Linda Hunt has spent her life defying expectations. A powerhouse performer in a petite frame, the Oscar-winning actress and NCIS: Los Angeles icon has built a career — and a home — that reflects resilience, wit, and quiet elegance. Beyond the camera’s glare, Hunt lives a grounded life in a jewel-box bungalow in Hollywood, where she shares her world with Karen Kline, her beloved partner of 35 years.
It is a home filled not only with color, light, and eclectic artistry, but also with the kind of devotion that Hollywood stories rarely tell: one of enduring love, private joys, and the sanctuary of a well-designed space.
From Childhood Challenges to Hollywood Triumph
Born with hypopituitary dwarfism, Hunt stood out from the very beginning. Her parents recognized her unusual features but refused to let her be sidelined. Instead, they nurtured her curiosity, reading to her, taking her to the theater, and encouraging a love of performance.
Even with that support, Hunt endured schoolyard cruelty and relentless teasing for her size. But rather than shrink from the world, she leaned into her passion. That resilience carried her from New York stages to a career on screen, culminating in an Academy Award for The Year of Living Dangerously in 1984 and a beloved television role as Hetty Lange on NCIS: Los Angeles.
A Love Story Rooted in Simplicity
Behind Hunt’s commanding screen presence is a quieter, deeply personal love story. She met Karen Kline, a therapist, in the 1980s, and what caught Kline’s eye was not Hunt’s reputation — but her corduroy pants. It was a charmingly ordinary detail that sparked an extraordinary connection.
By 1987, the two women had moved in together. Two decades later, in 2008, they made their union official. Though they never had children, they share a life full of laughter, dogs, and mutual respect. Hunt once quipped that she forgives Kline everything because she’s younger — six years younger, to be precise.
The humor, the warmth, and the balance between them mirrors the comfort they’ve created inside their home.
A Craftsman Home With a Twist
On the outside, Hunt’s 1919 Hollywood bungalow looks like a traditional craftsman, one of many in a neighborhood of historic revival-style homes. Step inside, though, and whimsy meets sophistication.
“This house has whimsy and a special kind of elegance… it’s welcoming,” Hunt once said.
The two-bedroom home is awash in lavender, green, and soft purple hues, a palette that gives each space a dreamlike quality. Designer Linda Brettler worked closely with Hunt and Kline to reimagine the cramped layout, opening up hallways with stained-glass skylights and transforming small rooms into vibrant, light-filled spaces.
There’s a den inspired by Art Deco and Viennese Secessionist style, complete with sunflower wall coverings. A kaleidoscopic bathroom wall is decorated with clippings from New York Magazine, a personal touch Hunt had envisioned for years. And a sunroom, with vaulted ceilings and dramatic wallpaper, invites natural light and the couple’s three dogs to linger.
A Retreat for Work and Life
The bungalow isn’t just a home; it’s a retreat. Hunt often used the guesthouse, complete with its library and den, as a place to rehearse her lines for NCIS: Los Angeles. For over a decade, Hetty Lange became one of TV’s most enigmatic leaders — a role that allowed Hunt to bring her trademark mix of wit, gravitas, and mystery to primetime.
Though her appearances waned in later seasons, fans never stopped clamoring for Hetty’s return, her absence felt as deeply as her presence once commanded. Even in quieter years, Hunt’s name trended whenever NCIS marked milestones or celebrated her birthday.
Enduring Legacy
At 77, Hunt has little left to prove. She has weathered the cruelties of childhood, the demands of Hollywood, and the scrutiny of fame. What remains is a legacy not just of performances, but of choices: to love deeply, to live authentically, and to create a home that reflects the richness of a life well-lived.
Her Hollywood house may be small, but much like its owner, it contains multitudes — whimsy, elegance, and the kind of love story that endures long after the credits roll.
