Everything about Calista Flockhart totally explained
Calista Kay Flockhart (born
November 11 1964) is an
Emmy Award-nominated, as well as
Golden Globe-,
Screen Actors Guild Award- and
Theatre World Award- winning
American actress, primarily on
soap operas and
television. She is best known for playing the
title character of
Ally McBeal (
1997–
2002). She now plays
Sally Field's feuding daughter,
Kitty Walker, on the
ABC drama,
Brothers & Sisters.
Early life
Flockhart was born in
Freeport, Illinois, the daughter of Kay, a teacher of
English, and Ronald Flockhart, an executive for
Kraft Foods. She has one older brother, Gary. Her mother reversed her own first and middle names in naming her
Calista Kay. (The name
Calista comes from
Greek kallista, meaning "most beautiful.") Because her father's job required the family to move often, Flockhart was raised with her brother in
Illinois,
Iowa,
Minnesota, Norwich,
New York, and
New Jersey. 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'd both work together on
Ally McBeal.
Flockhart's acting ability was recognized 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 is usually 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. She was inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni on
May 3 2003.
After receiving her degree, Flockhart moved to
New York City in 1989 where she remained until 1997, living with three other women in a two-bedroom apartment and working as a waitress and aerobics instructor whilst she simultaneously sought auditions.
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. Actor
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 travelled 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.
Flockhart maintained throughout the show's run that she's never been diagnosed with either
anorexia or
bulimia, nor has she been a user of illegal drugs. She did remark, however, that while starring in the show she refrained from eating sweets, retaining her slim figure by working out. She has now admitted that she'd a problem at the time, and was "exercising too much" and "eating too little".
Other work
Flockhart played the role of Helena in the 1999 film version of
Shakespeare's
A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 2000, she appeared in
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her and, 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 auditioned for the role of
Susan Mayer on
Desperate Housewives, but lost the role to
Teri Hatcher. Flockhart currently stars as communication advisor
Kitty Walker in the
ABC TV prime time series
Brothers & Sisters, which premiered in
September 2006 as the lead-out program to
Desperate Housewives.
Personal life
Flockhart has been romantically involved with actor
Harrison Ford since meeting him at the 2002
Golden Globe Awards after she spilled wine on his award. The pair were dating within a week. When approached to star in the film
Indiana Jones 4, Ford requested that Flockhart co-star as his love interest. Though the film producers agreed, Flockhart wasn't ultimately involved in the project. On
January 11 2001, she
adopted a baby boy, born ten days prior, whom she named Liam.
She continues to support charities such as Public Schools Arts, and causes such as
breast cancer research. She is the national spokeswoman for
Peace Over Violence.
Filmography
Golden Globe Award
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Theatre World Award
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Screen Actors Guild Awards
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Further Information
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