“What I am there to do is to take care of, protect and encourage the character I play.” —Hunter*

It is amazing that Holly Hunter, who is among my very short list of favorite actors, was relatively unknown prior to receiving an Oscar for her portrayal of a mute bride in the 1993 hit “The Piano” (where she actually performed all of the music herself).

Born in 1958 in Conyers, Georgia, Hunter began her career on a theater stage, where she collaborated with the well-known playwright Beth Henley after a chance meeting in an elevator. Hunter’s big screen debut came in 1981, in the horror that was “The Burning,” noteworthy only for casting her and another then-unknown, Jason Alexander (now recognized worldwide as George from television’s “Seinfeld”).

Hunter’s work since has been varied in both type and level of success, but her ability to create engaging, unusual, and eccentric characters has remained unquestioned. Her 1993 success has brought offers such as her Oscar-nominated role in “The Firm,” and, a bit later, the lead in “As Good As It Gets” (1997), which she turned down (but Helen Hunt didn’t — and delivered an Oscar-winning performance). In addition to “Home for the Holidays,” a comedy/drama about one dysfunctional family's Thanksgiving gathering, my personal favorites can both be characterized as off-beat romances (drama/comedy): “Once Around” (1991), where Hunter plays a romantic failure who gets another chance with Richard Dreyfuss, and “Living Out Loud” (1998), where her recently divorced nurse character embarks on a relationship with her building’s elevator operator (Danny DeVito).

Hunter’s latest is the upcoming “Levity” (2003) — a drama about a convicted murderer’s release from prison and his search for redemption — where she is cast alongside Billy Bob Thornton, Morgan Freeman, and Kirsten Dunst. Another release scheduled for 2003 is “Thirteen,” a drama about a thirteen-year-old girl’s relationship with her mother as the former discovers drugs, sex, and crime.