What happened to Calista Flockhart, the famous Ally McBeal?

Don't call me Ally, I'm Calista
A quarter century after 'Ally McBeal' began
Television history
But is it really in the past?
Early interest in acting
Wonderful coincidence
Waitress and aerobics instructor
Her first role: Guiding Light
Increasing jobs in the 90s
Broadway experience
The audition that changed everything
Everyone knew and loved Ally McBeal
Five years of success
A stellar cast
Movie roles
Calista Flockhart in a horror movie
Family drama: 'Brothers & Sisters'
Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford
It started in 2004
Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford's son
Family before career
Occasional roles
Secluded life on their ranch
Harrison Ford likes to work with his hands
To be as normal as possible
Is Ally McBeal coming back?
Maybe a different Ally
They seem to be alright anyway
Don't call me Ally, I'm Calista

The name Calista Flockhart means, for a generation (or several), going back 20 years and remembering one of the best series of the late twentieth century: 'Ally McBeal.'

A quarter century after 'Ally McBeal' began

The series launched an actress who, until then, was unknown to the general public, into star status.

Television history

There were five seasons (1997 to 2002) and 112 of 'Ally McBeal.'

But is it really in the past?

After the show, the actress seemingly disappeared, but the reality was different! Before getting into the present and future, let's review the life of the actress.

Early interest in acting

A native of Freeport, Illinois, Calista Flockhart (1964) was born into a wealthy family where she soon showed an interest in acting.

Wonderful coincidence

She went to Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Jersey, where she befriended Jane Krakowski, who would become her friend and co-star in 'Ally McBeal.' Krakowski played the unforgettable and foul-mouthed Elaine Vassal.

Waitress and aerobics instructor

Flockhart's beginnings were far from easy. In the late 80s, at the age of 25, she moved to New York, where she signed up for all the auditions that her two jobs - waitressing and aerobics instructor - would allow her.

Her first role: Guiding Light

She landed her first television role in an episode of 'Guiding Light,' a soap opera that had begun airing in 1937 and went on to accumulate 18,000 episodes.

Increasing jobs in the 90s

In the 90s, she played several roles, small and large. The most prominent was in 'Quiz Show' in 1994, where she played Barnard's girlfriend.

Broadway experience

This role and her impressive work on Broadway, where she appeared in 'Three Sisters' and 'The Glass Menagerie,' helped her get the audition that would change her life.

The audition that changed everything

In 1997, David E. Kelley selected Calista Flockhart for the new legal drama he was preparing for Fox.

Everyone knew and loved Ally McBeal

The series dominated TV and her character, a young lawyer who starts a new office after being fired from her previous one for denouncing a partner's harassment, was one of the key figures of late 90s pop culture.

Five years of success

For five seasons, Calista Flockhart amassed millions of viewers and many awards such as the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and the People's Choice Award.

A stellar cast

She was the leading actress in a series in which Jane Krakowski, Lucy Liu, Portia de Rossi, Robert Downey Jr., and Peter MacNicol, among other great actors, participated.

Movie roles

In parallel, the actress made films such as 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (1999), an adaptation of the classic by William Shakespeare, and 'Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her' (2000).

Calista Flockhart in a horror movie

She also participated in Jaume Balagueró's horror film 'Fragile,' where she played Amy, a new nurse at a gloomy children's hospital. This was in 2005, three years after the cancelation of 'Ally McBeal.'

Family drama: 'Brothers & Sisters'

In addition, in 2006, Calista Flockhart started filming 'Brothers & Sisters', where she played Kitty Walker for five seasons and 110 episodes (between 2006 and 2011).

Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford

Then, along came Harrison Ford. He and Flockhart met during the 2002 Golden Globes, where a toast raised by Ford accidentally got Calista's drink on his suit.

It started in 2004

The love story intensified when Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford, 22 years her senior, tied the knot in June 2010.

Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford's son

The couple is not only still together but forms one of the most stable marriages in Hollywood. They share a 16-year-old son, Liam.

Family before career

Once 'Brothers & Sisters' was finished, in 2011, Calista Flockhart's career took a rather discreet course.

Occasional roles

Except for her role in 'Supergirl,' where she gave life to Cat Grant in the first season and several later episodes, the actress chose to lead a family life and stay away from the spotlight.

(In the image: Chadwick Boseman, Calista Flockhart, and Harrison Ford at the premiere of '42' in 2013)

Secluded life on their ranch

Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford are very family-oriented. They spend long periods at their ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Harrison Ford likes to work with his hands

The actor told 'The Land Report' in 2007 that "being normal is a kind of victory... I’ll fix a fence, repair a piece of equipment, or plow the driveway if there’s snow. There’s always plenty of work to do."

To be as normal as possible

It's clear that a couple as well known as Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford had to go to a distant ranch if they wanted to keep their privacy safe. And that is what they have successfully done.

Is Ally McBeal coming back?

Since 2021, there has been talk about a return of the series 'Ally McBeal.' In the summer of 2022, Deadline reported that ABC had contracted a spin-off in which a young black lawyer, supposedly the daughter of Ally McBeal's roommate in the original series, would be the main character.

 

Maybe a different Ally

The 'new Ally McBeal' series would once again be produced by David E. Kelley, but as of the latest reports, it is not certain whether Calista Flockhart will play a role in the series.

 

 

They seem to be alright anyway

Whether she makes a reappearance or not, the world is a better place knowing that Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford are still together and in love.

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