Debra Messing

Debra Messing stars as Molly Kagan in the USA Network six-hour television event "The Starter Wife."

Messing is best known for her role as ‘Grace Adler' on NBC's Emmy Award winning "Will & Grace," which premiered its eighth and final season in September 2005. Messing won the 2003 Emmy for her role, which has also garnered four Golden Globe nominations, three Emmy nominations and two American Comedy Award nominations.

Messing recently wrapped production on "Purple Violets," with Edward Burns, Selma Blair and Patrick Wilson. She will next be seen this year in the Curtis Hanson film "Lucky You," alongside Drew Barrymore and Eric Bana.

In February of 2005, Messing was seen in the romantic comedy "The Wedding Date" opposite Dermot Mulroney. In 2004, Messing starred in the box-office hit "Along Came Polly" opposite Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston. She was also heard as the voice of ‘Arlene' in Fox's adaptation of "Garfield." In 2002, Messing co-starred in Woody Allen's comedy "Hollywood Ending," opposite Woody Allen and Téa Leoni, and in "The Mothman Prophecies," opposite Richard Gere.

Messing also had the opportunity to demonstrate her versatility in feature films with roles as Keanu Reeves' wife in the romantic love story, "A Walk in the Clouds," and opposite Tom Arnold and Tim Curry in the comedy "McHales' Navy." 

In 2000, Messing portrayed Mary Magdalene in the four-hour CBS miniseries "Jesus," which aired to critical acclaim. She also starred as a young bio-anthropologist in the 1998 ABC thriller series "Prey" and showed off her comedic skills as ‘Stacey' for two seasons in the Fox comedy "Ned & Stacey," opposite Thomas Haden Church.

Raised in a quiet community outside Providence, Rhode Island, Messing devoted much of her childhood to musical theatre, performing in numerous productions at both school and camp. Messing received her liberal arts education at Brandeis University where she majored in Theatre Arts.  She spent half of her junior year studying in London's prestigious B.E.S.G.L. program, which featured dramatic arts teachers recruited from distinguished institutions such as the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Cambridge University and Oxford University. Upon graduating Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University, she was accepted into NYU's elite Graduate Acting Program and received her M.F.A. three years later.

Messing garnered much excitement in New York over her portrayal of ‘Harper Pitt' in the pre-Broadway workshop of Tony Kushner's Tony Award-winning play "Angels in America: Perestroika." She then left New York for Seattle to star as ‘Cecily' in "The Importance of Being Earnest." Upon her return, she was cast as both Mary Louise Parker's and Polly Draper's understudy in the New York premiere of John Patrick Shanley's critically acclaimed off-Broadway play "Four Dogs and a Bone." Messing went on to co-star in Paul Rudnick's off-Broadway play "The Naked Truth."

Messing co-starred with Maria Tucci in the two-woman, highly acclaimed off-Broadway production of Donald Margulies' "Collected Stories," which was chosen as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Additional credits include a recurring role on the hit television series "NYPD Blue" portraying Gail O'Grady's conniving sister, and a recurring role on "Seinfeld" as Jerry's ideal but elusive love, ‘Beth Lookner.'

During her free time she supports charities such as The Gay Men's Health Crisis, AmFAR and Best Friend's Pet Sanctuary. 

Messing currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, screenwriter Danny Zelman, and their son.