Debra Messing

Who is Debra Messing?

Debra Lynn Messing is an American actress. She is known for her television roles in Will & Grace, The Starter Wife and Smash.

Following her graduation from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing had short-lived tenures on the Fox sitcom Ned & Stacey and the ABC sci-fi Prey. She rose to prominence in her role as Grace Adler on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, earning both commercial and critical success throughout the series' eight season run. She also received critical acclaim for her work as Molly Kagan in the USA Network series The Starter Wife. She also played the lead role of Julia Houston in the musical-drama series Smash, before it was cancelled by NBC after two seasons.

Her film roles have included an unfaithful bride in Along Came Polly, followed by a more sympathetic role in The Wedding Date, and then Nothing like the Holidays. She has also voiced roles in several animated films such as Garfield and Open Season.

Throughout her career she has been nominated for a total of six Emmy Awards, eight Golden Globe Awards and eight Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2003 she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance on Will & Grace.