
Biography
Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing starred in the shortlived television series, Ned and Stacey on Fox (1995–1997), and Prey on ABC (1998). She achieved her breakthrough role as Grace Adler, an interior designer, on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received seven Golden Globe Award nominations and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning once, in 2003. From 2007 to 2008, Messing starred as Molly Kagan, the ex-wife of a Hollywood film mogul, on the television miniseries The Starter Wife, for which she received two Golden Globe nominations, a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. Thereafter, she appeared as Broadway playwright Julia Houston on the NBC musical drama Smash (2012–2013) and as homicide detective Laura Diamond on the NBC police-procedural comedy The Mysteries of Laura (2014–2016). From 2017 to 2020, Messing reprised her role as Grace Adler on NBC's three season revival of Will & Grace, garnering a ninth Golden Globe nomination for her performance. Messing's film work includes A Walk in the Clouds (1995), Jesus (1999), The Mothman Prophecies (2002), Hollywood Ending (2002), Along Came Polly (2004), The Wedding Date (2005), Lucky You (2007), The Women (2008), Nothing Like the Holidays (2008), Searching (2018), and 13: The Musical (2022). She has also lent her voice to animated films such as Garfield (2004) and Open Season (2006). Description above from the Wikipedia article Debra Messing, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Awards & recognition
- TV Guide Award · 2016
- TV Guide Award · 2012
- Lucy Award · 2005
- Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series · 2004
- Primetime Emmy Award — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series · 2003
Show all 13 awards →
- Satellite Award — Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy · 2003
- Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series · 2003
- Satellite Award — Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy · 2002
- Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series · 2002
- Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series · 2001
- TV Guide Award · 2001
- Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series · 2000
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Filmography48 titles

Seinfeld

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Searching

King of the Hill

A Walk in the Clouds

Like Sunday, Like Rain

The Graham Norton Show

Ned and Stacey

Mad TV

The Mysteries of Laura

The $100,000 Pyramid

Will & Grace

Prey

The Wedding Date

Bros

Hollywood Ending

Smash

Billy on the Street

Match Game

Nothing Like the Holidays

Project Runway

The Alto Knights

Open Season

The Mothman Prophecies

13: The Musical

Irresistible

Along Came Polly

Celebrity

October 8

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Purple Violets

Albion: The Enchanted Stallion

Lucky You

Garfield: The Movie

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

Dirty Dancing

Late Night with Seth Meyers

The Women

The Dark Divide

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Tamron Hall

McHale's Navy

The Starter Wife

The View

The One Show

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

Sesame Street: Wild Words and Outdoor Adventures