Calista Flockhart
Calista Flockhart | |
|---|---|
 Flockhart in 2009 | |
| Born | Calista Kay Flockhart November 11, 1964 Freeport, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | 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. She is best known for portraying the title character on the Fox television series Ally McBeal (1997–2002), for which she received a Golden Globe Award in 1998 and was thrice nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. From 2006 to 2011, she starred as Kitty Walker on the ABC drama series Brothers & Sisters, and between 2015 and 2021, Flockhart appeared as Cat Grant on the superhero drama Supergirl. In film, she is known for roles in The Birdcage (1996), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999), and Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000).
Early life
[edit]Flockhart was born in Freeport, Illinois, the daughter of Kay Calista, an English teacher, and Ronald Flockhart, a Kraft Foods executive.[3] Her parents retired to Morristown, 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 attended Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers 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 of William Inge's Picnic. Flockhart graduated with a Bachelor 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]
Career
[edit]Early career
[edit]In spring 1989, Flockhart made her first television appearance in a minor role in an episode of Guiding Light as a babysitter. She also appeared in a one-hour afternoon special for Lifestories: Families in Crisis, playing a teenager battling an eating disorder. Flockhart 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. Flockhart received a Clarence Derwent Award for her performance.[8] In 1995, Flockhart became acquainted with actors such as Dianne Wiest and Faye Dunaway when she appeared in the movie Drunks. In 1996, Flockhart appeared as the daughter of Dianne Wiest and Gene Hackman's characters in The Birdcage. Later that year, Flockhart starred in Jane 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 in Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters.
Ally McBeal
[edit]In 1997, Flockhart was asked 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 she 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,[10] placed as the newest iteration in the evolution of feminism, 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]
Brothers & Sisters
[edit]Flockhart performed in a starring role as Kitty Walker, opposite Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths and Matthew Rhys, in the critically acclaimed 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.
Other work
[edit]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 traveled 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, and the role later went to Teri Hatcher.[13]
In 2014, Flockhart landed a role in Full 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 when Brothers & Sisters ended.
In 2015, Flockhart was cast in the television series Supergirl as Cat 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, on CBS.[15] Due to the network's wish to reduce the show's budget, it was moved to sister network The 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 opposite Zachary Quinto in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. The production was directed by Gordon Greenberg and also starred Aimee Carrero and Graham Phillips.[17]
In 2024, Flockhart appeared as Lee Radziwill in Capote vs. The Swans, the second season of the anthology series Feud.[18] Regarding playing Radziwill in an interview with The 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]
Personal life
[edit]In January 2001, Flockhart announced that she had adopted a baby boy.[20]
Flockhart is married to actor Harrison Ford, whom she first met at the Golden Globe Awards on January 20, 2002.[21] 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 New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles W. Daniels.[22] Flockhart and Ford share their adopted son, Liam Flockhart Ford.[22][23]
From 2004 to 2014, Flockhart served as the national spokeswoman for Peace Over Violence.[24][25]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| 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 |
Television
[edit]| 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 | Ally McBeal | 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 | Series regular (season 1; 20 episodes) Recurring (season 2; 4 episodes) Special guest star (season 3: 1 episode; season 6: 1 episode) |
| 2015 | The Penguins of Madagascar | Doris (voice) | Episode: "The Penguin Who Loved Me" |
| 2024 | Feud: Capote vs. The Swans | Lee Radziwill | 8 episodes |
| Invincible | April Howsam (voice) | [26] |
Awards and nominations
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Calista Flockhart Bio". A&E Television Networks 2015. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- ^ "Calista Flockhart". TVGuide.com. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
- ^ Schneider, Karen S. (November 9, 1998). "Arguing Her Case". People. Archived from the original on June 15, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ "Ronald Lee Flockhart". Citizen Tribune. June 28, 2020. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "News - Calista Flockhart child of Ronald and Kay Calista". theworldnewsmedia.org. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
- ^ "Former 'Ally McBeal' actress named Rutgers distinguished alumna". Associated Press. May 5, 2003.
- ^ "Calista Flockhart". Rutgers University Alumni Association. Archived from the original on February 27, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- ^ "Clarence Derwent Award". Actors' Equity Foundation. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "TCM.com - Jane Doe (1999)". Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "Is Feminism Dead?". Time. June 29, 1998. cover. Archived from the original on February 6, 2007.
- ^ Ginia Bellafante (June 29, 1998). "It's All About Me!". Time. Archived from the original on November 13, 2007.
- ^ "Fox ends 'Ally McBeal' run". CNN. April 18, 2002. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
- ^ "Coulda Been a Contender" Archived January 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, slide 7 of 14. AOL Television. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
- ^ Nicholson, Matt (February 23, 2015). "Calista Flockhart Cast As Cat Grant In Supergirl". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (June 9, 2015). "CBS 'Supergirl' Sets October Premiere, Plus More Fall Schedules". Screencrush. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ^ "Calista Flockhart Sets Supergirl Return (But Not as a Series Regular)". TV Line. August 1, 2016. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
- ^ "Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at Geffen Playhouse". Geffen Playhouse. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (August 17, 2022). "'Feud' Season 2 at FX Casts Tom Hollander as Truman Capote, Adds Calista Flockhart and Diane Lane (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ Dowd, Maureen (January 26, 2024). "Calista Flockhart Is Back, With a Flock of Venomous Swans". The New York Times. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "Calista Flockhart Adopts Baby". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ "Harrison Ford Married To Calista Flockhart". www.harrisonbiography.com. July 20, 2024.
- ^ a b Mike Haederle (June 16, 2010). "Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart get married!". People. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
- ^ "Calista Flockhart Adopts Baby". ABC News. January 6, 2006. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ "National Spokesperson Emeritus". Peace Over Violence. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ^ "Peace Over Violence 37th Annual Humanitarian Awards". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
- ^ "Invincible Season 2: Release Date, Trailer, Cast & More". Retrieved September 11, 2023.
External links
[edit]
- 1964 births
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from Illinois
- American film actresses
- American Shakespearean actresses
- American soap opera actresses
- American stage actresses
- Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
- Clarence Derwent Award winners
- Living people
- Mason Gross School of the Arts alumni
- People from Freeport, Illinois
- People from Norwich, New York
- Rowan University alumni
- Rutgers University alumni
- Saturday Night Live hosts
- Shawnee High School (New Jersey) alumni