Was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Alice, a homemaker, and Bob Hunt, an electrician. She was raised in a large Irish Catholic family, and has three older brothers, Patrick, Kevin, and Tom, two older sisters, Cathy and Carol, and one younger sister, Mary.
Hunt was educated in Catholic schools and attended St. Ferdinand Grammar School and Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago.
In 1982, Hunt worked as a cancer nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. In 1984, she co-founded An Impulsive Thing, an improvisational comedy troupe, with Holly Wortell, Andy Miller and John Gripentrog.
Hunt also performed as a member of Chicago's world-famous The Second City, joining in 1986.
Hunt married investment banker John Murphy in 1988. However, during her June 6, 2006, appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, she mentioned that she is single again.
Hunt is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, having not missed an Opening Day at Wrigley Field since 1977. She is also a supporter of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation where she is a honorary board member.
Bonnie Hunt's Photos
Hunt is said to have refused to become a cast member of Saturday Night Live because the show's producers generally frowned on her preferred improvisational style.
In 1992, she turned down a higher-paying role on Designing Women to co-star in Davis Rules with Jonathan Winters, Randy Quaid, and Audrey Meadows.
