Calista Flockhart

Biography: Before Flockhart became an overnight sensation in the title role of the quirky dramedy Ally McBeal, she was honing her acting chops on stage and in supporting roles in films. She appeared in several off-Broadway shows in the early 1990s before finding acclaim as Laura in the 1994 Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie opposite Julie Harris. That same year, Robert Redford cast her in a bit part in Quiz Show. A return to off-Broadway in The Loop caught the eye of director Mike Nichols, who cast Flockhart in a juicy supporting role as the daughter of Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest in his 1996 comedy The Birdcage. But it wasn't on stage or in films that Flockhart would achieve her most memorable work. Flockhart was initially reluctant to take on a weekly TV series and originally passed on the Ally McBeal script. But David E. Kelley persuaded her to audition and she nailed it. Flockhart brilliantly embodied the bright but romantically challenged lawyer, earning a Golden Globe andBefore Flockhart became an overnight sensation in the title role of the quirky dramedy Ally McBeal, she was honing her acting chops on stage and in supporting roles in films. She appeared in several off-Broadway shows in the early 1990s before finding acclaim as Laura in the 1994 Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie opposite Julie Harris. That same year, Robert Redford cast her in a bit part in Quiz Show. A return to off-Broadway in The Loop caught the eye of director Mike Nichols, who cast Flockhart in a juicy supporting role as the daughter of Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest in his 1996 comedy The Birdcage. But it wasn't on stage or in films that Flockhart would achieve her most memorable work. Flockhart was initially reluctant to take on a weekly TV series and originally passed on the Ally McBeal script. But David E. Kelley persuaded her to audition and she nailed it. Flockhart brilliantly embodied the bright but romantically challenged lawyer, earning a Golden Globe and three Emmy nods during the show's five-year run. But with success came scrutiny. The media endlessly speculated that her trim figure was the result of an eating disorder, which Flockhart vehemently denied. While on Ally, she tackled a handful of film roles and also returned to her New York-stage stomping ground in Neil LaBute's controversial Bash: Latter-Day Plays. After her seminal series ended in 2002, Flockhart took significant time off to be a mom (she adopted a son, Liam, in 2001), but she remained in the spotlight due to her romance with mega-movie star Harrison Ford, who was 22 years her senior. In 2006, Flockhart returned to series television as one of the dysfunctional family members in ABC's ensemble drama Brothers & Sisters. Flockhart is the national spokesperson for Peace Over Violence, a Los Angeles-based organization committed to helping individuals in abusive relationships.… Expand