Felicity Huffman was born on December 9, 1962, in Bedford, New York, into a wealthy family. Her parents divorced when she was just a year old, and she was raised by both of them.

Felicity Huffman discovered that her biological father was Roger Tallman Maher, a family friend, when she was a teenager. She has six sisters and a brother, and her mother later moved the family to Snowmass, Colorado, where Huffman spent her youth.

She attended The Putney School in Vermont, Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, and later studied at New York University and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Felicity Huffman began her acting career in theatre before transitioning to television and film in the 1990s. She gained recognition for her role as Dana Whitaker in the 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 ABC comedy-drama "Desperate Housewives" from 2004 to 2012, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Her performance in the film "Transamerica" (2005) as a transgender woman earned her critical acclaim and several awards, including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination.

She has been married to actor William H. Macy since 1997, and they have two daughters, Georgia and Sophia. She attributes much of her success to her "gut health," having started a probiotic regimen over a decade ago to maintain her physical and mental well-being.

Despite her achievements, she faced controversy in 2019 when she was involved in a college entrance exam cheating scandal. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and was sentenced to 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service.

Throughout her career, she has appeared in numerous films, including "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).

She also starred in the anthology crime drama "American Crime" from 2015 to 2017, for which she received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations.