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Grace Elizabeth Adler-Markus (née Adler) is a fictional character on the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Debra Messing. She is a Jewish interior designer (Grace is not a Jewish name, but it is mentioned that her Hebrew name is Rachel;^{[citation needed]} Messing is Jewish in real life), living in New York City with her gay best friend Will Truman (played by Eric McCormack). She is originally from Schenectady, New York, and has graduated from Columbia University. She also mentions in season 2 that she attended the Fashion Institute.

Fictional character history[link]

Grace was born on April 26, 1967, in Schenectady, New York.^{[citation needed]} She has been particularly influenced by her mother, Bobbi (Debbie Reynolds), an overly dramatic actor. She is often annoyed by her mother and her antics, but also often realizes that she inherited quite a few of her mother's personality traits (as displayed in Bobbi's first appearance in season 1's "The Unsinkable Mommy Adler"). Grace also constantly strives for the affection of her father Martin (Alan Arkin), competing with her two sisters (one younger, one older), who have more obvious problems than she (Joyce, played by Sara Rue, is a mentally slow compulsive overeater, although Grace herself has shown frequent instances of compulsive overreating, while Janet, portrayed by Geena Davis, is rarely employed and promiscuous). Grace herself is decidedly selfish and neurotic, but this is usually played for laughs, like when her husband Leo asked, "You want me to be happy, right?" and she sweetly replied "Not if it affects me negatively in any way." She is also somewhat vain, once declaring herself to be a "frickin' bombshell" and believing that she bears a strong resemblance to red-haired celebrities like Rita Hayworth (once even thinking a photo of Hayworth was one of herself) and Nicole Kidman. This, however, leads to her being taken down a peg, and she is usually the butt of numerous jokes by other characters. In one episode, while in Los Angeles, she is repeatedly mistaken for Kathy Griffin by tourists.

Grace's characteristics are often fodder for the show's antics. We even see her ballet slippers as a child and Will comments on how huge they are ("I went from a four to an eight in a month!"). Her feet are gargantuan, even for her height, and she's often ridiculed for them. She comments on the fact "feet the size of canoes" were the only things her father ever gave her. There is a general running joke of her being slovenly and unladylike, which contrasts with Will's uptight nature, usually for purposes of comedy. She is very cheap and often hoards on free stuff and even steals. She once mentions selling Will's college term papers for a profit, of which Will had no knowledge. One time, she even observes someone else's private workout and just follows the trainer and the trainee.

Grace has become infamous for her string of boyfriends, many played by guest stars such as Woody Harrelson and Gregory Hines. Grace married the Jewish doctor Leo Markus, played by Harry Connick, Jr., on November 21, 2002, but the marriage failed when he had a one-night stand with a doctor from the Red Cross while working in Cambodia with Doctors Without Borders. In season 8, the two reunited briefly during a flight to London when they coincidentally met on the plane. Leo was on his way to Thailand, while Grace was stopping in London. This mile high tryst led to Grace getting pregnant, but she didn't tell Leo because he was engaged to another woman, Kate. However, in the series finale, she and Leo reunite and raise the baby, a girl named Lila, together. Lila is born in Rome, Italy, where Leo was working at a hospital as a researcher. After one year in Rome the family move to New York, to their apartment in Brooklyn. Lila goes on to attend college and there meets Will and Vince's son, Ben. Lila and Ben were living in dorm rooms opposite each others' while at college; the same scenario that Will and Grace found themselves in while they attended college. Ben and Lila marry.

Grace also has a reputation for "turning" men gay. Several of her boyfriends - such as Will himself, and her second-season boyfriend Josh - ended up gay or bisexual, and she has a recurring fear that this will happen again. (At one point she entered a room to find Jack, Will, and Nathan (played by Harrelson) all passed out on a bed together, and moaned, "Oh, no, I turned another one.") In season 8, she took this to a new level when she briefly married James Hanson, Will's Canadian boyfriend in search of a green card. They annulled the marriage a few days later because of James' lack of respect towards people with disabilities.

Grace's best friend since college is Will Truman, and their relationship is the focus of the show. They met at a college party at Columbia University. Through the third-season episode "Lows in the Mid-Eighties," we see they began dating and Grace did not realize that Will was gay at the time, and Will had not come out of the closet yet. When Will met Jack McFarland at a party, he made him realize his homosexuality. Will "proposed" to Grace during Thanksgiving, in an effort to postpone actually having sex with her. When he finally came out to her hours later, Grace was so angry with him that she didn't speak to him for a year. They ran into each other at a grocery store a year later and made up. Ever since then, they remained very close. Grace moves into Will's apartment in season one when she breaks up with her fiance Danny (with whom she was living), moves out in season 2 to declare her independence (although the apartment is across the hall from Will's), but then moves back in the 3rd season. She eventually moves to Brooklyn in season five when she marries Leo but moves back in with Will in season 7 when she divorces Leo. Their closeness is often made fun of by other characters like Jack or Karen, referring to them as a married couple. They can finish each others sentences at times, which helps them in their fast rounds in trivia and parlor games. They can also be quite dysfunctional and co-dependent, sometimes even requiring the other's approval of clothing and boyfriends. When Will began dating Vince in season 6, he was very nervous about Grace's opinion of him, noting relationships have ended because of Grace not liking one detail about his boyfriend (one example given is that all Grace had to say about one such boyfriend was "mock turtleneck," and the relationship was ruined). Despite this, they are generally caring and supportive of each other.

Aside from Will, Grace also has a strong relationship with her assistant, Karen Walker, a rich, alcoholic socialite who does virtually no work. Karen is nevertheless useful to Grace, as she pays for her employer's health insurance, gives Grace holiday bonuses, and occasionally uses her society connections to help Grace get work. Otherwise, Karen spends her "work" hours belittling Grace and Karen's maid Rosario, and trading banter with her flamboyantly gay friend Jack. She routinely criticizes Grace's breast size and choices in fashion (usually by disdainfully asking, "Honey, what's this all about?") and men. Nonetheless, Grace and Karen became close friends over the years. Grace eventually learns to look past Karen's faults, and Karen occasionally does stop ridiculing her or being outrageous to reveal a softer, more caring side. In one episode, Grace stands up to Milo (played by Andy García) who refuses to go on a second date with Karen, who was going through a divorce with her husband Stan and was very vulnerable at the time. In another instance, Karen seemingly turns down Grace's proposal for a business loan out of mean behavior, but she reveals she really did it to protect Grace, who didn't really have a strong business plan.

Grace also has a somewhat close bond with Jack McFarland. During earlier seasons, Jack often spoke poorly about Grace and even claimed to "not be into her" at one point, partially because of his jealousy of the closeness between Grace and Will. However, after they spend time together while Will is in the Cayman Islands between Seasons two and three, they develop a closer friendship, later discovering they share a love of ice skating and Antiques Roadshow. Despite their friendship, however, they often antagonize one another, often leading to Grace striking Jack in some manner.

See also[link]

• List of fictitious Jews

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Grace Grace

Ignazia Graziella Grace, usually known as Grace Grace (born 12 August 1958) is an Australian politician, representing the electoral district of Brisbane Central in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since the October 2007 by-election.^[1] She is a member of the Australian Labor Party.

She was born Ignazia Graziella Farfaglia^[2] in Brisbane, Queensland, the daughter of an Italian migrant cane cutter. She was an industrial relations advisor in the government of Prime Minister Paul Keating, until 1995 when she was elected as assistant general secretary, and in 2000 the first female general secretary, of the Queensland Council of Unions.^[3] "Grace" is an Anglicised version of "Graziella" and also her husband's surname.

Grace was elected to the Legislative Assembly in a by-election following the resignation of Premier Peter Beattie. The Coalition did not field a candidate. She won the seat again in the 2009 state election, despite an 8.4 percent swing to the newly merged Liberal National Party (LNP).

Grace was a notable supporter of the ALP government's decision to legislate civil partnerships for homosexual couples in Queensland. New Farm and Fortitude Valley, the main centres for Brisbane's gay community, are both in her electorate and she has built close ties with gay rights organisations.

In the 2012 state election she lost her seat to the LNP's Robert Cavallucci.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Grace Grace

• Website

Willie Adler
Willie Adler (right) performing with Lamb of God vocalist, Randy Blythe at With Full Force in 2007.
Background information
Birth name	William M. Adler
Born	(1976-01-26) January 26, 1976 (age 36) United States
Origin	Richmond, Virginia
Genres	Groove metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1991-present
Labels	Prosthetic, Epic, Roadrunner, Black Market Activities
Associated acts	Lamb of God
Website	www.lamb-of-god.com

William M. Adler (born January 26, 1976) is the rhythm guitarist in the groove metal band Lamb of God. He is the younger brother of bandmate Chris Adler.

Willie joined Lamb of God after the first guitarist, Abe Spear, left the band. Self-taught, Willie is well known for his unconventional style of playing, which includes odd/dissonant chord shapes, unique timing patterns, odd rhythms, high usage of his fretting hand's pinky finger, wide stretches between frets due to an increased reach, and being an obsessive perfectionist with his right hand rhythm playing. He plays mostly the jagged staccato riffs in Lamb of God's songs, while Mark Morton plays more of the groove-oriented rhythms and solos. Willie does solo occasionally, and says whereas Morton is more knowledgeable of scales and modes, that he "attacks solos like a division problem". Willie is described by bassist John Campbell as a "good time guitar player." Willie and brother Chris Adler have been described as the metal purists in the band.

Willie is a primary songwriter in Lamb of God. His songs include "Black Label," "11th Hour," "Blood Junkie," "Hourglass," "Blood of the Scribe," "Beating on Death's Door," "Ashes of the Wake," "Ruin" and "Again We Rise." Adler also co writes songs with Mark Morton, as he wrote the pre-solo breakdown to "Walk With me in Hell", and all of "In Your Words" up until the atmospheric ending which Mark Morton penned. One of his influences that got him into music was Metallica when he was 11 years old.

Equipment[link]

Signature guitars[link]

• ESP Will Adler BC^[1]
• LTD WA-600 BC^[1]
• LTD WA-200 BC^[1]

Amplifiers and cabinets[link]

• Mesa/Boogie Mark IV Amplifier
• Mesa/Boogie Mark V Amplifier
• Mesa/Boogie Roadster Amplifier
• Mesa/Boogie 4x12 Cabinets (x9)

Accessories[link]

• Seymour Duncan Pickups: SH-4 JB Model (bridge) and SH-1n '59 Model (neck)
• Samson Wireless System
• Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
• Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor
• MXR Stereo Chorus
• Dunlop DC Power Brick
• SIT Strings 10-48 Custom Set
• 1.00 mm Dunlop Tortex picks
• Levy's Guitar Straps
• Big Bends

Personal life[link]

When not touring, writing or recording with Lamb of God, Willie enjoys his downtime at home with his wife Brandy, his son Tres, and their dogs. He also enjoys working on the house and cooking. He has a tattoo of a southern fried chicken dinner on his stomach, which can be seen on the Lamb Of God DVD "Killadelphia". While on this tour, after a show in Leeds (U.K.) during filming he and director Doug Spangenberg paid a prostitute £30 to clean the band's tour bus topless. He is known as the "joker" of the bunch.

Willie has recently worked with Houston metal band Vehement to produce their six-track promo CD.^[2]

Discography[link]

With Lamb of God[link]

• New American Gospel (2000, Prosthetic Records)
• As the Palaces Burn (2003, Prosthetic Records)
• Ashes of the Wake (2004, Epic Records)
• Killadelphia DVD (2005, Epic Records)
• Sacrament (2006, Epic Records)
• Walk with Me in Hell (2008, Roadrunner Records/Epic Records)
• Wrath (2009, Roadrunner Records/Epic Records)
• Resolution (2012, Epic Records)

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b c} [1]^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "LAMB OF GOD Guitarist Producing VEHEMENT Demo". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=92666. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 

External links[link]

• Willie Adler Official Site
• Interview with Willie Adler, Great Falls Tribune, 2006-10-18

Debra Messing
Messing at the Vanity Fair Party to kick off the 8th Annual Tribeca Film Festival in 2009.
Born	Debra Lynn Messing (1968-08-15) August 15, 1968 (age 43) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1994–present
Spouse	Daniel Zelman (2000–2011)

Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. She is widely known for her television roles in Will & Grace and The Starter Wife.

Following her graduation from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing rose to prominence in television roles in several short-lived series, such as the Fox sitcom Ned & Stacey and the ABC's science fictional Prey. It was her casting as Grace Adler in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace which catapulted Messing to TV stardom. 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.

Early life[link]

Messing was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City,^[1][2] the daughter of Sandra (née Simons), who has worked as a professional singer, banker, travel and real estate agent, and Brian Messing, a sales executive for a costume jewelry packaging manufacturer.^[3] Messing is Jewish; she is a descendant of immigrants from Russia and Poland.^[4][5][6] When Messing was three, she moved with her parents and her older brother, Brett, to East Greenwich, Rhode Island.^[7]

During her high school years, she acted and sang in a number of high school productions at East Greenwich High School, including the starring roles in the musicals Annie and Grease. She 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; at her parent's request three-quarters of her courses were not theater-related.^[2] During her junior year, she studied theater at the prestigious London-based British European Studio Group program, an experience that solidified her desire to act.

In 1990, after graduating summa cum laude from Brandeis University with a bachelor's degree in theater arts, Messing gained admission to the elite Graduate Acting Program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts which accepts approximately fifteen new students annually. She earned a Master's Degree in Fine Arts after three years.^[8]

Career[link]

Messing at the Tribeca Film Festival Premiere of Whatever Works

In 1993, Messing won praise for her acting in the pre-Broadway workshop production of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America: Perestroika.^[1] Subsequently, she appeared in several episodes of the television series NYPD Blue during 1994 and 1995.

In 1995, Messing made her film debut in Alfonso Arau's A Walk in the Clouds playing the unfaithful wife of main character Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves). This exposure led the Fox network to make her the co-star of the television sitcom, Ned & Stacey. The series lasted for two seasons, from 1995 to 1997. Messing appeared as Jerry Seinfeld's date in two episodes of the series Seinfeld: "The Wait Out" in 1996 and "The Yada Yada" in 1997. Messing turned down a starring role in another television sitcom to appear in Donald Margulies's two-character play Collected Stories, which opened at the Off Broadway Manhattan Theater Club. She also co-starred in the Tom Arnold vehicle McHale's Navy in 1997.

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 became a star.^[1]

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. And Messing's trademark curls on Will & Grace won her five Crown Awards from voters at the celebrity hair site Super-Hair.Net between 2000 and 2008.

Messing was cast by director Woody Allen in a small role in his 2002 film Hollywood Ending. Her film roles since include a happily married but ill-fated wife in the supernatural thriller The Mothman Prophecies (2002) and a supporting role in Along Came Polly (2004). The Wedding Date (2005) was Messing's first leading role in a high-profile film. It received mixed reviews but performed fairly well at the box office. Messing was featured as a judge on the season finale of the second season of Bravo's reality show, Project Runway. Also in 2005, along with Megan Mullaly, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television^[9] She also starred in the television mini-series The Starter Wife, which was nominated for ten Emmy awards including one for Messing for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie.

In 2008, Messing reprised her role as Molly Kagan in the television series The Starter Wife, consisting of 10 episodes.^[10] In early 2010, Messing starred in the ABC comedy pilot Wright vs. Wrong for the 2010-2011 primetime season but the pilot was not picked up by ABC.^[11]

In early 2011, it was announced that Messing will star in a new NBC musical pilot called Smash for the 2011–2012 primetime season.^[12] In May 2011, it was reported that NBC had picked up the show as a series for the 2011-2012 season.^[13] The show premiered on February 6, 2012.

In 2011, Messing was ranked No. 22 on the TV Guide Network special, Funniest Women on TV.^[14]

Personal life[link]

Messing met her husband, Daniel Zelman, an actor and screenwriter, on their first day as graduate students at NYU in 1990. They were married on September 3, 2000, and lived in New York City. On April 7, 2004, Messing gave birth to their son, Roman Walker Zelman.^[15] In December 2011 she and her husband separated after eleven years of marriage.^[16] As of 2012^[update], she is dating her Smash costar Will Chase.^[17]

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Debra Messing

• unofficial website
• Debra Messing at the Internet Movie Database

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2009)

Jennifer Elise Cox (born November 29, 1969) is an American actress best known for her satirical portrayal of Jan Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie.

Film roles[link]

Cox became widely known for her appearance as middle-child Jan Brady in the 1995 film The Brady Bunch Movie and its 1996 sequel A Very Brady Sequel, a pastiche role she originated off Broadway in The Real Live Brady Bunch. She has also appeared in the films Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, EdTV, A Holiday Engagement, Bewitched and The Back-Up Plan.^[1] Cox's latest film is the straight-to-video Spooky Buddies.^[2]

Television roles[link]

Cox's television credits include Clueless, Hype, Murphy Brown, Moesha, Sex and the City, Will & Grace, Six Feet Under, Nip/Tuck, CSI: NY, In Plain Sight,Lovespring International, Chelsea Lately, Pushing Daisies, Privileged and as "Amy Anderson" in the TBS series 10 Items or Less. She also had a role in the second part of a two part episode of Pair Of Kings as The Lady of the Cave. She is currently starring as Gina Spinks in the TV series Web Therapy.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jennifer Elise Cox at the Internet Movie Database

This article about an American theatre actor born in the 1960s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article about a United States film and television actor or actress born in the 1960s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e