Ally McBeal cast: Where are they now?

Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal)

Calista Flockhart already had a handful of movie, TV, and stage credits — including the 1996 film The Birdcage as well as The Glass Menagerie and Three Sisters on Broadway — when she was cast on Ally McBeal in 1997. Her performance as the series' title character earned her nominations for three Emmys, five Golden Globes (one of which she won), and four SAG awards over the course of the show's five seasons. She has been with Star Wars actor — and her now-husband — Harrison Ford since 2002.

Flockhart's film roles include Michael Hoffman's 1999 adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream and 2005's Fragile. She has become more active on television since Ally McBeal, having had a major role on Brothers & Sisters from 2006 to 2011 and appearing as Cat Grant on Supergirl from 2015 to 2021. Flockhart has also returned to the stage, starring in a revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? alongside Zachary Quinto.

Gil Bellows (Billy Thomas)

Gil Bellows had only collected a handful of credits — including his first major film role in 1994's The Shawshank Redemption — when he was cast as Ally's ex-boyfriend and new co-worker, Billy Thomas. Concurrent with his work on Ally McBeal, he played Matt Callan on The Agency.

After Ally McBeal, Bellows appeared in the 2014 movie Kill the Messenger and the 2016 miniseries 11.22.63. He had regular roles on the series Eyewitness and Patriot, among dozens of other film and TV credits, including the 2022 ABC miniseries Women of the Movement.

Courtney Thorne-Smith (Georgia Thomas)

Before she was cast as Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal, Courtney Thorne-Smith was already a TV star having played Allison Parker on Melrose Place from 1992 to 1997.

Post-Georgia, Thorne-Smith remained active on television, with a main role on According to Jim from 2001 to 2009, a recurring role on Two and a Half Men from 2010 to 2015, and smaller appearances on Fresh Off the Boat and Mom.

Jane Krakowski (Elaine Vassal)

Jane Krakowski went on to even greater fame after breaking out as office assistant Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal. She's formed a strong partnership with writer Tina Fey, earning four Emmy nominations for her role as vapid actress Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock and a fifth Primetime Emmy nod for portraying Jacqueline White on Fey's Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Krakowski has also showcased her singing and dancing chops on Broadway, winning a 2003 Tony award for the revival of Nine and earning another nomination for her role as Ilona Ritter in Roundabout Theatre Company's 2016 revival of She Loves Me. Krakowski has maintained a strong TV presence since, appearing on the Apple TV+ series Dickinson from 2019 to 2021 and the ongoing musical comedy Schmigadoon!.

Lisa Nicole Carson (Renee Raddick)

Around the same time she was playing Renee Raddick on Ally McBeal, Lisa Nicole Carson also had a gig on ER, where she played Peter Benton's girlfriend Carla Reece from 1996 to 2001.

After Ally McBeal ended in 2002, Carson took a break from Hollywood when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder; she opened up about her struggle with the condition in a 2015 article in Essence magazine. She returned to the industry with a 2017 appearance in the BET miniseries The New Edition Story.

Greg Germann (Richard Fish)

After five seasons of playing law firm partner Richard Fish (which earned him a SAG award), Greg Germann has gone on to be a guest star MVP.

From one-offs on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Desperate Housewives to memorable arcs as Hades on Once Upon a Time, A.D.A./counselor Derek Strauss in four seasons of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Dr. Thomas Koracick in six seasons of Grey's Anatomy. It's rare to find a month where he's not on television. He's also had memorable roles in the Will Ferrell films Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby in 2006 and Get Hard in 2015.

Vonda Shepard (Vonda Shepard)

Vonda Shepard regularly appeared under her own name as a performer in the bar where Ally McBeal and her co-workers drank after work. While on the series, she served as its "musical voice," singing the theme song, recording two soundtrack albums, and appearing on three other compilation albums from the show.

Shepard has since released nine solo albums, plus four live records, and started a family. She lent her vocals for "I Need You," an original song composed for the 2010 film Love & Other Drugs, and continues to tour and do live shows around the country.

Portia de Rossi (Nelle Porter)

Since playing Nelle Porter on Ally McBeal, Portia de Rossi has remained especially active in television, in addition to picking up some film credits and getting married to TV personality Ellen DeGeneres.

Most notably, she played Lindsay Bluth Fünke on Arrested Development from 2003 to 2006, returning for the Netflix revival seasons in 2013, 2018, and 2019. She also had a recurring role on Nip/Tuck from 2007 to 2009, starred on Better Off Ted from 2009 to 2010, and had a regular role on Scandal from 2014 to 2017.

Lucy Liu (Ling Woo)

Lucy Liu played the ruthless Ling Woo on Ally McBeal; her casting was especially noteworthy as she was playing the only major Asian woman character on mainstream American TV at the time.

Since the show ended in 2002, her dozens of screen credits include the films Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 in 2003 and 2004, respectively, in which she played the deadly assassin O-ren Ishii. Her voice work includes the Disney Fairies animated films, playing fairy Silvermist; and the Kung Fu Panda movies, for which she plays Master Viper.

On TV, she has done a variety of voice roles, starred as Dr. Joan Watson on Elementary from 2012 to 2019, and has made appearances on shows like Why Women Kill and Curb Your Enthusiasm. She joined the DC Extended Universe as Kalypso in 2023's Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Peter MacNicol (John Cage)

Peter MacNicol won an Emmy in 2001 for his work on Ally McBeal as eccentric lawyer John Cage, and he's since gone on to memorable arcs on numerous television shows.

He portrayed White House Chief of Staff Tom Lennox in the sixth season of 24 and reprised the role in 24: Redemption. He's also appeared on Grey's Anatomy, The Mindy Project, and Numb3rs. MacNicol recurred as foul-mouthed campaign adviser Jeff Kane on HBO's Veep; the role earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2016, which was later rescinded on a technicality after he appeared in half the episodes of the show that season. In 2019, he earned another nomination for Veep, which luckily remained in place this time.

Robert Downey Jr. (Larry Paul)

A rising star when he joined Ally McBeal in the series' fourth season — having already picked up his first Oscar nomination for 1992's Chaplin, as well as appeared in various popular Brat Pack movies — Robert Downey Jr. was written off the show after one season because of his substance abuse problems, though he was nominated for an Emmy and won a Golden Globe for his performance.

After becoming sober, he returned to the entertainment industry and ascended once again, solidifying his comeback with his second Oscar nomination, for 2008's Tropic Thunder. He is now best known for playing Tony Stark/Iron Man in various films for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with 2008's Iron Man and departing from the franchise in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. He also played Sherlock Holmes in two films directed by Guy Ritchie and portrayed Dr. Dolittle in a 2020 adaptation.

Downey has delved into behind-the-scenes work, producing projects like the Emmy-nominated series Perry Mason, the Netflix series Sweet Tooth, and the 2022 Netflix documentary "Sr.," about his relationship with his late father, Robert Downey Sr.

Hayden Panettiere (Maggie Harrington)

Despite being only 12 years old when she first appeared in Ally McBeal's fifth season as Ally's (surprise) daughter Maddie Harrington, Hayden Panettiere had already racked up an impressive résumé, including 2000's Remember the Titans and a role from 1998 to 2000 on Guiding Light.

After Ally McBeal, the actress raised her profile further by starring on Heroes from 2006 to 2010 and playing country-pop singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville from 2012 to 2018, for which she earned two Golden Globe nominations. She also appeared in 2004's Raising Helen; 2006's Bring It On: All or Nothing; and 2009's I Love You, Beth Cooper, in addition to playing fan-favorite character Kirby Reed in 2011's Scream 4 and 2023's Scream VI.