Holly Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an American actress. Born in Conyers, Georgia, she first appeared as Helen Keller in a fifth-grade play before starring in Rockdale County High School stagings of Oklahoma!, Man of La Mancha, and Fiddler on the Roof. In Pittsburgh, she graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in drama and performed in local theatre.

She then moved to New York City with Frances McDormand, beginning a Broadway career. After appearing in the 1981 slasher film  The Burning, she moved to Los Angeles a year later, taking on various supporting roles in theatrical and television films before starring in Raising Arizona (1987) and receiving an Academy Award nomination for her role in Broadcast News (1987). She later went on to win two Primetime Emmy Awards for her performances in the television films Roe vs. Wade (1989) and The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993).