Calista Flockhart | |
|---|---|
 Flockhart in 2009 | |
| Born | Calista Kay Flockhart (1964-11-11)November 11, 1964 (age 61) Freeport, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Rutgers University, New Brunswick (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Known for | Ally McBeal Brothers & Sisters A Midsummer Night's Dream Supergirl The Birdcage |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Calista Kay Flockhart (born November 11, 1964)[1][2] is an American actress best known as thetitle character onAlly McBeal (1997–2002), for which she won aGolden Globe Award in 1998 and was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series three times. She is also known for portrayingKitty Walker onBrothers & Sisters (2006–2011), andCat Grant onSupergirl (2015–2021). In film, she is known for her performances inThe Birdcage (1996),A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999), andThings You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000). Flockhart has been married to actorHarrison Ford since 2010.
Flockhart was born inFreeport, Illinois, on November 11, 1964, the daughter of Kay Calista, anEnglish teacher, and Ronald Flockhart, aKraft Foods executive.[3] Her parents retired toMorristown, Tennessee, where her father lived until his death and her mother continues to reside.[4] She has one older brother, Gary. Her mother reversed her own first and middle names in naming her Calista Kay.[5]
Flockhart attendedMason Gross School of the Arts atRutgers University–New Brunswick. People began recognizing Flockhart's acting ability when William Esper (Mason Gross theater director and Flockhart's acting teacher) made an exception to policy by allowing Flockhart to perform on the main stage. Though this venue usually is reserved for juniors and seniors, Harold Scott insisted that Flockhart perform there in his production ofWilliam Inge'sPicnic. Flockhart graduated with aBachelor of Fine Arts in theater in 1988 from Rutgers as one of the few students who successfully completed the acting course. Rutgers inducted her into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni on May 3, 2003.[6][7]
In spring 1989, Flockhart made her first television appearance in a minor role in an episode ofGuiding Light as a babysitter. She also appeared in a one-hour afternoon special forLifestories: Families in Crisis, playing a teenager battling an eating disorder. Flockhart made her professional debut on the New York stage, appearing inBeside Herself alongsideMelissa Joan Hart, at theCircle Repertory Theatre. Two years later, Flockhart appeared in the television movieDarrow. Though she later appeared in filmsNaked in New York (1993) andGetting In (1994), her first substantial speaking part in a film was inQuiz Show, directed byRobert Redford.
Flockhart debuted onBroadway in 1994, as Laura inThe Glass Menagerie. Flockhart received aClarence Derwent Award for her performance.[8] In 1995, Flockhart became acquainted with actors such asDianne Wiest andFaye Dunaway when she appeared in the movieDrunks. In 1996, Flockhart appeared as the daughter ofDianne Wiest andGene Hackman's characters inThe Birdcage. Later that year, Flockhart starred inJane Doe as a drug addict, though it was not released until 1999, over three years after filming ended.[9] Throughout that year, she continued to work on Broadway, playing the role of Natasha inAnton Chekhov'sThree Sisters.
In 1997, Flockhart was asked to audition for the starring role inDavid E. Kelley'sFox television seriesAlly McBeal. Kelley, having heard of Flockhart, wanted her to audition for the contract part. Though she hesitated due to the necessary commitment to the show in a negotiable contract, she was swayed by the script and traveled toLos Angeles to audition for the part, which she won. She earned aGolden Globe Award for the role in 1998. Flockhart also appeared on the June 29, 1998, cover ofTime magazine,[10] placed as the newest iteration in the evolution offeminism, relating to the ongoing debate about the role depicted by her character.[11] Flockhart starred on the show until it was canceled in 2002.[12]
Flockhart performed in a starring role asKitty Walker, oppositeSally Field,Rachel Griffiths andMatthew Rhys, in the critically acclaimedABC prime time seriesBrothers & Sisters, which premiered in September 2006 in the time slot afterDesperate Housewives. The show was cancelled in May 2011 after running for five years. Flockhart's character was significant throughout the series' first four years, but her appearances were reduced for the 2010–2011 season, coinciding with the departure of TV husbandRob Lowe.
Flockhart played the role of Helena inA Midsummer Night's Dream, a 1999 film version ofShakespeare's play. In 2000, she appeared inThings You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her andBash: Latter-Day Plays, later accompanyingEve Ensler toKenya in order to protest violence against women, particularlyfemale genital mutilation. Flockhart also starred in theoff-Broadway production of Ensler'sThe Vagina Monologues.
In 2004, Flockhart appeared asMatthew Broderick's deranged girlfriend inThe Last Shot. In the same year, Flockhart traveled toSpain for the filming ofFragile, which premiered in September 2005 at theVenice Film Festival. She was offered the role ofSusan Mayer onDesperate Housewives but declined, and the role later went toTeri Hatcher.[13]
In 2014, Flockhart landed a role inFull Circle's second season, as mob boss Ellen. It was expected to air in 2015. This had been Flockhart's first acting role in three years, after her hiatus whenBrothers & Sisters ended.
In 2015, Flockhart was cast in the television seriesSupergirl asCat Grant, a "self-made media magnate and founder of CatCo" and boss to Kara (Supergirl's alter ego).[14] The series premiered on October 26, 2015, onCBS.[15] Due to the network's wish to reduce the show's budget, it was moved to sister networkThe CW after its first season, along with a move to filming in Vancouver. Flockhart remained with the show (albeit as a recurring character), despite her previous aversion to working outside Los Angeles.[16]
In 2022, she played the role of Martha oppositeZachary Quinto inEdward Albee'sWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at theGeffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. The production was directed byGordon Greenberg and also starredAimee Carrero andGraham Phillips.[17]
In 2024, Flockhart appeared asLee Radziwill inCapote vs. The Swans, the second season of the anthology seriesFeud.[18] Regarding playing Radziwill in an interview withThe New York Times, Flockhart said, "Truman Capote recognized that she was living in her sister's shadow... and he would say things: 'You're so much prettier. You're so much smarter. You're more interesting. You have better style.' She really needed to hear that. I think it made her really love Truman. He was fun, and she confided in him, like they all did."[19]
In January 2001, Flockhart announced that she had adopted a baby boy.[20]
Flockhart is married to actorHarrison Ford, whom she first met at theGolden Globe Awards on January 20, 2002.[21] They became engaged on Valentine's Day in 2009, and were married on June 15, 2010, inSanta Fe, New Mexico. The ceremony was presided over by New Mexico GovernorBill Richardson and New Mexico Supreme Court Chief JusticeCharles W. Daniels.[22]
From 2004 to 2014, Flockhart served as the national spokeswoman forPeace Over Violence.[23][24]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Naked in New York | Acting student |
| 1994 | Clear Cut | |
| Gettin In | Amanda Morel | |
| Quiz Show | Barnard Girl | |
| 1995 | Pictures of Baby Jane Doe | Jane |
| Drunks | Helen | |
| 1996 | The Birdcage | Barbara Keeley |
| Milk & Money | Christine | |
| 1997 | Telling Lies in America | Diney Majeski |
| 1999 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Helena |
| 2000 | Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her | Christine Taylor |
| 2004 | The Last Shot | Valerie Weston |
| 2005 | Fragile | Amy Nicholls |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Guiding Light | Elise | |
| 1991 | Darrow | Lillian Anderson | Movie |
| 1992 | Lifestories: Families in Crisis | Mary-Margaret Carter | Episode: "The Secret Life of Mary Margaret: Portrait of a Bulimic" |
| 1997–2002 | Ally McBeal | Ally McBeal | Lead role (112 episodes) |
| 1998 | The Practice | Episode: "Axe Murderer" | |
| 2000 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Vanna Van (voice) | Episode: "Rip Van Winkle" |
| Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | Episode: "Calista Flockhart / Ricky Martin" | |
| 2001 | Bash: Latter-Day Plays | Sue | Movie |
| 2006–2011 | Brothers & Sisters | Kitty Walker | Lead role (110 episodes) |
| 2014 | Robot Chicken | Dr. Ryan Stone / Smurfette / Rebecca Cunningham (voice) | Episode: "Batman Forever 21" |
| Web Therapy | April Keating | Episodes: "Lost on the Young" and "Judicial Oversight" | |
| 2015 | Full Circle | Ellen Kelly-O'Rourke | 5 episodes |
| 2015–2018, 2021 | Supergirl | Cat Grant | Main role (season 1) Recurring (season 2; 4 episodes) Special guest star (seasons 3 & 6: 2 episodes) |
| 2015 | The Penguins of Madagascar | Doris (voice) | Episode: "The Penguin Who Loved Me" |
| 2024 | Feud: Capote vs. The Swans | Lee Radziwill | 8 episodes |
| 2024–2025 | Invincible | April Howsam (voice) | 4 episodes[25] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Theatre World Award | ||
| Preceded by | Theatre World Award 1995 forThe Glass Menagerie | Succeeded by |
