- Debra Messing
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Debra Messing 
Messing at the Vanity Fair Party to kick off the 8th Annual Tribeca Film Festival in 2009.Born Debra Lynn Messing
August 15, 1968
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.Occupation Actress, voice artist, comedienne Years active 1994–present Spouse Daniel Zelman (2000–present) Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) 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.
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Early life
Messing was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City,[1] 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.[2] Messing is Jewish, a descendant of immigrants from Russia and Poland.[3][4][5] When Messing was three, she moved with her parents and her older brother, Brett, to East Greenwich, about 15 miles from Providence, Rhode Island.[6]
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.
Career
Messing at the Tribeca Film Festival Premiere of Whatever Works
In 1993, Messing won praise for her acting in the pre-Broadway workshop production of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America: Perestroika.[1] 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.[1]
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[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]
In early 2011, it was announced that Messing will star in a new NBC musical pilot called Smash for the 2011-2012 primetime season.[10] In May 2011, it was reported that NBC had picked up the show as a series for the 2011-2012 season.[11]
In 2011, Messing was ranked No. 22 on the TV Guide Network special, Funniest Women on TV.[12]
Personal life
Messing met her husband, Daniel Zelman, 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.[13]
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1995 A Walk in the Clouds Betty Sutton 1997 McHale's Navy Lt. Penelope Carter 1998 Celebrity TV reporter 2002 The Mothman Prophecies Mary Klein 2002 Hollywood Ending Lori 2004 Along Came Polly Lisa Kramer 2004 Garfield Arlene voice only 2005 The Wedding Date Kat Ellis 2006 Open Season Beth voice only 2007 Purple Violets Kate Scott 2007 Lucky You Suzanne Offer 2008 The Women Edie Cohen Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Actress (shared with Annette Benning, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett Smith and Meg Ryan) 2008 Nothing Like the Holidays Sarah Rodriguez Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Television
Television Year Title Role Notes 1994–1995 NYPD Blue 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 Beth Lookner Episodes: "The Wait Out" (1996), "The Yada Yada" (1997) 1998 Prey Dr. Sloan Parker 1998–2006 Will & Grace Grace Adler 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, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally
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, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally
Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress, TV (2001, 2002, 2006)1999 Jesus Mary Magdalene 2002 King of the Hill Mrs. Hilgren-Bronson, Jordan's Mom Episode: "Get Your Freak Off" (voice only) 2006 Will & Grace: Say Goodnight Gracie Grace Adler retrospective special 2007 The Starter Wife 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 Movie2008 The Starter Wife Molly Kagan 10 episode series
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy2011 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Alicia Harding Episode aired in February[14] 2011-present Smash Julia TV series; lead; pre-production References
- ^ a b c Stated in interview on Inside the Actors Studio
- ^ "Debra Messing Biography (1968-)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/56/Debra-Messing.html. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
- ^ "American Jewish Life Magazine". Atlantajewish.com. http://www.atlantajewish.com/content/032006/messing.html. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
- ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (2002-05-02). "JewishJournal.com". JewishJournal.com. http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=8506. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
- ^ "Debra Messing: Actress - Most Beautiful, Debra Messing". People.com. 2002-05-13. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20137029,00.html. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
- ^ Williams, Jeannie (2002-05-03). "Debra Messing yells 'Hooray!' for 'Hollywood'". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/2002/2002-05-03-messing.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ http://wif.org/past-recipients
- ^ http://tv.yahoo.com/the-starter-wife/show/39277/news/urn:newsml:tv.reuters.com:20071017:messing_dc__ER
- ^ "Wright vs. Wrong". 2009-04-20. http://login.vnuemedia.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i5d08aae04387a06d43a41edbb441b040. Retrieved 2009-05-24. Wright vs. Wrong
- ^ http://www.tvguide.com/News/Debra-Messing-NBC-1028963.aspx
- ^ Deadline.com May 11, 2011: "NBC Picks Up Whitney Cummings & Emily Spivey Pilots, 'Smash' & 'Prime Suspect'"
- ^ Funniest Women on TV (in English). TV Guide Network. July 3, 2011. Retrieved on August 30, 2011.
- ^ "The Debra Messing Picture Pages". Superiorpics.com. http://www.superiorpics.com/debra_messing/. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
- ^ Keck, William (January 4, 2011). "Keck's Exclusives: Debra Messing as Nancy Grace on Law & Order: SVU?". TVGuide.com (Lionsgate). http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kecks-Exclusives-Debra-1027297.aspx. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
External links
Patricia Heaton (2001) · Jennifer Aniston (2002) · Debra Messing (2003) · Sarah Jessica Parker (2004) · Felicity Huffman (2005) · Julia Louis-Dreyfus (2006) · America Ferrera (2007) · Tina Fey (2008) · Toni Collette (2009) · Edie Falco (2010) · Melissa McCarthy (2011)
Complete List · (1950–1975) · (1976–2000) · (2001–2025) Categories:- 1968 births
- Living people
- Actors from New York City
- Actors from Rhode Island
- American film actors
- American Jews
- American people of Polish-Jewish descent
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- Brandeis University alumni
- Emmy Award winners
- Jewish actors
- New York University alumni
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- People from Brooklyn
- People from East Greenwich, Rhode Island
- People from Kent County, Rhode Island
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