The Stunning Transformation Of Calista Flockhart
Calista Flockhart has always seemed uncomfortable with fame. It's a concept she's spoken about several times, a frequent topic when she makes rare press appearances. "Who could be prepared for the kind of scrutiny I've endured?" she pondered to The Morning Call in 1999, a few years after "Ally McBeal" hit the airwaves. "It seems a lifetime ago," she told The New York Times in 2024. "I have a lot of distance and perspective, and I'm still incredulous."
In the meantime, while dodging the spotlight, Flockhart has turned in a number of critically acclaimed performances on some truly iconic television shows. All the while, she's been in a relationship with one of the most famous men in Hollywood for more than two decades, but they do what they can to keep their family out of the headlines. She's the kind of celebrity who emerges every few years with a new high-profile role, only to recede once again when the work is done.
Still, she's spent multiple decades in the public eye, so it's possible to piece together Flockhart's life and career thanks to the regular check-ins she inadvertently gives her fans. Those followers have watched her grow from a stage star to a television icon, with some occasional stops in the cinema to boot. She's also dealt with some intense public pressure around her body, only to come out the other side stronger and more confident than ever. This is the stunning transformation of Calista Flockhart.
Calista Flockhart moved around as a kid
Calista Kay Flockhart was born in 1964 in Freeport, Illinois. Her mother was a teacher and her father's job working for Kraft required her family to move around a lot when she was little; in addition to Illinois, she lived in Minnesota, Ohio, and New Jersey. She was introverted and often worried that her unusual first name made her stand out too much at school. "I used to make up names for myself like Ann and Jennifer," she told People, "because I couldn't stand the trauma of being teased."
Growing up, Flockhart always enjoyed acting. She told The Morning Call that she used to stage plays with kids from the neighborhood and always took over as the director. "I mean, I was this shy kid, but I'd still make these other kids go out and start over. I was always so into plays," she said. At Rutgers University, she began to believe that she could turn her passion for acting into a way of making a living. Her roommate Liane Kamena told People that she received praise for her role in a performance of "Picnic," and the experience changed her life. "That's when it all clicked for her," she said.
She came up in New York theater
After graduating from Rutgers, Calista Flockhart moved to New York City to try to make a go at becoming a stage actor. At first, she struggled to afford living there and relied on odd jobs and occasional family support to keep going. "I'm broke, I'm starving, I have no structure to my life, no stability," she told People she remembered thinking. Her brother helped out by sending her a case of ravioli to eat. "I'll always appreciate that gesture so much because my brother was struggling as much as me," she later gushed to The Morning Call.
Thankfully, she soon got her big break when she was cast in "Beside Herself," starring alongside legends like Lois Smith and William Hurt. Flockhart subsequently had a busy few years on the New York theater scene, acting in plays like "The Glass Menagerie" and "Three Sisters."
Even as her career took off and she ultimately made the transition to screen acting, Flockhart remained connected to her roots in the theater. "It's important to develop projects for yourself so you feel passionate and love what you're doing," she told CNN in 1999. "I think I'm going to go back to New York and do a play."
Calista Flockhart cemented her place in TV history on Ally McBeal
With her career on New York's stages taking off, Calista Flockhart traveled to Los Angeles in 1997 to audition for an upcoming television show. "I was jet lagged and tired, so I just went in there and thought, 'Well, whatever happens, happens,'" she told People. The show happened to be "Ally McBeal," and she was offered the part the afternoon of her audition. Creator David E. Kelley explained that they'd seen hundreds of auditions before Flockhart's. "[W]hen she walked in on a cold reading," he recalled, "she just was Ally."
On the legal comedy, Flockhart played the title character, a lawyer who works at a firm with an infamously unisex bathroom. The show was controversial, igniting debates about gender on television, which Flockhart quickly tried to sidestep. According to The Baltimore Sun, she denied any implication that Ally was meant to be any new sort of feminist icon. "She's a character who is just simply that: an individual, independent of any kind of role model or some sort of symbolic woman of the '90s who embraces womanhood," she insisted. "No, not at all."
Nevertheless, the role changed Flockhart's life. At first, Flockhart lived in the Hotel Bel-Air while working on the show; soon, she was able to buy a home in Los Angeles. Moreover, she told People, "Though I may not feel like a role model, I recognize the responsibility. I feel like I'm up to the responsibility."
She dealt with harsh rumors about her body
During "Ally McBeal," tabloids ran rampant with speculation about Calista Flockhart's weight. Her slender frame prompted late-night comedians to joke that she ate "three peas and a lima bean" for dinner, and a radio station even said they planned to send her a truck full of junk food. One day in 1998, Flockhart was out walking her dog when she came home to find a number of messages on her answering machine asking if she was okay. "I called a friend and said, 'I don't know. What's wrong with me?'" she recalled to People. Flockhart learned that WCBS had reported she'd checked into a facility for an eating disorder, which she said was simply not true. "I eat. I eat normally. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want," she told People. "I don't have a messed-up relationship with food."
The industry-wide speculation lasted for months. In 1999, The Washington Post reported that Flockhart canceled a series of interviews after Connie Chung pressed her on her weight. "Everybody wants to ask the same question, and she's tired of doing that," her publicist explained.
Many years later, Flockhart opened up to The New York Times about the damaging effect of all the speculation. In 2024, she told the newspaper that today, it would be considered body-shaming. "I was very sleep deprived and I was depressed about it," she said. "I had days where I was really hurt and embarrassed and infuriated."
A Midsummer Night's Dream brought her movie stardom
In 1996, before she starred on "Ally McBeal," Calista Flockhart had a role in "The Birdcage." Just a few years later, in 1999, she was one of the leads in an adaptation of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," starring opposite Christian Bale and Michelle Pfeiffer. Flockhart told Entertainment Weekly that she was initially nervous about filming the movie during a break from "Ally McBeal," recalling, "I was sitting on the plane wondering, 'Just how am I going to start a new part tomorrow and shake off 'Ally?'"
Flockhart didn't think too highly of the play at first, which is one of Shakespeare's lightest. Entertainment Weekly reported that she called it an "insipid, ridiculous, frivolous comedy." Still, it seems her theater training was an asset to her performance. One CNN article about the film reported that a critic at a screening noted, "You can tell who's done Shakespeare and who hasn't," meaning Flockhart acquitted herself well. Her television-honed comedic timing helped, too. "[Comedy comes from] somewhere in the deepest, sickest, perverse-est, twisted part of my brain," she grinned to CNN.
Director Michael Hoffman praised his star's performance, predicting big things ahead. "[S]he'll be Audrey Hepburn. ... She's extraordinary," he said. "She certainly has an amazing facility with the language. No one handles the language better than Calista."
Calista Flockhart became a single mother by choice
When Calista Flockhart starred on "Ally McBeal," there was chatter about what the character meant for modern feminism. Some critics weren't sure what to do with her, and Flockhart wound up on the cover of Time magazine in 1998 under the headline, "Is Feminism Dead?" She later told The New York Times that the conversation about what her character meant to culture was an unexpected one. "I was surprised," she said. "I thought, this is just a character that is invented out of a man's mind to entertain. I don't think I saw it as such a statement."
In 2001, Flockhart became an icon of modern womanhood for a different reason: Though she was single, she adopted a baby boy, planning to raise him on her own. "I have always wanted to adopt a child and I am overjoyed that I have been blessed with a beautiful and healthy son," she told ABC News. She named him Liam, and she made sure to note that the adoption was only possible because of childcare accommodations offered by Fox. "I feel extremely fortunate and grateful that I work for such a supportive company," she said.
While she considered herself a workaholic, Flockhart later told The Telegraph (via People) that adopting Liam changed all of that. "[Motherhood] changed every fiber of my being," she said, "and I think I can honestly say it brought me as close as I've ever come to being really happy."
She met Harrison Ford at the 2002 Golden Globes
Though Calista Flockhart adopted Liam in 2001 ready to raise him on her own, the following year, she met the love of her life. At that year's Golden Globes ceremony, Flockhart met "Indiana Jones" star Harrison Ford, and the rest is Hollywood history. Years later, they told The New York Times how that first night went down. Ford was struck by her beauty and asked to be introduced. "Harrison came over to say hi. When he left, I said: 'Ugh, what a lascivious old man. What is he doing?'" Flockhart recalled.
Sparks really began to fly when they went out shortly thereafter. Both brought their agents to their dinner at the Brentwood Bar and Grill, but the two actors got along great, especially when Ford accidentally spilled a glass of wine. "I lured her up to my house and we danced, and then I took her home. Make sure you put that in the story," Ford joked. "And we've sort of been together ever since."
By 2003, the romance was very public. Flockhart spoke with Hello! about their relationship, insisting that their 22-year age gap didn't bother her in the slightest. "It doesn't factor into our relationship at all," she said. "I like the way he looks first thing in the morning. It's not handsome, it's more cute. He looks like a little boy."
She returned to television on Brothers & Sisters
"Ally McBeal" went off the air in 2002, and Calista Flockhart went away for a while. She focused on raising Liam and falling more in love with Harrison Ford, and it wasn't until 2006 that she returned to television with a role in ABC's "Brothers & Sisters." She played Kitty Walker, a woman who finds herself embroiled in her family's drama.
The cast included big names like Sally Field and Matthew Rhys, but as she had during the height of "Ally McBeal," Flockhart once more faced a significant amount of press speculation about her personal life. This time, media focused on her attitude while promoting the show. As the Los Angeles Times noted, bloggers posted stories about Flockhart's demeanor during a press conference before she even made it home for the day. "I don't know what people expect. I don't know what people want me to do," she mused. "For me, I was happy and content to be [at the panel]. I did my job, I went home and I felt like it was all fine."
Thankfully, her role on "Brothers & Sisters" allowed Flockhart to focus on what was most important to her at the time: raising her own family. As she told Cinemablend, "[T]he fact that the show is an ensemble with so many wonderful, amazing actors, I wasn't going to be responsible for carrying the show and I ... have a better schedule."
Calista Flockhart has done charity work
In some ways, Calista Flockhart seems like a reluctant celebrity, someone who wants to do the work but doesn't necessarily want the publicity. Nevertheless, over the years, she has used her celebrity to do good. Between 2004 and 2014, Flockhart worked as a national spokesperson for Peace Over Violence, an organization dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault. In their 2006 to 2007 impact report, Flockhart was quoted as saying, "Sexual violence does not discriminate, it does not limit itself ... We are all affected by sexual violence." One of her duties as spokeswoman was hosting the organization's Humanitarian Awards, which she did several times. She even brought along her "Brothers & Sisters" co-star Dave Annable as her co-host in 2006.
Flockhart has also supported Operation Smile, a charity devoted to providing dental work for children born with cleft palates. At the Operation Smile Gala in 2010, she explained to MaximoTV why the charity's work is so important. "Sometimes they can't eat, sometimes they can't speak. They're shunned. They sometimes aren't allowed to go to school," she explained. "It's more than looking pretty. ... We all want to be able to smile. ... It's a wonderful thing to be able to help children."
She married Harrison Ford in 2010
After meeting in 2002, Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford finally got engaged in 2009. People reported that Ford popped the question over Valentine's Day, and they married the following year in New Mexico. According to ABC News, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson officiated, with an assist from New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Daniels.
Their decades-long partnership seems to be going strong. Ford helped raise Liam, the son Flockhart adopted in 2001. As he told The New York Times, "When I met Liam, he was just beginning to walk, and it just didn't matter to me. I had four children already, and I can't count that well, so it didn't make that much difference." Flockhart helped out with Ford's other children, too, explaining, "I love his kids, my stepkids." In 2023, they attended Liam's college graduation together.
In a 2024 appearance on "Live With Kelly and Mark," Flockhart shared her secret as to why their relationship has worked for as long as it has. Leaning in to Kelly Ripa, she whispered, "He's afraid of me."
Calista Flockhart dialed back her Supergirl role
"Brothers & Sisters" ended in 2011, and Calista Flockhart once again took some time off before signing on to another television show. This time, she jumped genres and took a role on "Supergirl," the CW show about Kara (Melissa Benoist), Superman's cousin. Flockhart played Cat Grant, CEO of the media company where Kara works. She told DC.com that she appreciated the way the show's writing fleshed out the character beyond just being a strict boss, giving her new aspects to play around with in each episode. "It's just trying to find the colors in her," Flockhart said. "But at the core of it, she's just a busy, strong, unapologetic boss who has to get the job done. And she does not tolerate fools at all."
Unfortunately, after the show's first season, "Supergirl" production moved to Vancouver. Understandably, Flockhart didn't want to relocate, and Variety reported that her role was significantly reduced in the rest of the series. While she was in every episode of the first season, Flockhart only appeared intermittently throughout the remainder of the show.
She's still a stage actor, too
Even as her career heated up on screens both big and small, Calista Flockhart continued to dip in and out of theater. In 2012, the "Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her" star participated in a series of staged play readings that were later syndicated on the radio. "It's a fun, low-key way to get into a room with talented actors and directors and have a great time reading a classic, wonderful play," she told The Guardian. Nevertheless, the seasoned actress still dealt with a bit of the old stage fright. The fact that she had to consider microphones almost tripped her up because it limited her movement. "That goes against every instinct I have because I always want to look at my fellow actors," she said.
A decade later, in 2022, Flockhart starred in a production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in Los Angeles. This time, she played Martha, the role made famous by Elizabeth Taylor in the film adaptation ... which is a much older character than Flockhart was used to playing. "I was usually the ingénue and one of the youngest people in the cast. And now I'm definitely the oldest person in the cast. And I am not the ingénue," she told the Los Angeles Times. To be clear, she found that exciting. "I could never play Martha without all the life experience," she said. "So it feels pretty wonderful."
Calista Flockhart reunited with her Ally McBeal co-stars
The 2024 edition of the Emmys featured a number of onstage cast reunions from iconic television shows, including "Grey's Anatomy" and "Martin." Another show featured during the ceremony was none other than "Ally McBeal," reuniting Calista Flockhart with cast members Gil Bellows, Greg Germann, and Peter MacNicol. As they often did on the show, the "Ally McBeal" foursome danced around the stage, bopping to Barry White together once more.
Deadline reported in 2022 that there is an "Ally McBeal" reboot in the works. The show would reportedly function as a sequel to the original series, focusing on a Black woman who joins the same law firm where Ally used to work. Flockhart has reportedly been asked to reprise her role but hasn't confirmed whether that will indeed happen. Instead, she's merely glowed about how great it was to see her old co-stars at the Emmys. As she told The Associated Press, "It was such a joy to be with them again. So it was all ... it was all just fun."
In Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, she plays an iconic socialite
In FX and Hulu's "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans," Calista Flockhart once more returned to television. This time, she took on the role of Lee Radziwill, the infamous socialite sister of Jackie Kennedy. The series follows famed writer Truman Capote as he befriends and then turns on a group of New York high-society ladies, whom he termed "The Swans."
Flockhart told "Good Morning America" that she signed on because she was a fan of many of the people involved, including creator Ryan Murphy and writer Jon Robin Baitz. After all, Baitz co-created "Brothers & Sisters," and the two became close while she starred on that show. "And then, all these actresses!" Flockhart added. "It was just kind of dreamy!" In addition to Tom Hollander as Capote, the series stars luminaries like Naomi Watts, Molly Ringwald, Chloe Sevigny, Diane Lane, and Demi Moore.
In fact, Flockhart told The New York Times that she was able to bond with her castmates — and perhaps connect to the source material — because they had all been put through the ringer in the public eye. "I cannot believe that I was scrutinized and pursued like that," she reflected. "It was intense and it was unfair." Nowadays, Flockhart isn't interested in the glitzy and glamorous lifestyle that the show portrays. "I felt very sorry for them," she said. "Underneath all that, they were very sad, very lonely, and really unhappy women."