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Quick Facts
![Felicity Huffman](https://pplstatic.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.comhttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Kathryn_Joosten_and_Felicity_Huffman.jpg)
Biography
Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American film, stage, and television actress.
Huffman began her acting career in theatre and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as executive producer Dana Whitaker in the critically acclaimed ABC comedy-drama Sports Night from 1998 to 2000, which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination. She is best known for her role as Lynette Scavo in the long-running ABC comedy-drama Desperate Housewives (2004–2012), for which she earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the debut season of the series and three Screen Actors Guild Awards overall.
Huffman drew critical praise for her performance as a transgender woman in the independent film Transamerica (2005). The role earned her a Golden Globe Award, Independent Spirit Award, National Board of Review, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Huffman has also starred in such films as Reversal of Fortune (1990), The Spanish Prisoner (1997), Magnolia (1999), Path to War (2002), Georgia Rule (2007), Phoebe in Wonderland (2008), Rudderless (2014) and Cake (2014). Since 2015, she has started in a third ABC series, the anthology crime drama American Crime, for which she has received critical acclaim including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie nomination. Additionally, she has been nominated on three more occasions for a Golden Globe Award, and has also won an Obie.
Early life and education
Huffman was born in Bedford, New York, into a wealthy family, the daughter of Grace Valle (née Ewing) and Moore Peters Huffman (1910–1987), a banker and partner at Morgan Stanley. Her parents divorced a year after her birth, and she was raised mostly by her mother. She has six sisters, Mariah, Betsy, Grace, Isabel, Jessie, Jane (1949–2013), and a brother, Moore Jr. In the 1970s her mother left New York and bought property in Snowmass, Colorado, where Felicity and her siblings spent their youth. Her great-grandfather was Gershom Moore Peters (1843–1919), founder of the Peters Cartridge Company and prominent Baptist minister, author of the The Master. Another great-grandfather, Frederick Berthold Ewing, graduated from Yale University and became a prominent St. Louis businessman. Her great-great-grandfather was Joseph Warren King (1814–1885), founder of the King Mills Powder Company. She has German, English, Scots-Irish, Scottish, and French-Canadian ancestry.
Huffman attended The Putney School, a private boarding high school in Putney, Vermont and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan in 1981. She attended New York University, Circle in the Square and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England.
Career
Early career in theatre
Huffman made her debut on stage in 1982 and in the 1980s and 1990s worked as a rule on stage productions. In 1988, she debuted on Broadway in the role as Karen in David Mamet's play Speed the Plow. In 1995, Huffman won Obie Award for her performance in the critically successful play The Cryptogram by David Mamet. In 1999 she starred in the premiere of David Mamet's play Boston Marriage, about the daringly intimate relationship between two turn-of-the-century women, as well as in several other major theatrical productions.
Earliest television and film roles
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Huffman debuted on the big screen in 1988 with a small role in Mamet's film Things Change. Two years later, she appeared as Minnie, a Harvard law school student in the courtroom drama, Reversal of Fortune. Her other credits include 1992 thriller Quicksand: No Escape with Donald Sutherland and Tim Matheson, The Water Engine opposite William H. Macy, and supporting roles on The Heart of Justice (1992), Hackers (1995), Harrison: Cry of the City (1996) and The Underworld (1997).
Huffman starred on the television mini-series Golden Years, based on the novel by Stephen King in 1991. In 1994, she starred in the ABC pilot Thunder Alley as Ed Asner's daughter, but was replaced in subsequent episodes by Diane Venora when the series began. During the 1990s, she appeared mostly in guest roles on such shows as The X-Files, Early Edition, Chicago Hope and Law & Order. In 1997, she starred in Mamet's critically acclaimed film The Spanish Prisoner.
From 1998 to 2000, she portrayed Dana Whitaker in the critically acclaimed series Sports Night, for which she received several awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. After the completion of Sports Night, she gave birth to her first child and soon returned to work. In 2001, she starred on not picked up CBS pilot Heart Department In 2003, she starred in Showtime's miniseries Out of Order.
In 1999, she appeared in the Paul Thomas Anderson's ensemble drama Magnolia and television adaptation of 1938 movie A Slight Case of Murder along with William H. Macy. In 2002 she played Lady Bird Johnson in the HBO award-winning movie Path to War and made a cameo appearance in the Door to Door, which starred, and was written by, her husband. She also starred in Snap Decision (2001) with Mare Winningham, Raising Helen (2004) as Kate Hudson's character's older sister, and Christmas with the Kranks (2004), as the best friend of Jamie Lee Curtis's character.
Desperate Housewives and Transamerica
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After a recurring role on the NBC sitcom Frasier, Huffman landed a leading role in an ABC comedy series Desperate Housewives, co-starring with Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, and Eva Longoria. Huffman won an Emmy Award for her work on Desperate Housewives (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series) in 2005, as well as two 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards (Best Actress - Comedy Series and part of Best Ensemble - Comedy Series) in 2006 and received several other awards. A report in November 2010 suggested that Huffman, along with co-star Teri Hatcher, would be quitting Desperate Housewives, but ABC denied the claim. The series ended in May 2012, after eight seasons.
In 2005, Huffman starred in the independent drama Transamerica, playing Bree, a pre-operative transsexual who, on the brink of her transforming surgery, discovered that in her youth she had fathered a son - who is now a troubled teen hustler on the run. Huffman's performance in Transamerica was praised by many critics and garnered her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, as well as nominations for Best Actress (Screen Actors Guild) and Best Actress (Academy Awards), and several another awards and nominations. Huffman is now a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In 2007, Huffman starred in Garry Marshall's Georgia Rule with Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan, and 2008 on independent drama Phoebe in Wonderland. She made a film, Lesster, as a writer, director and actress in 2010.
Subsequent career and American Crime
Huffman says that after seeing her as Lynette Scavo on "Housewives" for eight years it's difficult for audiences to think of her as anything else. She says that's why she was eager for a role that's a distinctive departure. After Desperate Housewives finale, Huffman reunited with playwright David Mamet in the comedy play November. The play debuted on September 26 and ended on November 4, 2012. In 2012, she also appeared in the ensemble cast independent movie, Trust Me, opposite Clark Gregg.
On February 15, 2013, Huffman signed on for the lead role of the Fox drama pilot Boomerang, directed by Craig Brewer. The show centers on Margie Hamilton, a spy and master of disguise, who is the matriarch of the Hamilton clan, a "briskly professional assassin who can kill and dispose of a suspected terrorist in the afternoon – then switch to wife and mother mode without a hitch." However, Fox did not pick up Boomerang as a new series.
In 2013, Huffman starred in the independent drama Rudderless, and in the adventure film Big Game opposite Samuel L. Jackson. She also starred in another independent drama Stealing Cars, and was cast in the comedy film Zendog. In April 2014 she was cast in independent film Cake opposite Jennifer Aniston.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Huffman_cropped.jpg/160px-Huffman_cropped.jpg)
In 2014, Huffman was cast as lead in the ABC anthology legal drama pilot American Crime created by John Ridley. The pilot was picked up for a series on May 2014. On October 2, 2014, it was announced that Huffman will be star and executive producer alongside Carol Mendelsohn in her untitled drama about a special agent (Huffman) who is the fearless leader of a team of young agents on the New York City Joint Terrorism Task Force. The project was developed for ABC, but was not green-lighted for 2015–16 television season. American Crime debuted on ABC in March, 2015 and Huffman received critical acclaim for her performance as antagonistic character. Robert Bianco from USA Today said in his review "A triumph for Oscar winner John Ridley, who created, produced and directed American Crime, and a reconfirmation that Felicity Huffman is one of the best actors we have... In no case is that truer than with Huffman's Barb, who is the morally questionable center of the story. Barb is a Lifetime movie heroine: a tough, divorced mother who raised her children alone, and is fighting now to bring her son's murderer to justice. Except this isn't that kind of show, and Barb's battles have not just made her stronger; they've made her hate all the people she's felt she had to fight. Which is why Huffman's gut-wrenching performance is so startling. A bundle of barely concealed fury, Huffman forces us to invest in a woman who thinks her bigotry makes her not just right, but noble."
Personal life
Huffman dated actor William H. Macy on-and-off for 15 years before they married on September 6, 1997. They have two daughters, Sophia Grace (born December 1, 2000) and Georgia Grace (born March 14, 2002) She has appeared on television, in movies, and on stage many times with her husband; the couple each received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 7, 2012.
Huffman identifies as pro-choice, and has campaigned for women's rights on behalf of NARAL. In 2005, Huffman revealed that she had suffered from both anorexia and bulimia in her late teens and twenties.
Huffman is the co-author of the self-help book A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend. On March 1, 2012, Huffman launched What The Flicka, a website dedicated to women and mothers where she is a regular contributor.
Filmography
Film
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | Things Change | Wheel of Fortune Girl | |
1990 | Reversal of Fortune | Minnie | |
1992 | Quicksand: No Escape | Julianna Reinhardt | |
1995 | Hackers | Attorney | |
1997 | The Spanish Prisoner | Pat McCune | |
1999 | Magnolia | Cynthia | |
2002 | Door to Door | Joey's Mom | Cameo |
2003 | House Hunting | Sheila | |
2004 | Raising Helen | Lindsay Davis | |
2004 | Christmas with the Kranks | Merry | |
2005 | Transamerica | Sabrina 'Bree' Osbourne | |
2006 | Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman | Pilot Nima | Voice |
2007 | Darius Goes West | Herself | |
2007 | Georgia Rule | Lilly | |
2008 | Phoebe in Wonderland | Hillary Lichten | |
2010 | Lesster | Mrs. Geary | Also writer and director |
2013 | Trust Me | Agnes | |
2014 | Rudderless | Emily | |
2014 | Big Game | CIA Director | |
2014 | Cake | Annette | |
2015 | Stealing Cars | Kimberly Wyatt | |
2015 | Zendog | Nicole | |
2017 | Krystal | Poppy | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | ABC Afterschool Special | Sara Greene | Episode: "A Home Run for Love" |
1988 | Lip Service | Woman P.A. | Television film |
1991 | Golden Years | Terry Spann | TV Mini-series |
1992 | Raven | Sharon Prior | Episode: "And Everything Nice" |
1992 | The Water Engine | Dance Hall Girl | Television film |
1992 | The Heart of Justice | Annie | Television film |
1992, 1997 | Law & Order | Hillary Colson / Diane Perkins | Episodes: "Helpless" and "Working Mom" |
1993 | The X-Files | Dr. Nancy Da Silva | Episode: "Ice" |
1996 | Early Edition | Det. Tagliatti | Episode: "Pilot" |
1996 | Bedtime | Donna | TV Mini-series |
1996 | Harrison: Cry of the City | Peggy Macklin | Television film |
1997 | Chicago Hope | Ellie Stockton | Episode: "Take My Wife, Please" |
1998–2000 | Sports Night | Dana Whitaker | Series regular, 45 episodes |
1999 | A Slight Case of Murder | Kit Wannamaker | Television film |
2001 | The West Wing | Ann Stark | Episode: "The Leadership Breakfast" |
2001 | Snap Decision | Carrie Dixon | Television film |
2002 | Path to War | Lady Bird Johnson | Television film |
2002 | Girls Club | Marcia Holden | Episode: "Pilot" |
2003 | Out of Order | Lorna Colm | TV Mini-series |
2002, 2003 | Kim Possible | Dr. Betty Director | Episodes: "Number One" and "The Ron Factor", voice |
2003 | Frasier | Julia Wilcox | Recurring role, 8 episodes |
2004 | The D.A. | Charlotte Ellis | Recurring role, 3 episodes |
2004 | Reversible Errors | Gillian Sullivan | Television film |
2004–2012 | Desperate Housewives | Lynette Scavo | Series regular, 180 episodes |
2006 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Herself | Episode: "Pilot" |
2015–2017 | American Crime | Barb Hanlon Leslie Graham Jeanette Hesby | Season 1 (11 episodes) Season 2 (10 episodes) Season 3 (8 episodes) |
Theatre
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1982 | A Taste of Honey as Joe | Stage Theatre, New York City |
1986 | Been Taken as Jill | 18th Street Playhouse, New York City |
1988 | Speed the Plow as Karen | Royale Theatre |
1988 | Boys' Life as Maggie | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, New York City |
1989 | Bobby Gould in Hell | Lincoln Center Theater |
1990 | Grotesque Love Songs | New York City |
1994 | Shaker Heights | New York City |
1995 | Dangerous Corner | off-Broadway production |
1995–1996 | The Cryptogram as Donny | American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, Massachusetts off-Broadway production |
1997 | The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite as Marie | Atlantic Theater Company, New York City |
1999 | Boston Marriage as Anna | American Repertory Theatre, Hasty Pudding Theatre, Cambridge, Massachusetts |
1999 | Oh, Hell! as Glenna | Lincoln Center, New York City |
2000 | The Loop | New York City |
2000 | Jake's Women | Old Globe Theatre |
2000 | Three Sisters | Philadelphia Festival Theatre |
2012 | November | Mark Taper Forum |
2015 | The Anarchist | Theater Asylum |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | Obie Award | Best Performance | The Cryptogram | Won |
1998 | The Comedy Festival | Best Performance in Comedy | Won | |
2000 | Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Sports Night | Nominated |
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
Viewers for Quality Television Awards | Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
2004 | Satellite Award | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Out of Order | Nominated |
2005 | Prism Awards | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Reversible Errors | Nominated |
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives | Won | |
Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated | ||
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Won | ||
Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival | Best Actress | Transamerica | Won | |
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
National Board of Review | Best Actress | Won | ||
Prism Awards | Best Performance in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives | Won | |
San Diego Film Festival | Best Actress | Transamerica | Won | |
Satellite Award | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Desperate Housewives | Won | |
Best Actress – Motion Picture | Transamerica | Won | ||
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
2006 | Golden Globe Award | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Won | |
Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Desperate Housewives | Nominated | ||
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Transamerica | Nominated | |
Academy Award | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives | Won | |
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Won | |||
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Transamerica | Nominated | ||
Bangkok International Film Festival | Best Actress | Won | ||
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Independent Spirit Award | Best Female Lead | Won | ||
Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
Palm Springs International Film Festival | Best Actress | Won | ||
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award | Best Actress | Won | ||
Satellite Award | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Desperate Housewives | Nominated | |
2007 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated | ||
Satellite Award | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated | ||
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
2008 | Prism Awards | Best Performance in a Feature Film | Georgia Rule | Nominated |
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives | Nominated | |
2009 | Nominated | |||
2011 | Satellite Award | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |
2012 | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Star on the Walk of Fame at 7060 Hollywood Blvd | Won | |
2015 | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | American Crime | Nominated |
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie | Nominated | ||
2016 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | Nominated | |
Best Cast – Television Series | Won | |||
Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated | ||
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie | Nominated | ||
Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries | Nominated | ||
Women's Image Network Awards | Actress MFT Movie/Mini-Series | Won | ||
2017 | Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated | |
Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series | Nominated |
In June 2008 it was announced that Felicity Huffman would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She finally received her star in March 2012 along with her husband in a joint ceremony.