Her first television appearance was on Hawaii Five-O. She was a regular on The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo in 1979 and 1980. Her role as Anna DiMera on Days of Our Lives from 1982 to 1986 would win her an Emmy Award at the 13th Daytime Emmy Awards for best supporting Actress in 1986. For three seasons of Dynasty, Hunley portrayed Dana Waring, Adam Carrington's wife . She appeared on Aaron Spelling's short-lived Models, Inc.. In the first season of Dawson's Creek (1998) she was Tamara Jacobs, a high school English Teacher who has an tempestuous affair with her student Pacey Witter. She also played Shira Huntzberger on Gilmore Girls in 2005.
After a 21-year absence from playing the role, Hunley returned to Days of Our Lives as Anna on June 21, 2007, recurring on the series until early 2017.
