Calista Flockhart

Calista Kay Flockhart (born November 11, 1964) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as the title character on the 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. She is also known for portraying Kitty Walker on Brothers & Sisters (2006–2011), Cat Grant on Supergirl (2015–2021), and as Lee Radziwill on Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. In film, she is known for her performances in The Birdcage (1996), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999), and Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000).

Early life and education Flockhart was born in Freeport, Illinois, on November 11, 1964, the daughter of Kay Calista, an English teacher, and Ronald Flockhart, a Kraft Foods executive. Her parents retired to Morristown, Tennessee, where her father lived until his death and her mother continues to reside. She has one older brother, Gary. Her mother reversed her own first and middle names in naming her Calista Kay.

Flockhart attended Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. People began recognizing Flockhart's acting ability when Flockhart's acting teacher, William Esper, allowed Flockhart to perform on the main stage, making an exception to the practice normally restricting that venue to juniors and seniors, after Harold Scott insisted that she 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.

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 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. 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. 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 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 Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for the role in 1998 and also nominated in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. 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 starred on the show until it was canceled in 2002.

Brothers & Sisters

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 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.

In 2014, Flockhart appeared in Full Circle's second season, as mob boss Ellen. It aired in 2015. This was 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). The series premiered on October 26, 2015, on CBS. 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.

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.

In 2024, Flockhart appeared as Lee Radziwill in Capote vs. The Swans, the second season of the anthology series Feud. 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."

Personal life In January 2001, Flockhart announced that she had adopted a baby boy.

Flockhart is married to actor Harrison Ford, whom she first met 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 New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles W. Daniels.

From 2004 to 2014, Flockhart served as the national spokeswoman for Peace Over Violence.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role 1993 Naked in New York Acting student 1994 Clear Cut Getting In Amanda Morel Quiz Show Barnard Girl 1995 Pictures of Baby Jane Doe Jane Drunks Helen 1996 Barbara Keeley 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 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 Episode: "Axe Murderer" 1999–2000 Ally Lead role (13 episodes) 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 PlaysSue Movie 2006–2011 Brothers & Sisters Kitty Walker Lead role (110 episodes) 2012 The Penguins of Madagascar Doris (voice) Episode: "The Penguin Who Loved Me" 2014Robot 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) 2024 Feud: Capote vs. The Swans Lee Radziwill 8 episodes 2024–2025 Invincible April Howsam (voice) 4 episodes

Stage + Year Title Role Notes 1994 The Glass Menagerie Laura Wingfield Criterion Center Stage Right, Broadway 1997 The Three Sisters Natalya Ivanovna Criterion Center Stage Right, Broadway 1999 Bash: Latter-Day Plays woman Douglas Fairbanks Theater, Broadway 2025 Curse of the Starving Class Ella Tate Pershing Square Signature Center, Off-Broadway

Awards and nominations + Year Award Category Work Result 1998 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Ally McBeal Golden Globe Award Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 1999 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Golden Globe Award Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Satellite Award Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 2000 Golden Globe Award Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy People's Choice Awards Favorite Female Television Performer Satellite Award Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 2001 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Golden Globe Award Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy 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 – Television Series Musical or Comedy 2016 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress On Television Supergirl