Debra Messing is a multi-talented actress best known for her lead role in the NBC comedy series “Will & Grace” for which she won two Golden Globe Awards and five Screen Actors Guild Awards. Her other notable works include “A Walk in the Clouds,” “The Mysteries of Laura” and much more.
Messing first stepped into the acting world in 1994 when she had a small role in the show “Ned & Stacey.” She then went on to star in the television series “Prey” and appeared as a guest star in “The Larry Sanders Show” and “NYPD Blue.” Her two guest appearances on “Seinfeld” as the beautiful Beth Lukner were hilarious.
Messing’s breakthrough was undoubtedly her lead role in “Will & Grace,” which aired from 1998-2006. In this groundbreaking comedy series, she played the role of Grace Adler – an interior designer living with her best friend Will Truman (Eric McCormack). This series became one of NBC’s biggest hits with Messing receiving well-deserved recognition for her performance.
In addition to television roles, Messing has also starred in numerous films throughout her career. Her impressive filmography includes “Along Came Polly,” “The Wedding Date,” “Lucky You” “Nothing Like the Holidays” and “The Women.” Her latest work includes her role as a homicide detective in the crime drama series “The Mysteries of Laura” which aired from 2014-2016.
In 2003, Messing was nominated for an Emmy Award in Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category for her performance in “Will & Grace” and won the Golden Globe Award that same year. She then went on to win another Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2006. Other awards and nominations include four Screen Actors Guild Awards, two American Comedy Awards, three Satellite Awards and an Online Film & Television Association Award.
Iconic Character – Grace Adler on “Will & Grace”
For many fans, Debra’s role as Grace on “Will & Grace” will always be a favorite. We highlighted this character in our “TV Girlfriends” feature in the “High Maintenance Hotties” category. Here’s what we said about the Grace character:
It’s hard to argue against the red-headed hotness of Grace Adler. It’s what’s inside the package that causes the problems. It’s a rarity for Grace to be able to maintain a long-term relationship with a straight man, and due to an unfortunate history of dating guys who’ve gone on to realize their homosexuality or bisexuality, she’s a little paranoid that she could well change the sexual persuasion of her Mr. Right. She’s also notoriously selfish, more than a little bit vain and as neurotic as they come. Actually, now that we think about it, the outside of the package has some problems too. Have you seen the size of the woman’s feet? Oh, but we’re just nitpicking now. When you get right down to it, she might be crazy, but she’s still hot.
More Performances
“Along Came Polly” 2004
Debra plays Lisa, who marries Ben Stiller‘s character before cheating on him on their honeymoon. She looks great in the film and does just fine with an easy role in the light and funny romantic comedy.
Resources
Debra Messing on Instagram
She’s no longer active on Twitter but she has over 1.4 million followers on Instagram
Debra discusses “Will & Grace” relaunch
Get Debra’s take in the relaunch of this classic comedy.