Felicity Huffman Biography

Date of Birth: December 9, 1962

Born in Bedford, New York, Felicity Huffman majored in theater at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. While a student at the high school, she made her television debut playing Sara Greene in the ABC Afterschool special A Home Run for Love (1978). Her nickname, Flicka Huffman, was used in the credits.

Huffman went on to earn a BFA in Drama from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Upon graduation, she quickly landed a small role in the TV movie Lip Service and made her film debut in David Mamet's Things Change (1988), as 'The Wheel of Fortune Girl'. She then took over for Madonna in Mamet's play Speed The Plow on Broadway later that year.

A move to Los Angeles gave Huffman the opportunity to play a variety of roles in a number of TV movies, as well as small roles in major motion pictures such as Hackers (1995) and Magnolia (1999). Huffman was cast as a regular in the ABC-TV sitcom Sports Night and though the show didn't last long, she received a 2000 Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series nomination from the Viewers for Quality Television Awards. She continued to work in TV movies and played a recurring role as Julia Wilcox on several episodes of the hit sitcom Frasier.

Huffman had a banner year in 2004 when she played supporting roles in two major motion features (Christmas with the Kranks and Raising Helen) and landed a starring role in the brand new series Desperate Housewives. The offbeat hour-long comedy quickly became a hit both with critics and viewers.

Playing Lynette, Huffman earned a 2005 Emmy Award as Best Actress in a Comedy Series, as well as sharing a 2005 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. She has also received two Golden Globe nominations for her work on the show.

In 2005, she won a National Board of Review Best Actress award for her role as a man going through the process of becoming a woman in the independent film Transamerica. She also earned Best Actress at the Tribeca Film Festival for her work in the film, a 2006 Golden Globe award and a 2006 Academy Award nomination. More recently, she starred in Cake (2015).

Huffman helped form the Atlantic Theater Company with her husband, actor/director William H. Macy. She has appeared in plays such as Dangerous Corner, Shaker Heights, Boy's Life (directed by Macy), The Loop and Cryptogram (for which she received an OBIE Award).

She and her husband live with their two daughters in Los Angeles.

Filmography:

Cake (2015)
Rudderless (2014)
Phoebe in Wonderland (2008)
Georgia Rule (2007)
Transamerica (2005)
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Raising Helen (2004)
House Hunting (2003)
Magnolia (1999)
The Spanish Prisoner (1998)
Hackers (1995)
Reversal of Fortune (1990)
Things Change (1988)