Is it possible for an actor to rocket to the highest stardom within merely two years? The answer is yes and Felicity Huffman is the living proof. From becoming almost unnoticed, she was suddenly the cream of acting profession. In her forties, she was ready to kick off and reign the list of Hollywood's outstanding actresses. How she came to that point? The years behind that plausibly provided the answer to that question.

Talent was indeed known to be raw without commitment. Huffman had realized the notion since the very beginning of her life. She was born on December 9, 1962 in Bedford, New York. Her parents split a year after her birth and her mother Grace Huffman took her to Colorado where she would be raised. In 1978 she had a great start as one of the main roles in a TV drama �A Home Run for Love�. Loving the field, she attended Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and graduated in 1981. Feeling that it wasn't enough, she explored drama and earned BFA title from New York University in 1988. Fate interfered here as she met her future husband, William H. Macy who was the co-founder of the Atlantic Theater Company in which she was a member. For the next two years, Huffman involved herself in stage performances including a Broadway production of �Speed-the-Plow� as Madonna's understudy. Then she would gladly take small roles in �Things Change� (1988) and �Reversal of Fortune� (1990) before becoming a regular in Stephen King's �Golden Years� in 1991.

Despite her climbing roles, she was fired from ABC sitcom �Thunder Alley� (1994) after appearing only in the pilot. She tackled the thoughts that she was a failure by appearing on stage in David Mamet's �The Cryptogram� in 1995. She was indeed splendid in her performance and received an Obie Award, the most prestigious theater award in the U.S. after the Tony Award. Proving that she was also capable onscreen, she guest starred in �Law & Order� series in 1997 as well as �Chicago Hope� in the same year. A success was never complete without spiritual achievement. On September 6, 1997 she tied the knot with her long time lover, Macy. From then on, she would appear alongside her husband in several of his movies like �A Slight Case of Murder� (1999) and Paul Thomas Anderson's �Magnolia� (1999). Macy was credited bigger than her in those movies because his emergence was earlier than her. However, in �Sports Night� (1998) she caught up and eventually acquired nominations in Golden Globe Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical and Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, both in 2000. The happiness was accumulated with the birth of the couple's first daughter, Sofia Grace on August 1, 2000 and later on the birth of the second daughter, Georgia Grace on March 14, 2002.

Still appearing in the same set with her husband, she had a bit role in the award winning TV movie �Door to Door� (2002) about a man with cerebral palsy who was willing to be a salesman. Macy who was the lead actor as well as the writer became a spokesperson for United Cerebral Palsy after the filming. Surely her husband's success didn't make her live under his shadow. Huffman joined John Frankenheimer's �Path to War� (2002) as the First Lady of U.S., Lady Bird Johnson. The movie was the nominee of the 2003 Golden Globe Awards for Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. After such involvement, she slowed down by giving voices in Kim Possible Series in 2002 and 2003 and also making a year appearance from 2003 until 2004 in �Frasier� as Dr. Frasier Crane's object of affection, Julia Wilcox. She was also noted as Charlotte Ellis in lawyer series �The D.A.� (2004). It was an average but that same year brought a greater luck for Huffman.

Set to play Kate Hudson's older sister who was a typical mom and housewife in the comedy �Raising Helen� (2004) she showed a great supporting performance. Apparently, such role fitted her well that she was immediately picked to play Lynette Scavo, a mother struggling to handle her wild children but received little help from her husband in TV series �Desperate Housewives� (2004). Huge success was imminent as the series immediately absorbed high rating as well as praise for its sassy storylines. Along with co-stars Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria and Nicollette Sheridan, they suddenly became well known for their roles as housewives who had their own dirty little secrets. Charmed with witty and wisecracks attitudes of these women, movie lovers were simply delighted and agreed that the series worth the 2005 and 2006 Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy. Huffman herself was proven the best among the other girls, as she was the only one who won the 2005 Emmy when the others stayed at being nominated. Moreover, she was also the only cast to win the 2006 Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series after Teri Hatcher's similar winning in 2005.

Although hailed as the greatest of the other women, she kept her profile low and instead continued her work by role supporting in �Christmas with the Kranks� (2004), which was adapted from John Grisham's novel. However, all of her achievements that far were in no comparison to her role in �Transamerica� (2005) as Bree, a transgender who was an operation away to come out as a full-fledged woman. Bree had to face the fact that when she was still a man, she was involved in sexual relationships which one of them led to the birth of a boy named Toby. Huffman's portrayal of the person in search for identity was absolute brilliant. She won the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture � Drama in 2006 Golden Globe Awards. Also two nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role in the 2006 Screen Actors Guilds Awards and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in the 2006 Academy Awards. The latter allowed her to shriek with joy �I'm shot into the stratosphere. You can't pasteurize the Academy Award. You can't negotiate it. It is the top. It is the biggest thing ever. I've been hopping around and screaming all morning.� As she let herself be showered with prestigious awards and nominations which were seen by those in the know to be enormous honors, she was en route to bigger roles. Starting with a unique video titled �Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman � (2005), she was ready to be challenged again.