Cast & creator
Debra Messing
Best known for Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing starred in the shortlived television series, Ned and Stacey on Fox (1995–1997), and Prey on ABC (1998). She achieved her breakthrough role as Grace Adler, an interior designer, on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received seven Golden Globe Award nominations and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning once, in 2003. From 2007 to 2008, Messing starred as Molly Kagan, the ex-wife of a Hollywood film mogul, on the television miniseries The Starter Wife, for which she received two Golden Globe nominations, a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. Thereafter, she appeared as Broadway playwright Julia Houston on the NBC musical drama Smash (2012–2013) and as homicide detective Laura Diamond on the NBC police-procedural comedy The Mysteries of Laura (2014–2016). From 2017 to 2020, Messing reprised her role as Grace Adler on NBC's three season revival of Will & Grace, garnering a ninth Golden Globe nomination for her performance. Messing's film work includes A Walk in the Clouds (1995), Jesus (1999), The Mothman Prophecies (2002), Hollywood Ending (2002), Along Came Polly (2004), The Wedding Date (2005), Lucky You (2007), The Women (2008), Nothing Like the Holidays (2008), Searching (2018), and 13: The Musical (2022). She has also lent her voice to animated films such as Garfield (2004) and Open Season (2006). Description above from the Wikipedia article Debra Messing, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Also known as: Дебра Мессинг, Debra Lynn Messing, デブラ・メッシング, 戴博拉·梅西, دبرا مسینگ
33
film credits
40
television credits
72
1952–2025 · acting roles
6.2
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (73)
Showing 73 of 73 credits
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self - Guest
2014
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Alicia Harding
1999
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self
2014
The Graham Norton Show
Self
2007
The View
Self
1997
Seinfeld
Beth Lukner
1989
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self - Guest
1988
King of the Hill
Mrs. Hilgren-Bronson (voice)
1997
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest
1993
Project Runway
Self - Guest Judge
2004Project Runway
Self
2004
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Self - Guest
1992
The One Show
Self
2006
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
2003
The Tamron Hall Show
Self - Guest
2019
Will & Grace
Grace Adler
1998
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self
2014
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Self
2015The Reichen Show
Self - Guest
2005
The Megan Mullally Show
Self - Guest
2006
Today
Self
1952
Match Game
Self - Panelist
2016
Will & Grace
Grace Adler
2017
The $100,000 Pyramid
Self
2016
The Mysteries of Laura
Detective Laura Diamond
2014
Smash
Julia Houston
2012
Ned & Stacey
Stacey Colbert
1995
Entertainment Tonight
1981
Billy on the Street
Self
2011
Extra
Self - Guest
1994
Searching
Detective Vick
2018
Open Season
Beth (voice)
2006
Garfield
Arlene (voice)
2004
Along Came Polly
Lisa Kramer
2004
A Walk in the Clouds
Betty Sutton
1995
Trailblazer Honors
Self
2014
The Alto Knights
Bobbie Costello
2025
The Mothman Prophecies
Mary Klein
2002
The Starter Wife
Molly Kagan
2008
The Starter Wife
Molly Kagan
2007
Partners
1995
The Wedding Date
Kat Ellis
2005
The Women
Edie Cohen
2008
Prey
Dr. Sloan Parker
1998
Bros
Debra Messing
2022
Jesus
Mary Magdalene
1999
Lucky You
Suzanne Offer
2007
MADtv
(uncredited)
1995
Irresistible
Babs Garnett (uncredited)
2020
Celebrity
TV Reporter
1998
13: The Musical
Jessica Goldman
2022
Nothing Like the Holidays
Sarah Rodriguez
2008
Dirty Dancing
Marjorie Houseman
2017
Hollywood Ending
Lori
2002
Project Accessory
Self - Guest Judge
2011
Jesus
Mary Magdalene
1999
Inside the Actors Studio
Self
1994
Like Sunday, Like Rain
Barbara
2014
The Paley Center Salutes Law & Order: SVU
Self
2020
Must See TV: An All Star Tribute to James Burrows
Self
2016
Albion: The Enchanted Stallion
The Queen
2016
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
Self
2002
Purple Violets
Kate Scott
2007
McHale's Navy
Lt. Penelope Carpenter
1997
Sesame Street: Wild Words and Outdoor Adventures
2011
The War of the Worlds 2021
2021
The Dark Divide
Thea Pyle
2020
Stucco
Counselor
2019
Wright vs. Wrong
Evelyn Wright
2010
October 8
Self
2025October 8
Executive Producer
2025