Bio: Messing was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the daughter of Jewish American parents, Sandra (n��e Simons), who has worked as a professional singer, banker, travel and real estate agent, and Brian Messing, a sales executive for a jewelry manufacturer. When Messing was three, she moved with her parents and her older brother, Brett, to East Greenwich, a small town outside Providence, Rhode Island.During her high school years, she acted (and sang) in a number of high school productions, including the starring role in the musical "Annie" and "Fiddler On the Roof." Messing 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.In 1990, after graduating summa cum laude from Brandeis with a bachelor's degree in theater arts, Messing gained admission to the elite Graduate Acting Program (which accepts only about 15 new students annually) at New York University, where she earned a master's degree in fine arts after three years.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 gained renown.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 met her husband, Daniel Zelman (an actor and screenwriter), on their first day as graduate students at NYU. The two 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.
Tivia: Beat Nicollette Sheridan for the role of Grace Adler on Will & Grace (1998) at the final auditions.Although she's known for being a redhead, she's actually a brunette.The pilot of her new series, The Mysteries of Laura (2014) is dedicated to the memory of her mother, Sandy Messing, who died between production and the initial broadcast.On June 5, 2012, she filed for divorce from her husband Daniel Zelman after 11 years of marriage and six months of separation.Studied circus courses (i.e. juggling, the trapeze) while at New York University.Is severely allergic to flowers and perfumes.Her family is Ashkenazi Jewish (her ancestors immigrated from Poland and Russia).Although her son Roman Zelman is not deaf, she has taught him a few words in sign language to make communication easier for him until he learns to talk.Was six months pregnant with her son, Roman Zelman, when she completed filming on the sixth season of Will & Grace (1998). Returned to work three months after giving birth to Roman Zelman in order to begin filming the seventh season of Will & Grace (1998).Was named Rhode Island's Junior Miss (1986).Would have been litigator in case she was not an actress.Gave birth to her first child at age 35, a son Roman Walker Zelman on April 7, 2004. Child's father is her now ex-husband, Daniel Zelman.Received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.Attended and graduated from East Greenwich High School in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Played the leading role as Sandy in her high school production of the musical "Grease".Received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts (1993).Was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World (2002).Ranked #22 on the TV Guide Network special, Funniest Women on TV (2011).Debra won Best Featured Actress for "Like Sunday, Like Rain" at the 2014 Williamsburg Independent Film Festival.Replaced Sherilyn Fenn as the female lead on the television series Prey (1998).She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on October 6, 2017.Friends with Bette Midler, Heidi Klum, Freddy Rodr��guez, Elizabeth Pe?a, Alfred Molina and Luis Guzm��n.Her father, Brian Messing, is a packaging executive (jewelry packaging).Was named TV Guide's "best dressed woman" (2003).Nominated for the 2019 Golden Globe Award in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy category for her role as Grace Adler in Will & Grace (1998), but lost to Rachel Brosnahan for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017).Appeared with her Will & Grace (1998) co-star, Shelley Morrison, in the series episode, Revelations (1998). While Messing was a steady member of the cast, Morrison only had a guest-starring role.Sister-in-law of Aaron Zelman and Cynthia LaMontagne.Inducted into the Hair Fan's Hall of Fame (2003).