Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good As It Gets, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Some of her other Hollywood credits include Twister (Twister (1996 film)), Cast Away, What Women Want and Pay It Forward. She made her directorial debut in 2008 with Then She Found Me.