Biography
Who is Bonnie Hunt?
Early life and nursing career
Bonnie Hunt grew up in Chicago and attended Roman Catholic schools, including Saint Ferdinand School and Notre Dame High School for Girls. She has a large family, with three older brothers named Patrick, Kevin, and Tom, plus two older sisters named Cathy and Carol, and a younger sister named Mary. Her father was of Irish and Belgian ancestry, while her mother was of Polish descent.
Before achieving fame in entertainment, Bonnie worked as a nurse's aide. By 1982, she was employed as an oncology nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Her transition into comedy began in 1984 when she co-founded an improvisational troupe called An Impulsive Thing. She later joined the well-known Chicago troupe the Second City in 1986. While still working as a nurse, she successfully auditioned for a role in the 1988 film Rain Man during her lunch break.
Television career and sitcoms
In 1990, Bonnie Hunt appeared as Carol Anne Smithson in the series Grand. She declined to join Saturday Night Live due to creative differences regarding her improvisational style. By 1991, she joined the cast of the second season of Davis Rules as the character Gwen Davis. In 1993, she collaborated with David Letterman to produce the live-filmed series The Building, which intentionally featured unedited mistakes and forgotten lines.
Bonnie later created, wrote, and starred in the ABC sitcom Life with Bonnie, which aired from 2002 to 2004 and earned her multiple award nominations. She also hosted The Bonnie Hunt Show from 2008 to 2010, a talk show taped in Culver City that used her signature conversational style. The show received several Daytime Emmy Award nominations for technical categories and won a Gracie Award in 2009.
Film and voice acting
Bonnie Hunt established herself as a versatile film actress throughout the 1990s. Well-known film credits include Beethoven, Beethoven's 2nd, Jumanji, Jerry Maguire, and The Green Mile. In 2000, she made her directorial debut with the romantic drama Return to Me, which she also co-wrote and starred in. This film was shot in her Chicago neighborhood and featured bit parts for several of her relatives.
Her work in animation is extensive, primarily with Pixar. She voiced Rosie in A Bug's Life, Ms. Flint in Monsters, Inc., and Karen Graves in Monsters University. She is also the voice of Sally Carrera in the Cars franchise and Dolly in the Toy Story series. Beyond Pixar, she voiced Bonnie Hopps in the Disney animated film Zootopia and its sequel. In 2024, she appeared in the action movie Red One as Mrs. Claus.
Personal life and interests
Bonnie Hunt was married to investment banker John Murphy in 1988. The couple separated in 2006, and their divorce was finalized in 2008. She maintains a strong connection to her hometown of Chicago and is a dedicated fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. She has attended every opening day at Wrigley Field since 1977 and was present in Cleveland for the team's Game 7 victory in the 2016 World Series.
Outside of her professional life, she supports medical research. She serves as an honorary board member for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Birthday and age
Bonnie Hunt was born on September 22, 1961, which makes Bonnie 65 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Bonnie shares the date with 37 other famous people.
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