Holly Hunter may be an incredible mom on-screen, off the screen, she possesses more extraordinary prowess when it comes to navigating the motherhood journey.
Call it a miracle or a twist of fate, but, “The Incredibles” actress, Holly Hunter has treaded where only a few could only envision in her sojourn as a mom both on and off the screen.
The talented movie star broke the bars when she became a mother of two children at 47! She has since lived a fulfilled life with her partner of two decades and father of her kids, Gordon McDonald.
Even before Gordon came into the picture and fulfilled Hunter’s motherhood dreams, the icon scaled through other relationships, including a five-year marriage to ex-husband, Janusz Kaminski.
Notably, her marriage to Kaminski remains the mother-of-two’s only marriage to date. How more interesting could Holly Hunter’s life get?
A GLIMPSE INTO HOLLY HUNTER’S LIFE
The Hollywood Walk of Fame inductee landed the planet on March 20, 1958. She was born to parents, Opal Marguerite and Charles Edwin Hunter.
As a teenager, Hunter, who developed a hearing disorder from childhood, became interested in acting. While in High school, she appeared in several plays, which geared her up for life in the spotlight.
Eventually, Hunter attended Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, where she obtained a degree in Drama. During her college years, she participated in theatre scenes, further honing her acting skills.
HOLLY HUNTER’S MARRIAGE
Hunter has been married just once in her lifetime. She tied the knot with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski in 1995. Their marriage lasted for almost six years before the duo called it quits.
Kaminski filed for divorce from the “Thirteen” actress in 2001, citing irreconcilable differences. Holly Hunter and her former husband never had kids together.
WHO IS JANUSZ KAMINSKI
While their union ended over two decades ago, Kaminski would always remain a part of Hunter’s history. Janusz Kaminski is an Award-winning cinematographer.
He boasts of two Oscars, landing the first in 1993 for his work on “Schindler’s List.” He won his second Academy Award in 1998 for his work in “Saving Private Ryan.”
Aside from being a renowned cinematographer, the 61-year-old Zebice, Poland native is a director, making his directional debut in 2000 on “Lost Souls.” His other credits include “The Event” and “The Divide.”
Following his split from Hunter, Kaminski married Rebecca Rankin. Their marriage lasted from 2004 to 2010 before ending in divorce.
DID HUNTER MOVE ON?
Soon after her split from Kaminski, Holly Hunter began dating British actor, Gordon MacDonald. The duo met while co-starring on “By The Bog Of Cats,” a San Jose Repertory Theatre production.
They kicked off their romance in 2001, and have remained inseparable to date, despite their failure to tie the knot in the last twenty years. Aside from their joint project, MacDonald made appearances in movies like “The Brave One,” “Saving Grace,” and “Perfect Stranger,” among others.
In 2010, the twosome sparked engagement speculations when Hunter appeared on CBS’s “The Late Late Show,” sporting a sparkler on her engagement finger. The ring prompted the host, Craig Ferguson to probe her to spill the tea.
However, the actress failed to outrightly confirm if she had indeed become MacDonald’s fiance, only offering vague responses. But the hints were enough to get everyone’s hopes up.
WELCOMING KIDS TOGETHER
Five years into Hunter and MacDonald’s relationship, the couple’s representative revealed they were expecting new additions. The news came as a welcome surprise to many, given the movie star was 47 at the time.
In January 2006, Holly Hunter gave birth to twin boys, Press and Claude MacDonald, making the lovebirds first-time parents.
HOLLY HUNTER’S ACTING CAREER
Hunter began acting at an early age and went on to pursue a college degree in the field. Following her graduation, she moved to New York, where she met playwright Beth Henley in a stalled elevator.
The encounter paved the way for her to perform in a handful of Henley’s plays. Hunter moved to Los Angeles in the early 80s and kept auditioning, until she landed her first starring role in the 1987 movie, “Raising Arizona.”
Her performance skyrocketed her to fame that same year. The 63-year-old has since starred in “The Firm,” “Saving Grace,” “The Big Sick,” “Crash,” and “The Piano,” which earned her an Academy Award.
Holly Hunter lent her voice to the character, Helen Parr or Elastigirl in the animated superhero franchise, “The Incredibles,” in 2004. She reprised her role as the superhero mom in the 2018 sequel, “The Incredibles 2.”
PLAYING THE ONSCREEN MOM
While it took Hunter almost five decades to become a mother herself, the star garnered quite the experience through her numerous renditions of a mom in several movies. After playing moms in movies like “Raising Arizona,” and “The Piano” among others, she became fully equipped to take on the challenge in real life.
Most notably, her role as the supermom, Elastigirl, taught the actress some invaluable motherhood tenets. During a 2018 interview with NPR’s Audie Cornish, the Hollywood icon admitted that playing the “mom role” right from the onset of her career helped her become used to the idea.
She also admitted that becoming a mother in real life did little to change her approach to the 2018 sequel, “The Incredibles 2,” because she already perfected the art of onscreen motherhood.
Now a mom to two teenage boys, Holly Hunters couldn’t be happier to harness her years of experiences in raising her kids into admirable adults.