Biography for
Calista Flockhart More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

11 November 1964, Freeport, Illinois, USA

Birth Name

Calista Kay Flockhart

Height

5' 5½" (1.66 m)

Mini Biography

Calista Flockhart was named after great-grandmother. She was born on 11 November, 1964. Her hometown is in Freeport, Illinois. Her mother Kay, was a school teacher, and her father, Ronald, worked for Kraft Foods Inc. She attended Rutgers University in New Jersey to study acting. After College she worked in regional theatre in Cleveland, Louisville, Chicago, and Houston for $400 for eight weeks of work. Three years ago she got her first Broadway role playing Laura in Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie", for which she was recognized with the Theater World and Clarence Darwent Awards. She's also played in an all-star production of Chekhov's "The Three Sisters" playing Natasha. She wasn't too fond of TV before "Ally McBeal" (1997), but did take part in a 1992 episode of the HBO series _"Lifestories: Families In Crisis" (1995)_. She did take part in many movies, but among them is the remake of The Birdcage (1996). Calista played the fiancée of Robin Williams's son. In 1997 she appeared in Telling Lies in America (1997) as the object of Brad Renfro's obsession.

Calista Flockhart has established herself in New York, Chicago, and elsewhere with an impressive stage and theater repertoire. She worked in the off-Broadway productions of "The Loop", "All for One", "Sophistry", "Wrong Turn at Lungfish", "Beside Herself" and "Bovver Boys". She also starred in non-NYC productions, such as "The Three Sisters" in Chicago, and "Our Town" and "Death Takes a Holiday" at the Williamstown Theater Festival.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Ari Herzog

Trade Mark

Her slim figure

Trivia

The name "Kallisto" means "most beautiful" in Greek. "Callista" (her spelling "Calista") is an Anglicization.

Graduated from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ in 1988, with a BFA in theatre

One of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People [1998]

Graduated Shawnee High School in Medford, NJ. While there she was a cheerleader and was active in the student council. [1983]

Named after her great-grandmother

Calista's Mother, Kay, was a high school English Teacher. Her father, Ronald, was an executive at Kraft Foods. She has one older brother, Gary.

13 December 2000 - Calista collapsed on the set of her TV show, _"Ally McBeal" (1997). It was announced she suffered from dehydration and exhaustion and had nothing to with her thinness, that many have attributed to bulemia.

Adopted a baby boy she named Liam. [11 January 2001]

Dated director Sam Mendes in the late spring and summer of 1999.

Had a dog named Webster. He was her best friend until he died.

Became engaged on Valentine's Day, 2009 to Harrison Ford.

One of the nine Rutgers alumni who are inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni on 3rd May, 2003. Calista graduated from the Mason Gross School of the Arts in 1988.

Best known for her role in "Ally McBeal" (1997)

Is of Irish, English and Italian descent

She won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Television Performer on January 9, 2000 at the 26th Annual People's Choice Awards from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California, USA.

Won a Q Award for Best Actress in a Quality Series for "Ally McBeal" (1997) at the Viewers for Quality Television Awards on October 3, 1998 at the Burbank Airport Hilton and Convention Center in Burbank, California, USA. Her show, "Ally McBeal" (1997) also won for Best Quality Comedy Series.

She was inducted into the South Jersey Arts and Entertainment Hall of Fame on April 27, 2006.

She is the national spokesperson for the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women and was presented with a Humanitarian Award by them on October 21, 2005.

Attended Peace Over Violence (formerly the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women) Humanitarian Awards dinner with Harrison Ford on October 28, 2006.

Attended the 18th Annual Producers Guild Awards at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California, USA, with actor Harrison Ford on January 20, 2007.

Fiancé Harrison Ford adopted her son Liam.

Personal Quotes

For me it's mostly about the process, and once you shoot an episode, there's something anticlimactic about watching. I watched some of Ally. Sometimes I thought they were great and sometimes I couldn't bear watching myself. I have to watch it at the right time of day. I certainly can't watch a show I'm in before I go to bed. It would drive me crazy. -- on if she ever watches herself on TV

Personally, it was a good time for me to get back to work-my son started kindergarten, and he was gone for eight hours a day. So it felt like the right time for my family. I liked the material, and they put together an amazing cast. And I liked the political aspect. -- on returning to TV in "Brothers & Sisters"

I don't think I ever felt that way. As an actress, you want to play many different parts, and you want to explore different sides of yourself. So in that way, yes, but never in a negative way. I took a break to be a full-time mom. -- on taking time off after "Ally McBeal" ended

No, honestly, I was quite intrigued by it. I thought it was smart! Obviously, it was symbolic of Ally's biological clock ticking away, and I thought, what a great way to do that. I loved the fantasy sequences; I loved that we got to see her imagination come to life. -- on the imaginary dancing baby in "Ally McBeal"

I got a call from a girlfriend in L.A. She was also an actress, doing what they refer to as "pilot season." She had read the script and she called me about it, and then I called my agent and he said, "Oh, yeah, I saw that and I passed." [Beat] And I said, "Oh, well maybe we should revisit it." So I did. I eventually flew out and screen-tested, and I got the part. -- on how she got "Ally McBeal"

Salary

Pictures of Baby Jane Doe (1995)

$3,600

Where Are They Now

(September 2006) She returns to television to star on the ABC family drama, "Brothers & Sisters" (2006) with Sally Field and Rachel Griffiths.

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