Felicity Huffman

An alumna of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, actress Felicity Huffman is one of many classically trained stage performers who have found a home on television. She appeared on Broadway in David Mamet's Feed the Plow and co-founded the New... more

An alumna of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, actress Felicity Huffman is one of many classically trained stage performers who have found a home on television. She appeared on Broadway in David Mamet's Feed the Plow and co-founded the New York Atlantic Theater Company, along with Mamet and her husband, film actor William H. Macy. Making her feature-film debut in 1988 in Mamet's comedy drama Things Change, Huffman continued her acting career in the world of made-for-TV movies. A few exceptions include small roles in Reversal of Fortune, Hackers, The Spanish Prisoner, and Magnolia. In 1997 she won an Obie award for her work in the off-Broadway production of David Mamet's Cryptogram. Moving to the small-screen, Huffman was bumped up to starring status for the role of Dana Whitaker on the sitcom Sports Night, which ran from 1998 to 2000 on ABC before moving over to Comedy Central in syndication. She earned Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for her work on that show. After Sports Night's cancellation in 2000, Huffman had her first child and could be seen in a string of TV movies, notably as Lady Bird Johnson in John Frankenheimer's Path to War. She then lent her voice to Disney's animated series Kim Possible and made appearances on Frasier, The West Wing, and Girls Club. In 2003 Huffman was back to lead status as Lorna Colm on the Showtime original series Out of Order, also starring Eric Stoltz and husband Macy. Though the show was soon cancelled, it wouldn't be long before Huffman was back at it with another new show. This time around, she starred in ABC's dark primetime dramatic comedy series Desperate Housewives, which premiered in the Fall of 2004. The wildly successful series proved to be a break unlike anything the actress had ever experienced, earning her an Emmy, a Screen Actor's Guild Award, multiple Golden Globe nominations, and a stardom that finally made her a household name. In 2006, she won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for her role in Transamerica, in which she plays a pre-op male-to-female transsexual who learns she has a teenage son from a clumsy sexual encounter during her life as a man. Huffman's critical acclaim cemented that she had arrived as an actress and would not need to rely on the notoriety of Desperate Housewives in order to maintain a vibrant career. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide less