Felicity Huffman

Felicity Kendall Huffman was born on December 9, 1962, in Bedford, New York, to Grace Valle and Moore Peters Huffman, a banker and partner at Morgan Stanley. Her parents divorced a year after her birth, and she was raised by both of them. As a young teenager, Huffman learned that her biological father was Roger Tallman Maher, a family friend. She has six sisters and one brother. During the 1970s, her mother relocated to Snowmass, Colorado, where Huffman and her siblings spent much of their youth. Her ancestry includes German, English, Scots-Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian, and Irish heritage. Among her notable forebears were Gershom Moore Peters, founder of the Peters Cartridge Company and a Baptist minister; Frederick Berthold Ewing, a Yale graduate and St. Louis businessman; and Joseph Warren King, founder of the King Mills Powder Company.

Huffman attended The Putney School, a private boarding high school in Putney, Vermont, and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan in 1981. She subsequently studied at New York University, the Circle in the Square Theatre School, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Her stage career began in 1982, and throughout the 1980s and 1990s she worked primarily in theatrical productions. In 1988, she made her Broadway debut in David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, playing the role of Karen. That same year she also appeared on screen in a small role in Mamet's film Things Change. In 1995, she received an Obie Award for her performance in Mamet's play The Cryptogram, and in 1999 she appeared in the premiere of his play Boston Marriage.

Huffman's early film work included the 1990 courtroom drama Reversal of Fortune, in which she played Minnie, a Harvard law school student, and the 1992 thriller Quicksand: No Escape alongside Donald Sutherland and Tim Matheson. She also appeared in The Water Engine opposite William H. Macy, and had supporting roles in The Heart of Justice (1992), Hackers (1995), Harrison: Cry of the City (1996), and The Underworld (1997). In 1997, she starred in Mamet's film The Spanish Prisoner. On television during the 1990s, she appeared in guest roles on shows including The X-Files, Early Edition, Chicago Hope, and Law and Order, and starred in the Stephen King-based miniseries Golden Years in 1991.

From 1998 to 2000, Huffman starred as Dana Whitaker in the ABC comedy-drama Sports Night, a role that earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy. She appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's ensemble film Magnolia in 1999 and played Lady Bird Johnson in the HBO film Path to War in 2002. Her other film credits from this period include Snap Decision (2001), Raising Helen (2004), and Christmas with the Kranks (2004).

Huffman rose to wide prominence beginning in 2004 with her leading role as Lynette Scavo in the ABC comedy-drama Desperate Housewives, which ran for eight seasons until 2012. The role earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and nominations for three Golden Globe Awards. In 2005, she starred in the independent film Transamerica, portraying Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne, a transgender woman who discovers she fathered a son. The performance brought her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, an Independent Spirit Award, a National Board of Review award, a Satellite Award, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She subsequently appeared in Georgia Rule (2007) alongside Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan, and in the independent drama Phoebe in Wonderland (2008).

From 2015 to 2017, Huffman starred in the ABC anthology crime drama American Crime, receiving three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her work on the series. Her additional film credits include Rudderless (2014) and Cake (2014).

In 2019, Huffman was arrested in connection with a nationwide college entrance exam cheating scandal. She was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud and was sentenced to 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service.