For more than a decade, Linda Hunt commanded the screen as the enigmatic Henrietta “Hetty” Lange on NCIS: Los Angeles. Sharp-witted, deeply loyal, and full of secrets, Hetty was the team’s fearless leader, guiding her agents with both tenderness and iron-clad authority. But while Hetty became a cornerstone of the CBS drama, Hunt herself has long been one of Hollywood’s most private stars.
This week, however, fans were given a rare glimpse into her off-screen life.
The 80-year-old Oscar winner was recently spotted during an outing in Los Angeles, where she was photographed alongside her wife, psychotherapist Karen Kline. Hunt, who has always favored comfort and character over red-carpet flash, was dressed casually in a white T-shirt featuring a playful sketch of a dog, paired with gray jeans and black sneakers. Kline, her partner of nearly five decades, wore a striped tee, jeans, and a gray hoodie tied around her waist.
The couple—together since 1978 and married in 2008—walked closely with another companion, each woman gently supporting Hunt’s arms as they strolled the sidewalk. The sight was a reminder not only of Hunt’s resilience but also of the quiet love story that has anchored her through fame and health struggles alike.
From Hetty to Hollywood History
Hunt’s role as Hetty Lange on NCIS: Los Angeles remains one of her most iconic. She was part of the cast from the very beginning in 2009, remaining a series regular through Season 12 before scaling back her appearances. Even in limited episodes, Hetty’s presence loomed large, her cryptic wisdom and mysterious backstory making her a fan favorite. When CBS officially ended the series in 2023 after 14 seasons, it was hard for viewers to imagine the world of OSP without her.
But Hetty wasn’t Hunt’s first brush with acclaim. In 1982, she made history by winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously—making her the first person to win an Oscar for portraying a character of the opposite sex. She went on to appear in a wide variety of projects, from cult sci-fi (Dune, 1984) to beloved family films (Kindergarten Cop, 1990; Disney’s Pocahontas, 1995) to Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018.
A Life Marked by Resilience
Hunt’s career hasn’t been without its challenges. Born with hypopituitary dwarfism, she stands at 4 feet, 9 inches tall and has often spoken candidly about how her height shaped her self-perception growing up. But rather than holding her back, it propelled her toward performance.
In a 2013 interview with CBS News, Hunt recalled falling in love with acting after seeing a Broadway production of Peter Pan. “That it was bigger than life,” she said of the show’s effect on her. “And that in some sense, I longed to be bigger than life, because I wasn’t.” Acting gave her that outlet: the chance to “pretend to be anything.”
Her determination was put to the test again in 2018, when she was involved in a car accident that sidelined her from NCIS: Los Angeles. Fans were worried when Hetty disappeared from the show, but Hunt reassured them in a statement: “Though I had hoped to return to playing Hetty at the start of the season, I had to take some additional time to recover. I look forward to returning later this season.”
And she did—reminding fans that neither Linda Hunt nor Hetty Lange could ever truly be counted out.
A Quiet but Enduring Legacy
Now mostly retired from acting, Hunt’s appearances are rare, making this recent Los Angeles outing feel all the more poignant. To many, she will forever be Hetty—the brilliant, secretive operations manager who always seemed to be one step ahead. But her legacy is far larger: a trailblazing performer who broke barriers in Hollywood, survived personal challenges, and carved out a career on her own terms.
At 80, Linda Hunt doesn’t need the spotlight to validate her impact. Whether on the stage, on the screen, or walking hand-in-hand with her wife through Los Angeles, she remains—like Hetty—an icon who shaped her own legend.
