Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Hunt rose to fame in 1992, portraying Jamie Buchman in the sitcom Mad About You which earned her three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress and four Primetime Emmy Awards for Lead Actress. In 1997, Hunt won the Academy Award for Best Actress for starring as Carol Connelly in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets, while her portrayal of Cheryl Cohen-Greene in The Sessions (2012), gained her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other notable films include Twister (1996), Cast Away (2000), What Women Want (2000), Pay It Forward (2000), Bobby (2006), Soul Surfer (2011), and The Miracle Season (2018). Hunt made her directorial film debut with Then She Found Me (2007), and has directed the film Ride (2014), and episodes of television series, including