Debra Messing

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American actressTemplate:SHORTDESC:American actress[[Category:**Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Pagetype/config' not found.**s with short description]]

**Debra Lynn Messing** (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as *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 was critically acclaimed, receiving six 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 for her performance. 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). Since 2017, Messing has been reprising her role as Grace Adler on NBC's 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), and *Searching* (2018). She has also lent her voice to animated films such as *Garfield* (2004) and *Open Season* (2006).

## Early life

Messing was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, the daughter of Sandra (née Simons), who worked as a professional singer, banker, and travel and real estate agent, and Brian Messing, a sales executive for a costume jewelry packaging manufacturer. Messing is Jewish, and had a Bat Mitzvah ceremony; her Jewish ancestors emigrated from Poland and Russia. When Messing was three, she moved with her parents and her older brother, Brett, to East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

During her high school years, she acted and sang in a number of high school productions at East Greenwich High School, including the starring roles in the musicals *Annie* and *Grease*. She took lessons in dance, singing and acting. In 1986, she was Rhode Island's Junior Miss and competed in Mobile, Alabama, in the America's Junior Miss scholarship program.

While her parents encouraged her dream of becoming an actress, they also urged her to complete a liberal arts education before deciding on acting as a career. Following their advice, she attended Brandeis University, where at her parents' request, three-quarters of her courses were not theater related. During her junior year, she studied theater at the prestigious British European Studies Group of London (BESGL) program, an experience that solidified her desire to act.

In 1990, after graduating *summa cum laude* from Brandeis with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts, Messing gained admission to the elite Grad Acting Program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, which accepts 16 new students annually. She earned a Master of Fine Arts after three years.

## Career

In 1993, Messing won acclaim for her performance as Harper in the pre-Broadway workshop production of Tony Kushner's play *Angels in America: Perestroika*. Subsequently, she appeared in several episodes of the television series *NYPD Blue* during 1994 and 1995.

 File:Debra Messing (April 2009) 4.jpg
In 1995, Messing made her film debut in Alfonso Arau's *A Walk in the Clouds* playing the unfaithful wife of main character Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves). This exposure led the Fox network to make her the co-star of the television sitcom, *Ned & Stacey*. The series lasted for two seasons, from 1995 to 1997. Messing appeared as Jerry Seinfeld's romantic interest in two episodes of the series *Seinfeld*: "The Wait Out" in 1996 and "The Yada Yada" in 1997. Messing turned down a starring role in another television sitcom to appear in Donald Margulies's two-character play *Collected Stories*, which opened at the off-Broadway Manhattan Theater Club. She also co-starred in the Tom Arnold vehicle *McHale's Navy* in 1997.

In 1998, Messing played a lead role as the bioanthropologist Sloan Parker on ABC's dramatic science fiction television series *Prey*. During this time, her agent approached her with the pilot script for the television show *Will & Grace*. Messing was inclined to take some time off, but the script intrigued her, and she auditioned for the role of Grace Adler, beating out Nicollette Sheridan, who later guest-starred on the show as Grace's romantic rival. *Will & Grace* became a ratings success, and Messing became a star.

In 2002, she was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by *People*. *TV Guide* picked her as its "Best Dressed Woman" in 2003. And Messing's trademark curls on *Will & Grace* won her five Crown Awards from voters at the celebrity hair site Super-Hair.Net between 2000 and 2008.

Messing was cast by director Woody Allen in a small role in his film *Hollywood Ending* (2002). Her film roles since include Richard Gere's ill-fated wife in the supernatural thriller *The Mothman Prophecies* (also 2002) and a supporting role as an unfaithful bride in *Along Came Polly* (2004). *The Wedding Date* (2005) was Messing's first leading role in a high-profile film. It received mixed reviews, but performed fairly well at the box office.

Messing was featured as a judge on the season finale of the second season of Bravo's reality show, *Project Runway*. Also in 2005, along with Megan Mullally, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.

 File:Debra Messing at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.jpg
She also starred in the television miniseries *The Starter Wife* (2007), which was nominated for ten Emmy Awards, including one for Messing for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. In 2008, Messing reprised her role as Molly Kagan in the television series *The Starter Wife*, consisting of 10 episodes. In early 2010, Messing starred in the ABC comedy pilot *Wright vs. Wrong* for the 2010–2011 primetime season, but the pilot was not picked up by ABC.

In July 2011, Messing was ranked no. 22 on the TV Guide Network special, *Funniest Women on TV*. In February 2011, it was announced that Messing would star in a new NBC musical pilot called *Smash* for the 2011–2012 primetime season. In May 2011, it was reported that NBC picked up the show as a series for the 2011–2012 season. The show premiered on February 6, 2012. The show was later renewed for a second season after which it was cancelled.

Messing appeared with Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong and Leighton Meester in Frank Whaley's drama film *Like Sunday, Like Rain* in 2014. For her performance, Messing won the 2014 Best Actress Award at The Williamsburg Independent Film Festival.

She made her Broadway debut in John Patrick Shanley's play *Outside Mullingar* alongside Tony Award winner Brían F. O'Byrne, which began previews at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on January 3, 2014. *Outside Mullingar* was nominated for Best Play for the 2014 (68th Annual) Tony Awards.

Messing starred in *The Mysteries of Laura*, a police procedural television show that premiered in September 2014. The series lasted for two seasons and ended in 2016.

Messing portrayed Marjorie Houseman in the television remake of the film, *Dirty Dancing* (1987). It aired on ABC in May 2017.

She currently stars as Grace Adler in the revival of *Will & Grace* on NBC.

## Controversies

In August 2019, Messing sent out a tweet calling for a list of supporters attending a fundraising event for Donald Trump to be made public. Trump denounced the tweet, stating that Messing was attempting to create a “blacklist” in an allusion to McCarthyism. Messing’s call to make the list public was condemned by many on both sides of the political aisle.

Messing later came under fire for a tweet suggesting that black people who voted for Trump experienced mental illness. Many condemned the tweet as racist, for which Messing later apologized.

## Personal life

Messing met Daniel Zelman, an actor and screenwriter, on their first day as graduate students at New York University in 1990. They were married on September 3, 2000, and lived in Manhattan. In April 2004, Messing gave birth to their son, Roman. In December 2011, she and her husband separated after 11 years of marriage. Messing filed for divorce on June 5, 2012. The divorce was officially completed on March 1, 2016.

Messing dated her *Smash* co-star Will Chase from the end of 2011 to October 2014.

Messing currently resides in New York City, but travels back and forth to Los Angeles to film *Will & Grace*.

## Awards and nominations

Messing's most honored role is as Grace Adler on *Will & Grace* earning the actress six Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Lead Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical, five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series; one of which she won in 2003, and seven Screen Actors Guild Award nominations; two for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, and five for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series – winning one in 2001.

### Honors

* 2005: Nominated for Favorite Funny Female Star by the People's Choice Awards.
* 2005: Honored with the Lucy Award, by the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards – to recognize women and men and their creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.
* 2017: Honored with the Excellence in Media Award by the GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) – to individuals in the media and entertainment industries who through their work have increased the visibility and understanding of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.
* 2017, October 6: Inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame received a star for her contribution to Television – located at 6201 Hollywood, Blvd.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Stated in interview on *Inside the Actors Studio*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ouzounian, Richard (March 9, 2012). "Debra Messing in Smash". *Toronto Star*. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd.. http://www.toronto.com/article/716250--debra-messing-in-smash. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
3. ↑ "Debra Messing Biography (1968–)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/56/Debra-Messing.html. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
4. ↑ "American Jewish Life Magazine". Atlantajewish.com. http://www.atlantajewish.com/content/032006/messing.html. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
5. ↑ Pfefferman, Naomi (May 2, 2002). "JewishJournal.com". JewishJournal.com. http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=8506. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
6. ↑ "Debra Messing: Actress – Most Beautiful, Debra Messing". *People*. May 13, 2002. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20137029,00.html. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
7. ↑ Williams, Jeannie (May 3, 2002). "Debra Messing yells 'Hooray!' for 'Hollywood'", *USA Today*. Retrieved on 9 December 2007.
8. ↑ "NYU Graduate Acting Alumni". 2011. http://gradacting.tisch.nyu.edu/object/ga\_alumbios.html. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
9. ↑ "Past Recipients". Wif.org. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110830035734/http://www.wif.org/past-recipients. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
10. ↑ [1] Template:Webarchive
11. ↑ "Wright vs. Wrong". April 20, 2009. http://login.vnuemedia.com/hr/content\_display/television/news/e3i5d08aae04387a06d43a41edbb441b040. Retrieved 24 May 2009.  Wright vs. Wrong
12. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
13. ↑ "Debra Messing to Headline NBC's Musical Pilot – Today's News: Our Take". *TV Guide*. February 7, 2011. https://www.tvguide.com/News/Debra-Messing-NBC-1028963.aspx. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
14. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie. "May 11, 2011: "NBC Picks Up Whitney Cummings & Emily Spivey Pilots, 'Smash' & 'Prime Suspect'"". https://www.deadline.com/2011/05/nbc-picks-up-whitney-cummings-comedy-pilot-to-series-more-coming/. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
15. ↑ "It's Curtains: NBC Officially Cancels Smash" (May 10, 2013). Retrieved on September 8, 2013.
16. ↑ "2014 Winners". http://www.willfilm.org/Winners.
17. ↑ Voss, Brandon (January 4, 2014). "Gracing Broadway – Debra Messing Returns to the Stage in MTC's 'Outside Mullingar'". *Playbill*. New York City. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/186068-Gracing-Broadway-mdash-Debra-Messing-Returns-to-the-Stage-in-MTCs-Outside-Mullingar?tsrc=hph. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
18. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 14, 2016). "'Dirty Dancing' ABC Remake Casts Debra Messing, Gets Firm Green Light". New York City: Penske Business Media, LLC. https://deadline.com/2016/01/dirty-dancing-abc-remake-debra-messing-cast-green-light-1201683225/. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
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20. ↑ https://www.businessinsider.com/whoopi-goldberg-slams-debra-messing-mccarthyism-the-view-trump-donors-2019-9
21. ↑  https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/debra-messing-called-outing-trump-supporters-trump-likened-her-mccarthy-n1050006
22. ↑ https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/debra-messing-apologizes-defends-herself-000046626.html
23. ↑  https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/messing
24. ↑ "The Debra Messing Picture Pages". Superiorpics.com. http://www.superiorpics.com/debra\_messing/. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
25. ↑ Finn, Natalie. "The Finished Wife: Debra Messing and Husband Separate". E!. http://www.eonline.com/news/finished\_wife\_debra\_messing\_husband/282031.
26. ↑ Shira, Dahvi (June 5, 2012). "Debra Messing Files for Divorce". *People*. Des Moines, Iowa. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20601394,00.html. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
27. ↑ "Judge ends Debra Messing's marriage to writer-producer", Associated Press, *The Charlotte Observer* (Sacramento, California) (March 2, 2016). Retrieved on March 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
28. ↑ Chiu, Melody (October 27, 2014). "Debra Messing and Will Chase Split". *People*. Des Moines, Iowa: Meredith Corporation. http://www.people.com/article/debra-messing-will-chase-break-up. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
29. ↑ "Debra Messing". IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005226/awards.
30. ↑ "Debra Messing". Hollywood Walk of Fame. http://www.walkoffame.com/debra-messing.

## External links

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