonnie Hunt Show taped in Culver City, California and was viewed in 17 of the top 20 US television markets in the United States. In its first year, the show was nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards: for opening theme, hairstyle, and makeup. It won the Gracie Award for "Outstanding Talk Show" in 2009. In 2010, Hunt was nominated for "Outstanding Talk Show Host" at the Daytime Emmy Awards. The final episode aired on May 26, 2010.

Personal life

In 1988, Hunt married investment banker John Murphy, but 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, Illinois[9] and she is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, having not missed an Opening Day at Wrigley Field since 1977. She is a supporter of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, of which she is an honorary board member.[10]

Filmography

Films

Year Title Role Notes
1988 Rain Man Sally Dibbs
1992 Beethoven Alice Newton
1993 Dave White House Tour Guide
1993 Beethoven's 2nd Alice Newton
1994 Only You Kate Corvatch
1995 Now and Then Mrs. DeWitt
1995 Jumanji Sarah Whittle/Madam Serena Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
1996 Getting Away with Murder Dr. Gail Holland
1996 Jerry Maguire Laurel Boyd
1998 Bug's Life, AA Bug's Life Rosie Voice
1998 Kissing a Fool Linda Streicher
1999 Random Hearts Wendy Judd
1999 Green Mile, TheThe Green Mile Jan Edgecomb Nominated – Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Drama
2000 Return to Me Megan Dayton Also director and writer
2001 Monsters, Inc. Ms. Flint Voice
2002 Stolen Summer Margaret O'Malley Limited release
2003 Cheaper by the Dozen Kate Baker
2005 Cheaper by the Dozen 2 Kate Baker
2005 Loggerheads Grace
2006 I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With Stella Lewis
2006 Cars Sally Carrera Voice
2010 Toy Story 3 Dolly Voice
2011 Hawaiian Vacation Dolly Voice; animated short
2011 Cars 2 Sally Carrera Voice
2013 Monsters University Karen Graves Voice

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1984 American Playhouse Foxtrot Dancer Episode: "Under the Biltmore Clock"
1990 Grand Carol Anne Smithson Main role
1991–92 Davis Rules Gwen Davis Main role; 18 episodes
1993 The Building Bonnie Kennedy Lead role; also creator, writer, executive producer
1995–96 Bonnie Bonnie Kelly Also writer, producer
Viewers for Quality Television Founder's Award (1996)
2002–04 Life with Bonnie Bonnie Molloy Also creator, executive producer, director
Nominated: TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy (2003),
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2003/04),
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2003/04),
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (2004)
2006 Let Go Director (movie)
2008–10 Bonnie Hunt Show, TheThe Bonnie Hunt Show Herself/Host Also executive producer, writer
Nominated – Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host (2010)
2010 The Life & Times of Tim Gabe's Mom (voice) Episode: "Nagging Blonde/Tim and the Elephant"
2013–present Sofia the First Aunt Tilly (voice) Recurring role
2013 Call Me Crazy: A Five Film Director (movie); "Eddie" segment
2014–present Cars Toons: Tales From Radiator Springs Sally Carrera (voice) Recurring role

Video games

Year Title Voice role Notes
2006 Cars Sally Carrera
2007 Cars Mater-National Championship Sally Carrera
2009 Cars Race-O-Rama Sally Carrera
2011 Cars 2 Sally Carrera

References

  1. "About Bonnie Hunt (1961– )". MovieActors.com
  2. "Bonnie Hunt Biography". Film Reference. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  3. Bonnie Hunt, host; Jared Padalecki, guest (February 10, 2009). "Episode". The Bonnie Hunt Show serieslink=The Bonnie Hunt Show.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Grahnke, Lon (April 14, 1992). "Hunt draws on improv talents for 'Davis' role". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 43. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  5. "Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Joannis Backes". Familytreemaker.genealogy.com. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Collins, Scott (August 31, 2008). "Hunt ready to take on daytime". Chicago Tribune. p. 10. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  7. "Return to Me". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  8. Stack, Peter (April 2, 2000). "Hunt's Full Heart". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  9. Reiss, Dawn (April 17, 2009). "Teamin Up with Bonnie Hunt". The Saturday Evening Post. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  10. "Honorary Board". TheMMRF.org. Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Retrieved August 12, 2010.

External links

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