Claim: Helen Hunt made her debut with Then She Found Me.

Helen Elizabeth Hunt -LRB- born June 15 , 1963 -RRB- is an American actress , director , and screenwriter . She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years , and played single mother Carol Connelly in the 1997 romantic comedy film As Good as It Gets , for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress . Some of her other notable films include Twister -LRB- 1996 -RRB- , Cast Away -LRB- 2000 -RRB- , What Women Want -LRB- 2000 -RRB- , Pay It Forward -LRB- 2000 -RRB- , and The Sessions -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , the latter garnered her a second Academy Award nomination . She made her directorial debut in 2007 with Then She Found Me -LRB- 2007 -RRB- . Hunt has also won four Emmy Awards , four Golden Globe Awards , and two Screen Actors Guild Awards .