Calista Flockhart Biography

Calista Kay Flockhart (born November 11, 1964) is an American actress, widely known for playing the title role in the Fox television comedy-drama series Ally McBeal and for playing Kitty Walker McCallister on the ABC drama, Brothers & Sisters. Throughout her career she has received a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and three Emmy Award nominations.

Early life

Flockhart was born in Freeport, Illinois, the daughter of Kay, a teacher of English, and Ronald Flockhart, an executive for Kraft Foods. Her parents are retired and live in Morristown, Tennessee. She has one older brother, Gary. Her mother, Kay Calista, reversed her own first and middle names in naming her Calista Kay. Calista also had a great-grandmother named "Calista".

Because her father's job required the family to move often, Flockhart and her brother grew up in several places including Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Norwich, New York. As a child, she wrote a play called Toyland in which she performed to a small audience at a dinner party.

Flockhart attended Shawnee High School in Medford Township, New Jersey. Following her graduation in 1983, Flockhart attended the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. While there, she attended a specialized and competitive class, lasting from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. In her sophomore year at Rutgers, Flockhart met aspiring actress Jane Krakowski, the best friend of her roommate. Later they both would work together on Ally McBeal.

People began recognizing Flockhart's acting ability when William Esper (Mason Gross' theatre 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 of William Inge's Picnic. Flockhart graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre in 1988, as one of only a few students who successfully completed the course. Rutgers inducted her into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni on May 3, 2003.

Flockhart moved to New York City in 1989 and began seeking auditions, living with three other women in a two-bedroom apartment and working as a waitress and aerobics instructor. She would remain in the city until 1997.

Career

Early career

In spring 1989, Flockhart made her first television appearance in a minor role in an episode of Guiding Light as a babysitter. She made her professional debut on the New York stage, appearing in Beside Herself alongside Melissa Joan Hart, at the Circle Repertory Theatre. Two years later, Flockhart appeared in the television movie Darrow. Though she later appeared in films Naked in New York (1993) and Getting In (1994), her first substantial speaking part in a film was in Quiz Show, directed by Robert Redford.

Flockhart debuted on Broadway in 1994, as Laura in The Glass Menagerie. Actress Julie Harris felt Flockhart should be hired without further auditions, claiming that she seemed ideal for the part. Flockhart received a Clarence Derwent Award for her performance. In 1995, Flockhart became acquainted with actors such as Dianne Wiest and Faye Dunaway when she appeared in the movie Drunks. Later that year, Flockhart starred in Jane Doe as a drug addict. In 1996, Flockhart appeared as the daughter of Dianne Wiest and Gene Hackman's characters in The Birdcage. Throughout that year, she continued to work on Broadway, playing the role of Natasha in Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters.

Ally McBeal

In 1997 Flockhart was requested to audition for the starring role in David E. Kelley's Fox television series, Ally McBeal. Kelley, having heard of Flockhart, wanted her to audition for the contract part. Though Flockhart at first hesitated due to the necessary commitment to the show in a negotiable contract, she was swayed by the script and traveled to Los Angeles to audition for the part, which she won. She earned a Golden Globe Award for the role in 1998. Flockhart also appeared on the June 29, 1998, cover of Time magazine, placed as the newest iteration in the evolution of feminism, relating to the ongoing debate about the role depicted by her character.

Throughout her professional career, Flockhart has maintained her naturally lean figure. However, many have commented that Flockhart had become dangerously thin, particularly when the actress made red carpet appearances in clothing that revealed a somewhat emaciated physique. She had maintained throughout the show's run that she was never diagnosed with either anorexia or bulimia, nor was she a user of illegal drugs. She did remark, however, that while starring in the show she refrained from eating sweets, retaining her slimness with intense workouts and running. In 2006, she admitted that she had a problem at the time, and was "exercising too much" and "eating too little".

Other work

Flockhart played the role of Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, a 1999 film version of Shakespeare's play. In 2000, she appeared in Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her and Bash: Latter-Day Plays, later accompanying Eve Ensler to Kenya in order to protest violence against women, particularly female genital mutilation. Flockhart also starred in the Off-Broadway production of Ensler's The Vagina Monologues.

In 2004, Flockhart appeared as Matthew Broderick's deranged girlfriend in The Last Shot. In the same year, Flockhart travelled to Spain for the filming of Fragile, which premiered in September 2005 at the Venice Film Festival.

She was offered the role of Susan Mayer on Desperate Housewives, but declined. The role went to Teri Hatcher. Flockhart's last appearance on television was as Kitty Walker, opposite Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths and Matthew Rhys, in the ABC prime time series Brothers & Sisters, which premiered in September 2006 in the time slot after Desperate 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 husband Rob Lowe.

Personal life

Flockhart has been in a relationship with actor Harrison Ford since their meeting at the Golden Globe Awards on January 20, 2002. They became engaged on Valentine's Day in 2009, and were married on June 15, 2010, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The ceremony was presided over by Governor Bill Richardson and New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles W. Daniels. Flockhart and Ford are raising a son, Liam, whom Flockhart adopted as an infant on January 11, 2001.

As of 2008, Flockhart is the national spokesperson for Peace Over Violence.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role
1993	Naked in New York	Acting student
1994	Clear Cut
1994	Gettin In	Amanda Morel
1994	Quiz Show	Barnard Girl
1995	Pictures of Baby Jane Doe	Jane
1995	Drunks	Helen
1996	'	Barbara Keeley
1996	Milk & Money	Christine
1997	Telling Lies in America	Diney Majeski
1999	'	Helena
2000	Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her	Christine Taylor
2004	'	Valerie Weston
2005	Fragile	Amy Nicholls

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	Guiding Light	Elise
1991	Darrow	Lillian Anderson	Television 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
1998	'	Ally McBeal	Episode: "Axe Murderer"
2000	Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child	Vanna Van	(Voice) Episode: "Rip Van Winkle"
2001	Bash: Latter-Day Plays		Television film
2006"2011	Brothers & Sisters	Kitty Walker	Lead Role
2012	The Penguins of Madagascar	Doris	(Voice) Episode: "The Penguin Who Loved Me"

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Title	Work	Result
1998	Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	Ally McBeal
	Golden Globe Award	Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
	Viewers for Quality Television Award	Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series
1999	American Comedy Award	Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
	Golden Globe Award	Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical
	Satellite Award	Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
	TV Guide Award	Favorite Actress in a Comedy Series
	Television Critics Association Award	Individual Achievement in Comedy
2000	Golden Globe Award	Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical
	Peoples Choice Award	Favorite Female Television Performer
	Satellite Award	Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
	TV Guide Award	Favorite Actress in a Comedy Series
	Viewers for Quality Television Award	Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series
2001	Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
	Golden Globe Award	Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
2002	Golden Globe Award	Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical
2008	Gold Derby TV Award	Best Ensemble	Brothers & Sisters
		Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
2009		Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series