Who is Linda Hunt

Linda Hunt is one of the most under-rated actresses of Hollywood. If you have seen ‘The year of living dangerously’, you know what I mean. Who else do you think could have played a role of opposite gender with such ease? The role of Billy Kwan would have been challenging enough for a male actor, and when you see a woman playing such a role so convincingly, you cannot point fingers at her ability as an actress. The story of Linda hunt is not only interesting to read, but also inspirational in character.

Celebrity Bio

Linda Hunt was born on 2nd of April, 1945 in Morrison, New Jersey. Soon after her birth her parents moved to Westport, Connecticut. She was just like a typical American child, dreaming to become an actress in future. Unfortunately, she was not blessed with good health in childhood. While still quite young, she was diagnosed with a debilitating condition, known as cretinism, in which growth of body is restricted due to hormonal imbalances. This could have easily shattered the dreams of any other person, but Linda took all in her stride. She became even more determined to achieve something, despite of her shortcoming. She learned the nuances of acting from acclaimed trainer, Robert Lewis. She dabbled in local theatre for many years before moving to New York to do theatre. Her acting skills were appreciated and she got a break in Hollywood in 1980, in the movie Popeye. She played a small supporting role in the movie. However, it was her second movie, ‘The year of living dangerously’ which made everybody take notice of her. She played the part of a dwarf man quite convincingly. The role earned her an academy award for the best supporting actress.

However, in spite of a powerful performance, her career failed to take off. It was probably due to her short height, and even an academy award couldn’t shake off such stereotype. She kept doing small roles in movies, though she contributed a great deal in theater with some unparalleled performances. She even won two Obies for her theater work.

She also played some memorable roles in television, such as in ‘The Practice’ and ‘Carnivale’. As she was blessed with a rich voice, she used this talent to good effect in many commercials, animated movies, and documentaries. She also lent her voice to the blockbuster games- God of War I & God of War II. This made a whole generation of teenagers to stand up and take notice of this brilliant actor. She is also working on the next game in the series, which is slated to release in 2010. She joined NCIS in 2009 in a supporting role.

In her academy award speech, she talked about the ability of a human being to achieve impossible if he strives for it. She talked about sky being the limit. How Linda became an actress despite of her short height should be an inspiration to many of us, who get disheartened after a small setback.