Name: Debra Messing
Birth Name: Debra Lynn Moessing
Birthdate: Aug. 15, 1968
Birthplace: Brooklyn, N.Y.
1-MINUTE RESUME FOR DEBRA MESSING
Although she starred on the sitcom
Ned and Stacey from 1995-1997, Debra Messing is best known for playing interior designer Grace on
Will & Grace
since 1998. She grew up watching Lucille Ball (whom she's often
compared to) and Carol Burnett, which fueled her love of comedy. She
was inspired to seriously pursue acting after seeing a stage production
of
Annie when she was 16 years old. While her parents
encouraged her creative pursuits, they also urged her to put school
first. She graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis University and was
accepted into the elite Graduate Acting Program at New York University,
which only accepts about 15 new students each year. She went on to
appear on Broadway and in films like
Along Came Polly and
The Wedding Date.
5 Things:
1. Knowing that an openly gay character on Will & Grace
could pose a risk for all involved, the show's producers visited
Messing at her apartment with a bottle of vodka and limes in hopes of
persuading her to join the cast.
2. She loves McDonald's.
3. She comes from a Zionistic-Jewish family.
4. She likes knitting, but is so allergic to wool that she breaks out in hives by just touching it.
5. She met her husband in grad school at NYU. They dated for seven years before tying the knot.
Quote:
"I love to do glamorous things, like wear Valentino. That's a part of
me that will never go away, playing dress-up in my mom's closet and
looking at pictures of old Hollywood stars."
—
Cosmopolitan, Feb. 2001
Family:
Husband: Daniel Zelman, actor/writer; born 1967; married Sept. 3, 2000
Son: Roman Walker Zelman, born Apr. 7, 2004
Awards:
2005: Golden Globe nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series (Comedy), Will & Grace
2004: Golden Globe nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series (Comedy), Will & Grace
2003: Golden Globe nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series (Comedy), Will & Grace
2002: Golden Globe nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series (Comedy), Will & Grace
2001: Golden Globe nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series (Comedy), Will & Grace
2000: Golden Globe nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series (Comedy), Will & Grace
FILMS
The Women - (2008) - Actor
Lucky You - (2007) - Actor
Open Season - (2006) - Voice
The Wedding Date - (2005) - Actor
Garfield - (2004) - Voice
Along Came Polly - (2004) - Actor
Hollywood Ending - (2002) - Actor
The Mothman Prophecies - (2002) - Actor
Jesus - (2000) - Actor
Will & Grace - Season 3 - (200-2001) - Actor
Mchale's Navy - (1997) - Actor
