Calista Flockhart was born on 11 November, 1964. She was named after her great-grandmother. Her hometown is in Freeport, Illinois. Calista's 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, girl worked in regional theatre in Cleveland, Louisville, Chicago and Houston for $400 for eight weeks of work. Three years ago, Calista 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.

Flockhart is also played in an all-star production of Anton 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" (1992). She did take part in many movies, but among them is the remake of The Birdcage (1996). Calista played the fiancee 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.