“NCIS Legend’s Jaw-Dropping Transformation at Prestigious Awards Event Nearly 40 Years Ago – You Won’t Believe Your Eyes!”

Linda Hunt, renowned for her portrayal of fan-favorite Henrietta “Hetty” Lange in NCIS: Los Angeles, is nearly unrecognizable in a photograph taken nearly 40 years ago.

Before Linda became famous for her iconic portrayal of Hetty, she had a different look. In 1985, she presented the award for Best Supporting Actor at the 57th Academy Awards. This was after Linda won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar the previous year for her groundbreaking performance as the character Billy Kwan in “The Year of Living Dangerously.” She was the first person to win an Oscar for portraying a character of the opposite sex. At the 1984 Oscars, she received her award from Dyan Cannon and Gene Hackman. The following year, Linda presented Don Ameche with the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in “Cocoon.”

In the photo, Linda is wearing a high-necked, sequin-embellished gown and sporting a shorter hairstyle than her familiar Hetty look on the popular CBS police procedural NCIS: Los Angeles.

Linda had an extensive career in the entertainment industry before joining NCIS: Los Angeles in 2009. She had guest appearances in shows like “Without a Trace” and “The Practice” and starred in films like “Kindergarten Cop,” “Stranger Than Fiction,” and the 1984 adaptation of “Dune.” She also lent her voice to Grandmother Willow in Disney’s “Pocahontas” and its sequel, “Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World.”

While Linda is best known as Hetty, she made sporadic appearances on the show over the past few years due to various reasons, including taking time off to recover from a car accident and the challenges posed by the pandemic, which prevented her from returning to the set.