Debra Messing
Encyclopedia
Debra Lynn Messing is an American
actress, voice artist, and comedienne. She is perhaps best known for her role as Grace Adler
in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace
and as Molly Kagan in the mini-series The Starter Wife
.
Messing has been nominated for a total of six Emmy Awards, eight Golden Globe Awards and eight Screen Actors Guild Awards
. In 2003 she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in Will & Grace. In Open Season
, she was the voice of Beth.
borough of New York City
, the daughter of Sandra (née
Simons), who has worked as a professional singer, banker, travel and real estate agent, and Brian Messing, a sales executive for a costume jewelry packaging manufacturer. Messing is Jewish
, a descendant of immigrants from Russia
and Poland
. When Messing was three, she moved with her parents and her older brother, Brett, to East Greenwich
, about 15 miles from Providence, 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
in Waltham, Massachusetts
. During her junior year, she studied theater at the prestigious London
-based British
European Studio Group program, an experience that solidified her desire to act.
In 1990, after graduating summa cum laude
from Brandeis University with a bachelor's degree
in theater arts, Messing gained admission to the elite Graduate Acting Program at New York University
's Tisch School of the Arts
which accepts approximately fifteen new students annually. She earned a Master's Degree in Fine Arts
after three years.
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.
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 date 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 bio-anthropologist 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 a romantic rival of Grace's. 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 Magazine. TV Guide
picked her as its "Best Dressed Woman" in 2003. Messing was cast by director Woody Allen
in a small role in his 2002 film Hollywood Ending
. Her film roles since include a happily married but ill-fated wife in the supernatural thriller The Mothman Prophecies
(2002) and a supporting role 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 Mullaly, 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 She also starred in the television mini-series The Starter Wife, 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 early 2011, it was announced that Messing will star in a new NBC musical pilot called Smash
for the 2011–2012 primetime season. In May 2011, it was reported that NBC had picked up the show as a series for the 2011-2012 season.
In 2011, Messing was ranked No. 22 on the TV Guide Network special, Funniest Women on TV.
, an actor and screenwriter, on their first day as graduate students at NYU in 1990. They were married on September 3, 2000, and live in New York City
. On April 7, 2004, Messing gave birth to their son, Roman Walker Zelman.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, voice artist, and comedienne. She is perhaps best known for her role as Grace Adler
Grace Adler
Grace Elizabeth Adler-Markus is a fictional character on the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Debra Messing. She is a Jewish interior designer , living in New York City with her gay best friend Will Truman...
in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
and as Molly Kagan in the mini-series The Starter Wife
The Starter Wife
The Starter Wife is a 2007 USA Network television miniseries, based on the novel of the same name by Gigi Levangie Grazer. Its title is derived from the concept of a starter marriage...
.
Messing has been nominated for a total of six Emmy Awards, eight Golden Globe Awards and eight Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards
A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...
. In 2003 she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in Will & Grace. In Open Season
Open Season (film)
Open Season is a 2006 computer-animated comedy film, written by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman and directed by Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Anthony Stacchi, and production designed by Michael Humphries...
, she was the voice of Beth.
Early life
Messing was born in the BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
borough of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the daughter of Sandra (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Simons), who has worked as a professional singer, banker, travel and real estate agent, and Brian Messing, a sales executive for a costume jewelry packaging manufacturer. Messing is Jewish
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
, a descendant of immigrants from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. When Messing was three, she moved with her parents and her older brother, Brett, to East Greenwich
East Greenwich, Rhode Island
East Greenwich is a town in and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 13,146 at the 2010 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island....
, about 15 miles from Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
.
During her high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
years, she acted and sang in a number of high school productions at East Greenwich High School
East Greenwich High School
East Greenwich High School is a public secondary school located in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, U.S.The school serves students in grades 9-12 in the East Greenwich Public Schools system.- School and campus :...
, including the starring roles in the musicals Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
and Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
. She took lessons in dance, singing, and acting. In 1986, she was Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
's Junior Miss and competed in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
in the America's Junior Miss
America's Junior Miss
Distinguished Young Women, formerly known as America's Junior Miss, is a national non-profit organization that provides scholarship opportunities to high school senior girls. Depending on the schedule of the various state and local programs, young women are eligible during the summer preceding...
scholarship program. While her parents encouraged her dream of becoming an actress, they also urged her to complete a liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
education before deciding on acting as a career. Following their advice, she attended Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
in Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
. During her junior year, she studied theater at the prestigious London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
European Studio Group program, an experience that solidified her desire to act.
In 1990, after graduating summa cum laude
Latin honors
Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...
from Brandeis University with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in theater arts, Messing gained admission to the elite Graduate Acting Program at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
which accepts approximately fifteen new students annually. She earned a Master's Degree in Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
after three years.
Career
In 1993, Messing won praise for her acting in the pre-BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
workshop production of Tony Kushner
Tony Kushner
Anthony Robert "Tony" Kushner is an American playwright and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1993 for his play, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, and co-authored with Eric Roth the screenplay for the 2005 film, Munich.-Life and career:Kushner was born...
's play Angels in America: Perestroika. Subsequently, she appeared in several episodes of the television series NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
during 1994 and 1995.
In 1995, Messing made her film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
debut in Alfonso Arau
Alfonso Arau
-Biography:Arau was born in Mexico City, the son of a doctor. He directed the films Zapata: The Dream of a Hero, Like Water for Chocolate , A Walk in the Clouds with Keanu Reeves and Anthony Quinn, and the Hallmark Hall of Fame production A Painted House, adapted from the John Grisham novel of the...
's A Walk in the Clouds
A Walk in the Clouds
A Walk in the Clouds is a 1995 American romantic drama film directed by Alfonso Arau. The screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen, Mark Miller, and Harvey Weitzman is based on the 1942 Italian film Four Steps in the Clouds by Piero Tellini, Cesare Zavattini, and Vittorio de Benedetti.-Plot:Shortly after...
playing the unfaithful wife of main character Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
). This exposure led the Fox network to make her the co-star of the television sitcom, Ned & Stacey
Ned & Stacey
Ned & Stacey is a US television sitcom that aired on the FOX network from 1995 to 1997. It starred Thomas Haden Church and Debra Messing. The major thread of the series was that the two were brought together in a marriage of convenience—Ned Dorsey needed to be married to get a promotion at...
. The series lasted for two seasons, from 1995 to 1997. Messing appeared as Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
's date in two episodes of the series Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
: "The Wait Out
The Wait Out
"The Wait Out" is the 133rd episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 23rd episode for the seventh season. It aired in the U.S. on May 9, 1996.-Plot:...
" in 1996 and "The Yada Yada
The Yada Yada
"The Yada Yada" is the 153rd episode of the American NBC sitcom Seinfeld. The 19th episode of the 8th season, it aired on April 24, 1997 and was nominated for an Emmy.-Plot:...
" in 1997. Messing turned down a starring role in another television sitcom to appear in Donald Margulies
Donald Margulies
Donald Margulies is an American playwright and a professor of English and Theater Studies at Yale University...
's two-character play Collected Stories, which opened at the Off Broadway Manhattan Theater Club. She also co-starred in the Tom Arnold
Tom Arnold (actor)
Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...
vehicle McHale's Navy in 1997.
In 1998, Messing played a lead role as the bio-anthropologist Sloan Parker on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's dramatic science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Prey
Prey (TV series)
Prey was a science-fiction television series that aired for one season in 1998 on ABC. The series starred Debra Messing, Adam Storke, Larry Drake, Frankie Faison, James Morrison, and Vincent Ventresca.-Premise:...
. During this time her agent approached her with the pilot script for the television show Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
. Messing was inclined to take some time off, but the script intrigued her, and she auditioned for the role of Grace Adler
Grace Adler
Grace Elizabeth Adler-Markus is a fictional character on the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Debra Messing. She is a Jewish interior designer , living in New York City with her gay best friend Will Truman...
, beating out Nicollette Sheridan
Nicollette Sheridan
Nicollette Sheridan is an English film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives and as Paige Matheson on Knots Landing.-Early life:...
, who later guest-starred on the show as a romantic rival of Grace's. 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 Magazine. TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
picked her as its "Best Dressed Woman" in 2003. Messing was cast by director Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
in a small role in his 2002 film Hollywood Ending
Hollywood Ending
Hollywood Ending is a 2002 American film written and directed by Woody Allen, who also plays the principal character. It tells the story of a once-famous film director who suffers hysterical blindness due to the intense pressure of directing.-Plot:...
. Her film roles since include a happily married but ill-fated wife in the supernatural thriller The Mothman Prophecies
The Mothman Prophecies (film)
The Mothman Prophecies is a 2002 psychological horror film directed by Mark Pellington, based on the 1975 book of the same name by parapsychologist and Fortean author John Keel. The screenplay was written by Richard Hatem...
(2002) and a supporting role in Along Came Polly
Along Came Polly
Along Came Polly is a 2004 American romantic comedy film written and directed by John Hamburg, starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston in the lead roles.-Plot:...
(2004). The Wedding Date
The Wedding Date
The Wedding Date is a 2005 romantic comedy directed by Clare Kilner, who also directed How to Deal . The release was successful achieving $47 million worldwide at the box office against a budget of $15 million...
(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
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
. Also in 2005, along with Megan Mullaly, 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 She also starred in the television mini-series The Starter Wife, which was nominated for ten Emmy awards including one for Messing for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.From 1973 to 1978, the category was divided into two separate categories .Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, guest performances in regular television series were...
.
In 2008, Messing reprised her role as Molly Kagan in the television series The Starter Wife
The Starter Wife (TV series)
The Starter Wife is a USA Network television series based on the miniseries by the same name, and based on the novel by Gigi Levangie Grazer. It premiered on October 10, 2008. The series stars Debra Messing as Molly Kagan, the now ex-wife of former studio executive Kenny Kagan...
, 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 early 2011, it was announced that Messing will star in a new NBC musical pilot called Smash
Smash (TV series)
Smash is an upcoming American NBC series set to premiere on Monday, February 6, 2012.-Synopsis:The show revolves around a group of characters who come together to put on a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. But before that can happen, the people who will try to bring it all...
for the 2011–2012 primetime season. In May 2011, it was reported that NBC had picked up the show as a series for the 2011-2012 season.
In 2011, Messing was ranked No. 22 on the TV Guide Network special, Funniest Women on TV.
Personal life
Messing met her husband, Daniel ZelmanDaniel Zelman
Daniel Zelman is an American actor, screenwriter and television producer. Zelman is the husband of former Will & Grace and The Starter Wife star Debra Messing. The couple have a son, Roman Walker Zelman, born in 2004. Zelman is an executive producer on the FX drama series Damages, which he...
, an actor and screenwriter, on their first day as graduate students at NYU in 1990. They were married on September 3, 2000, and live in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. On April 7, 2004, Messing gave birth to their son, Roman Walker Zelman.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Betty Sutton | ||
| 1997 | McHale's Navy McHale's Navy (1997 film) McHale's Navy is a 1997 military comedy film starring Tom Arnold as the son of Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale , known by the same name. The movie is based on the television series that starred Ernest Borgnine.-Plot:... |
Lt. Penelope Carter | |
| 1998 | Celebrity Celebrity (film) Celebrity is a 1998 comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. The screenplay focuses on the divergent paths a couple takes following their divorce.-Plot:... |
TV reporter | |
| 2002 | Mary Klein | ||
| 2002 | Hollywood Ending Hollywood Ending Hollywood Ending is a 2002 American film written and directed by Woody Allen, who also plays the principal character. It tells the story of a once-famous film director who suffers hysterical blindness due to the intense pressure of directing.-Plot:... |
Lori | |
| 2004 | Along Came Polly Along Came Polly Along Came Polly is a 2004 American romantic comedy film written and directed by John Hamburg, starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston in the lead roles.-Plot:... |
Lisa Kramer | |
| 2004 | Garfield Garfield (film) Garfield: The Movie, also known as Garfield, is a 2004 American live-action film based on the Jim Davis comic strip with the same name. In the film, Garfield the cat was created with computer-generated imagery, though all other animals were real... |
Arlene | voice only |
| 2005 | Kat Ellis | ||
| 2006 | Open Season Open Season (film) Open Season is a 2006 computer-animated comedy film, written by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman and directed by Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Anthony Stacchi, and production designed by Michael Humphries... |
Beth | voice only |
| 2007 | Purple Violets Purple Violets Purple Violets is a relationship comedy written and directed by Edward Burns. It is an independent film, set in lower Manhattan, about four friends from college ready for change. It features Burns, Selma Blair, Patrick Wilson, and Debra Messing.... |
Kate Scott | |
| 2007 | Lucky You Lucky You (film) Lucky You is a 2007 drama directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, and Robert Duvall. The film was shot on location in Las Vegas... |
Suzanne Offer | |
| 2008 | Edie Cohen | Nominated – Razzie Award for Worst Actress Razzie Award for Worst Actress The Razzie Award for Worst Actress is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actress of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated.... (shared with Annette Benning, Eva Mendes Eva Mendes Eva Mendes is an American actress.She began acting in the late 1990s, and after a series of minor roles and performances in several smaller films such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and Urban Legends: Final Cut , she broke into the mainstream, appearing in leading roles in Hollywood... , Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith is an American actress, producer, director, author, singer-songwriter, and businesswoman. She began her career in 1990, when she made a guest appearance in the short-lived sitcom True Colors. She starred in A Different World, produced by Bill Cosby, and she featured... and Meg Ryan Meg Ryan Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982... ) |
|
| 2008 | Nothing Like the Holidays | Sarah Rodriguez | Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–1995 | NYPD Blue NYPD Blue NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan... |
Dana Abandando | Episodes: "Double Abandando" (1994), "A Murder with Teeth in It" (1995), "Bombs Away" (1995) |
| 1995 | Partners | Stacey | Episode: "City Hall" |
| 1995–1997 | Ned and Stacey | Stacey Colbert | |
| 1996–1997 | Seinfeld Seinfeld Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself... |
Beth Lookner | Episodes: "The Wait Out" (1996), "The Yada Yada" (1997) |
| 1998 | Prey Prey (TV series) Prey was a science-fiction television series that aired for one season in 1998 on ABC. The series starred Debra Messing, Adam Storke, Larry Drake, Frankie Faison, James Morrison, and Vincent Ventresca.-Premise:... |
Dr. Sloan Parker | |
| 1998–2006 | Will & Grace Will & Grace Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters... |
Grace Adler Grace Adler Grace Elizabeth Adler-Markus is a fictional character on the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Debra Messing. She is a Jewish interior designer , living in New York City with her gay best friend Will Truman... |
Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (2003) Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2002, 2003) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2001), with Eric McCormack Eric McCormack Eric James McCormack is a Canadian American actor, musician, writer and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute High School... , Sean Hayes Sean Hayes (actor) Sean Patrick Hayes is an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Jack McFarland in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which he won an Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, one American Comedy Award, and six Golden Globes nominations.He also portrayed comedian Jerry Lewis in the... and Megan Mullally Megan Mullally Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway... Nominated – American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) (2000, 2001) Nominated – Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (2000–2002, 2006) Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2000–2005) Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2004) Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (2001, 2004) Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2002–2005), with Eric McCormack Eric McCormack Eric James McCormack is a Canadian American actor, musician, writer and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute High School... , Sean Hayes Sean Hayes (actor) Sean Patrick Hayes is an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Jack McFarland in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which he won an Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, one American Comedy Award, and six Golden Globes nominations.He also portrayed comedian Jerry Lewis in the... and Megan Mullally Megan Mullally Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway... Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress, TV Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with... (2001, 2002, 2006) |
| 1999 | Jesus Jesus (1999 film) Jesus is a Biblical telefilm that retells the story of Jesus. It was shot in Morocco and Malta. It stars Jeremy Sisto as Jesus, Jacqueline Bisset as Mary of Nazareth, Debra Messing as Mary Magdalene and Gary Oldman as Pontius Pilate.-Overview:... |
Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses... |
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| 2002 | King of the Hill King of the Hill King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas... |
Mrs. Hilgren-Bronson, Jordan's Mom | Episode: "Get Your Freak Off" (voice only) |
| 2006 | Will & Grace: Say Goodnight Gracie Will & Grace Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters... |
Grace Adler Grace Adler Grace Elizabeth Adler-Markus is a fictional character on the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Debra Messing. She is a Jewish interior designer , living in New York City with her gay best friend Will Truman... |
retrospective special |
| 2007 | Molly Kagan | 5 part miniseries Gracie Allen Award Nominated – Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or Movie Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |
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| 2008 | Molly Kagan | 10 episode series Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy |
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| 2011 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... |
Alicia Harding | Episode aired in February |
| 2011-present | Smash Smash (TV series) Smash is an upcoming American NBC series set to premiere on Monday, February 6, 2012.-Synopsis:The show revolves around a group of characters who come together to put on a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. But before that can happen, the people who will try to bring it all... |
Julia | TV series; lead; pre-production |