Debra Messing
Debra Messing
as Marjorie Houseman

Actor Biography

Debra Messing is best known for her role on NBC's Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated comedy series "Will & Grace." This January, NBC ordered ten episodes of a "Will & Grace" revival.  Messing, along with Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally will reprise their roles in the limited run, which is scheduled to air during the 2017-18 television season.

Most recently, Messing starred in the NBC series "The Mysteries of Laura," which premiered in 2014. In 2012 and 2013, Messing starred as Julia Houston in NBC's "Smash," a Steven Spielberg-produced musical drama following the characters behind the scenes of a Broadway show about Marilyn Monroe. In 2014, Messing made her own Broadway debut in the Tony Award-nominated production of John Patrick Shanley's "Outside Mullingar." Other theater credits include Donald Marguiles' Pulitzer Prize-finalist "Collected Stories," and Paul Rudnick's Off-Broadway play "The Naked Truth."

Messing's film work includes the box-office hit "Along Came Polly," with Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston, and "The Wedding Date," with Amy Adams and Dermot Mulroney. Messing starred in "The Women," alongside Annette Bening, and the family comedy "Nothing Like the Holidays," opposite John Leguizamo. She also co-starred in Woody Allen's "Hollywood Ending" and opposite Richard Gere in "The Mothman Prophecies." Messing won a Best Featured Actress Award for her work in the 2015 Indy drama "Like Sunday Like Rain."

Messing is the Global Health Ambassador for Population Services International (PSI) focusing on HIV/AIDS. She has traveled extensively in Africa in this role and in 2010 testified before the House Foreign Affairs sub-committee on Africa and Global Health. She was also a key speaker at the 2012 AIDS conference in D.C. and later that year gave the welcome speech for The International AIDS conference in Vienna. Other charities Debra supports include HRC (Human Rights Campaign), Everytown for Gun Safety and Joyful Heart Foundation. She was honored with The Trevor Life Award for her contributions to the LGBT community.

Messing attended Brandeis University and received her MFA from NYU. She resides in New York.