Debra Messing
| Debra Messing | |
|---|---|
 Messing at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival |
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| Born | Debra Lynn Messing August 15, 1968 , U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse | Daniel Zelman (2000–present) |
Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress, best known for her role as Grace Adler in the sitcom Will & Grace.
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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, a small town outside 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
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. 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, which included 10 episodes.[7] In early 2010, Messing will star in the new ABC comedy series Wright vs. Wrong for the 2010-2011 primetime season.[8]
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.[9]
Filmography
| 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 | |
| 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 Movie |
| 2008 | The Starter Wife | Molly Kagan | 10 episode series Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy |
| 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 | |
| Hollywood Ending | Lori | ||
| 2004 | Along Came Polly | Lisa Kramer | |
| Garfield | Arlene | voice only | |
| 2005 | The Wedding Date | Kat Ellis | |
| 2006 | Open Season | Beth | voice only |
| 2007 | Purple Violets | Kate Scott | |
| Lucky You | Suzanne Offer | ||
| 2008 | The Women | Edie Cohen | Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Actress (tied with Annette Benning, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett Smith and Meg Ryan) |
| Nothing Like the Holidays | Sarah Rodriguez | Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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://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. Wrigth vs. Wrong
- ↑ "The Debra Messing Picture Pages". Superiorpics.com. http://www.superiorpics.com/debra_messing/. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
External links
- Unofficial Website
- Debra Messing at the Internet Movie Database
- Debra Messing at TV.com
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