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Bonnie Hunt

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Bonnie Hunt
Hunt at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006
Born
Bonnie Lynn Hunt

(1961-09-22) September 22, 1961 (age 63)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • director
  • producer
  • writer
  • television host
Years active1984–present
Spouse
John Murphy
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 2006)​
Comedy career
MediumFilm, television
GenresImprovisational comedy
Subject(s)Popular culture

Bonnie Lynn Hunt (born September 22, 1961)[1] is an American actress, comedian, director, producer, writer and television host. Her film roles include 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, Zootopia, and the Monsters, Inc., Cars, and Toy Story franchises. She starred in Grand and Davis Rules, as well as creating, producing, writing, and starring in The Building, Bonnie, and Life with Bonnie. From 2008 to 2010, she hosted The Bonnie Hunt Show.

Early life

Bonnie Lee Hunt was born on September 22, 1961, in Chicago, to Robert Edward Hunt, an electrician, and Alice E. Hunt (née Jatczak).[2] Her father was of Irish and Belgian ancestry and her mother is of Polish descent.[3][4][5] She has three older brothers named Patrick, Kevin, and Tom, two older sisters named Cathy and Carol, and a younger sister named Mary.[citation needed] She was educated in Catholic schools, attending Saint Ferdinand School and Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago, and worked part-time as a nurse's aide.[6]

In 1982, Hunt worked as an oncology nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. In 1984, she co-founded an improvisational comedy troupe called An Impulsive Thing.[6] Hunt also performed as a member of Chicago's world-famous the Second City, joining in 1986.

In 1988, while a nurse, Hunt auditioned on her lunch break for the role of waitress Sally Dibbs in Rain Man and won it.[6]

Career

In 1990, Hunt portrayed Carol Anne Smithson in Grand. She refused to become a cast member of Saturday Night Live because the series' producers generally frowned on her preferred improvisational style. In 1992, she was offered the part of B. J. Poteet, a replacement for Julia Duffy, on Designing Women.[7] 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.[citation needed] In 1995, Hunt and Letterman reteamed for 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. Her role on the series earned her a 2004 Emmy nomination (which was her first). Despite fair ratings, the series 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 portrayed a divorced detective. This pilot titled Let Go (also known as Crimes and Dating) was not picked up for the fall 2006 schedule.

She 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,[8] was largely influenced by Hunt's blue-collar Catholic upbringing in Chicago.[9]

Hunt portrayed Alice Newton in Beethoven and Beethoven's 2nd, Sarah Whittle/Madam Serena in Jumanji, and Kate Baker in Cheaper by the Dozen and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. She portrayed the sister of Renée Zellweger's character in Jerry Maguire and Jan Edgecomb in The Green Mile. She portrayed Grace Bellamy in Loggerheads. She has provided her voice for a total of eight Pixar films: A Bug's Life as Rosie, Monsters, Inc. as Ms. Flint, Cars, Cars 2, and Cars 3 as Sally Carrera, Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 as Dolly, and Monsters University as Karen Graves. In addition, Hunt voiced Bonnie Hopps in the Walt Disney Animation Studios' film, Zootopia, which marked her first non-Pixar animated film.

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 set design was a tribute to Dean Martin and on the walls are pictures of historic television personalities, as well as Hunt's family members. The series was inspired by the format of Live with Regis and Kelly, with the host and guests often interacting with the audience. Many of the series' staffers were longtime friends of Hunt's from Chicago. The series 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. 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 Bonnie Hunt 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.[10] The couple separated in 2006; their divorce was officially finalized in 2008.[11]

Hunt is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, having not missed an opening day at Wrigley Field since 1977. She was in attendance in Cleveland for the Cubs' historic Game 7 victory during the 2016 World Series.

She is a supporter of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, of which she is an honorary board member.[12]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1988 Rain Man Sally Dibbs (the waitress)
1992 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
1996 Getting Away with Murder 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 and co-writer
2001 Monsters, Inc. Ms. Flint (voice)
2002 Stolen Summer Margaret O'Malley
2003 Cheaper by the Dozen Kate Baker
2005 Cheaper by the Dozen 2
Loggerheads Grace
2006 I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With Stella Lewis
Cars Sally Carrera (voice)
2009 Hurricane Season Principal
2010 Toy Story 3 Dolly (voice)
2011 Hawaiian Vacation Short film
Cars 2 Sally Carrera (voice)
2013 Monsters University Karen Graves (voice)
2016 Zootopia Bonnie Hopps (voice)
2017 Cars 3 Sally Carrera (voice)[13]
2019 Toy Story 4 Dolly (voice)
2021 The Ultimate Playlist of Noise Dr. Lubinsky
2024 Red One Mrs. Claus

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1984 American Playhouse Foxtrot Dancer Episode: "Under the Biltmore Clock"
1990 Grand Carol Anne Smithson Main role (26 episodes)
1991–92 Davis Rules Gwen Davis Main role (18 episodes)
1993 The Building Bonnie Kennedy Lead role; also creator, executive producer, writer
1995–96 Bonnie Bonnie Kelly Lead role; also co-creator, producer, writer
1997 Wheel of Fortune Herself Played alongside her mother Alice
2002–04 Life with Bonnie Bonnie Molloy Lead role; also co-creator, director, executive producer, writer
2006 Let Go Kate Holloway Unsold ABC pilot; lead role, also director, executive producer, writer
2008–10 The Bonnie Hunt Show Herself / Host Also executive producer, writer
2010 The Life & Times of Tim Gabe's Mother (voice) 2 episodes
2013–18 Sofia the First Aunt Tilly (voice) Recurring role (7 episodes)
2013 Call Me Crazy: A Five Film  – TV film; Director of "Eddie" segment
2014 Cars Toons: Tales From Radiator Springs Sally Carrera (voice) 3 episodes
2018 Escape at Dannemora Catherine Leahy Scott[14] Miniseries (7 episodes)
2019 Forky Asks a Question Dolly (voice) Episode: "What Is a Leader?"
2021 Monsters at Work Ms. Flint (voice) 6 episodes
2022 Amber Brown  – Creator, director, executive producer, writer
Cars on the Road Sally Carrera (voice) Episode: "Dino Park"
Zootopia+ Bonnie Hopps (voice) Episode: "Hopp on Board"

Video games

Year Title Voice role
1998 A Bug's Life Rosie
2006 Cars Sally Carrera
2010 Toy Story 3: The Video Game Dolly

Theme park attractions

Year Title Role
2012 Radiator Springs Racers Sally Carrera

Awards and nominations

Year Nominated work Award Result
1995 Jumanji Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress Won
1996 Bonnie Viewers for Quality Television Founder's Award Won
1999 The Green Mile Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Drama Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated
2003 Life with Bonnie TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy Nominated
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Nominated
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Nominated
2004 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Nominated
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Nominated
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Nominated
2010 The Bonnie Hunt Show Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host Nominated

References

  1. ^ "About Bonnie Hunt (1961– )". Archived from the original on July 26, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2010. 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.
  4. ^ Grahnke, Lon (April 14, 1992). "Hunt draws on improv talents for 'Davis' role". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 43. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  5. ^ "Genealogy Report: Descendants of Joannis Backes". Family Tree Maker. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c Reiss, Dawn (April 17, 2009). "Teaming Up with Bonnie Hunt". The Saturday Evening Post.
  7. ^ Collins, Scott (August 31, 2008). "Hunt ready to take on daytime". Chicago Tribune. p. 10. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  8. ^ "Return to Me". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  9. ^ Stack, Peter (April 2, 2000). "Hunt's Full Heart". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  10. ^ "True blue Bonnie Hunt". Tampa Bay Times. April 28, 2000. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  11. ^ "Bonnie Hunt - Bio, Ex-Husband, Divorce and Reason for Divorce". Naija News. July 21, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "Honorary Board". Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  13. ^ Alexander, Bryan (May 30, 2016). "Sneak peek: 'Cars 3' zooms ahead with new character Cruz Ramirez". USA Today. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  14. ^ Harnick, Chris (November 18, 2018). "Why Bonnie Hunt Returned to TV for Escape at Dannemora". E! Online. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
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