television roles in Will & Grace, The Starter Wife and her current series Smash.
Following her graduation from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing rose to prominence in several short-lived series, such as the Fox sitcom Ned & Stacey and the ABC's sci-fi Prey. It was her casting as Grace Adler in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace which earned her both commercial and critical success. The series ran for eight seasons, and in 2003 she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance. She also received critical acclaim for her work as Molly Kagan in the mini-series The Starter Wife. As of 2012, she is starring as Julia Houston, a leading role in the NBC musical drama series Smash.
Throughout her career she has been nominated for a total of six Emmy Awards, eight Golden Globe Awards and eight Screen Actors Guild Awards.
