Eric McCormack: The Life Story Behind the Will and Grace Star

Eric McCormack is the Canadian actor who played Will Truman, one of the most beloved characters in television history, and who helped to change the way gay men were shown on screen. Will and Grace ran for eleven seasons across two runs, and it made McCormack famous around the world. He won an Emmy Award for the role, and he became a symbol of a new kind of television, where a gay man could be the lead, could be funny, could be romantic, and could be fully human. He is also a stage actor, a dramatic actor, and a man who has built a long and varied career, from the Stratford Festival in Canada to the biggest stages in Hollywood.

He was born in Toronto, grew up in a family that loved theatre, and trained at the Ryerson Theatre School. He spent years on stage in Canada, learning his craft in Shakespeare, in musicals, and in serious drama, before he moved to Hollywood and became a television star. He did not become famous overnight. He worked for years, in small roles, in theatre, and in television, building his skills one job at a time.

What makes his story worth telling is his range and his courage. He played a gay lawyer on television at a time when that was still rare, and he played him with humour, with warmth, and with dignity. He also played a detective, a scientist, and a time traveller, and he showed that he could do drama as well as comedy. This is the story of a Toronto stage actor who became a television star, and who used his fame to make television better for everyone.

A Toronto Childhood and a Love of Theatre

Eric McCormack was born on 18 April 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His father worked as a businessman, and his mother was a homemaker. He grew up in a family that valued the arts, and he was drawn to performing from a young age. He liked to act, to sing, and to make people laugh, and he took part in school plays and local shows. He was not a shy child, and he enjoyed being on a stage.

As a boy, he was interested in theatre, in music, and in stories. He went to see plays, he read books, and he dreamed about being an actor. He was a serious student, and he worked hard at school, but his heart was in the theatre. He knew from a young age that he wanted to act, and he was willing to work for it. His parents supported him, and they encouraged him to follow his dream, even though they knew that acting was a hard career.

He went to high school in Toronto, and he began to take part in theatre in earnest. He joined drama groups, he acted in school productions, and he learned the basics of the craft. He was a natural performer, and he had a gift for comedy, for timing, and for connecting with an audience. He was building a foundation, one role at a time, and he was learning what it meant to be an actor.

The Toronto of his youth mattered because it gave him a home base, a place where he could learn and grow without having to move to Hollywood. He grew up in Canadian theatre, and he built his career there first, before the wider world noticed him. That slow, steady start gave him a solid foundation, and it is one reason he has lasted as long as he has.

Ryerson, Stratford, and the Stage Years

McCormack went to Ryerson University in Toronto, where he studied at the theatre school. Ryerson was one of the best theatre schools in Canada, and it gave him a serious training in acting, in voice, in movement, and in the history of theatre. He was a dedicated student, and he worked hard to learn his craft. He was not only learning how to act. He was learning how to be a professional, how to work with a company, and how to sustain a performance over many nights.

After Ryerson, he joined the Stratford Festival, one of the most important theatre festivals in North America, located in Stratford, Ontario. At Stratford, he performed in Shakespeare, in musicals, and in serious drama, working with some of the best actors and directors in Canada. He played roles in plays including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and he learned how to handle classical text, how to project his voice, and how to command a stage. The Stratford years were his real education, and they gave him skills that he would use for the rest of his career.

He spent five years at Stratford, and those years made him a complete actor. He could do comedy, he could do tragedy, and he could do both in the same play. He was a stage actor, and he was proud of it. He did not think of theatre as a stepping stone to television. He thought of it as a career in itself, and he took it seriously. That respect for the stage has stayed with him, and it shows in his television work, where he brings a stage actor’s discipline and a stage actor’s clarity to every role.

After Stratford, he worked in theatre across Canada, and he began to move into television and film. He was in his late twenties, and he was ready for a bigger stage. He had learned his craft, he had proved himself on stage, and he was ready to try Hollywood.

Lonesome Dove, Early Television, and the Move to Hollywood

McCormack’s first major television role came in Lonesome Dove: The Series, a western series based on the famous novel and miniseries. He played a character named Francis, and the show gave him exposure to American audiences. It was a western, a genre that requires a certain kind of toughness and a certain kind of honesty, and McCormack showed that he could handle it. He was no longer only a stage actor. He was a television actor, and he was building a reputation.

He also appeared in other television shows and films, in small roles, and he began to build a body of work in Hollywood. He was a reliable actor, and directors liked working with him because he was professional, prepared, and talented. He played different kinds of characters, and each role taught him something new. He was learning the Hollywood system, and he was learning how to survive in it, without losing himself.

In the late 1990s, he was cast in a new comedy series, a show about a gay lawyer and his best friend, a woman who is an interior designer. The show was called Will and Grace, and it would change McCormack’s life forever. He was thirty-five years old, and he had spent more than a decade working in theatre and television. He was ready, and when his chance came, he took it.

The role of Will Truman was a major step, because it was a leading role, and because it was a gay character played as a full, complex human being. McCormack understood the importance of the role, and he played it with care, with humour, and with dignity. He was not playing a stereotype. He was playing a person, and that made all the difference.

Will and Grace and a Character Who Changed Television

Will and Grace premiered in 1998, and it became one of the most popular and most important comedies on television. The show starred McCormack as Will Truman, a gay lawyer, and Debra Messing as Grace Adler, his best friend, a straight woman who is an interior designer. The show also starred Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland and Megan Mullally as Karen Walker, and the four of them became one of the most beloved ensembles in television history.

The show worked because it was funny, warm, and honest. Will was not a joke. He was a smart, successful, funny man who happened to be gay, and the show treated his life with respect. It showed his relationships, his work, his friendships, and his struggles, and it did so with humour and with heart. McCormack played Will with a perfect balance of comedy and sincerity, and audiences loved him for it. He won the Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001, and he was nominated five times in total.

Will and Grace ran for eight seasons, from 1998 to 2006, and it became a cultural phenomenon. It was one of the first shows to put a gay lead character at the centre of a major network comedy, and it helped to change the way gay people were shown on television. The show was praised by critics, by audiences, and by activists, and it is still regarded as a landmark in television history. McCormack was at its centre, and he carried the show with grace and with skill.

The show also made McCormack famous around the world. He was no longer a stage actor from Toronto. He was Will Truman, and he was a star. He handled the fame with humility, and he never forgot where he came from. He was proud of the show, and proud of what it meant, and he has spoken about its importance many times since it ended.

Perception, Travelers, and the Dramatic Years

After Will and Grace ended in 2006, McCormack did not stop working. He returned to the stage, he appeared in films, and he took on new television roles. In 2012, he starred in Perception, a crime drama about a neuroscientist named Daniel Pierce, played by McCormack, who helps the FBI solve crimes. The show ran for three seasons, and it showed a different side of McCormack. He was not a comic actor. He was a dramatic actor, playing a man with schizophrenia, a man who sees things that are not there, and who must learn to trust his own mind.

Perception was a challenging role, and McCormack played it with great care. He researched the condition, he worked with experts, and he brought a deep respect to the character. The show was praised for its performances, and it showed that McCormack could carry a drama, and that he could handle a role that was complex and demanding. He was not only Will Truman. He was a versatile actor, and he proved it again.

In 2016, he starred in Travelers, a science fiction series about people from the future who travel back in time to save humanity. McCormack played Grant MacLaren, the leader of a team of travellers, a man who must live a double life in the present while trying to change the future. The show ran for three seasons on Netflix, and it was praised for its smart writing, for its characters, and for its performances. McCormack was the centre of the show, and he played the role with a quiet strength that made the character believable.

Travelers showed that McCormack could lead a science fiction series, and that he could handle a role that required both action and emotion. He was a man in his fifties, playing a hero, and he did it with the same discipline and the same skill that he had brought to Will and Grace. He was an actor who kept growing, and who kept trying new things.

The Revival, Family, and a Career That Continues

In 2017, Will and Grace returned to television for a revival, with the original cast, including McCormack, Messing, Hayes, and Mullally. The revival ran for three more seasons, from 2017 to 2020, and it was a success. Fans were delighted to see Will and Grace again, and the show proved that the characters still mattered, and that the humour still worked. McCormack stepped back into Will’s shoes with confidence, and his timing was as sharp as it had ever been.

McCormack married Janet Holden in 1997, and they have a son, Finnigan, together. The marriage ended in divorce in 2023, after more than twenty-five years together. McCormack has spoken about the importance of family, and about the challenges of balancing a career with a personal life. He is a private person in many ways, but he is also open about the things he cares about, and he has always put his family first.

Today, Eric McCormack is one of Canada’s best-known actors. He has won an Emmy, he has starred in one of the most important comedies in television history, and he has built a long and varied career on stage and on screen. He is still working, still acting, and still choosing roles that matter to him. His story is not finished, and that is part of what makes it interesting. He has already done a great deal, and he has the talent and the drive to do much more.

His legacy is Will and Grace, and the change it brought to television, but it is also his whole body of work: the stage years at Stratford, the dramas of Perception and Travelers, and the many roles he has played with skill and with care. He is a Canadian star, a Toronto star, and a star who has earned his place through hard work and talent. His story is a reminder that a career built on craft, on patience, and on respect for the work can last a long time.

The Ensemble, the Friendship, and the Fans of Will and Grace

Will and Grace worked because of its ensemble, and McCormack was at the centre of it. He played Will alongside Debra Messing as Grace, Sean Hayes as Jack, and Megan Mullally as Karen, and the four of them became one of the most beloved groups in television history. They were funny together, they were warm together, and they made each other better. McCormack has spoken about the friendship between the cast, about how they trusted each other, and about how they worked together to make each episode as good as it could be. That trust is visible on screen, in the timing, in the laughter, and in the way the characters care for each other.

The show was filmed in front of a live audience, and that made a difference. The actors could hear the audience laugh, and they could feel the energy in the room. McCormack, with his stage training, was comfortable with a live audience, and he knew how to play to them without overplaying. He understood that comedy is a conversation between the actor and the audience, and he treated it with respect. The live audience also meant that the actors had to be sharp, because there was no room for mistakes. McCormack thrived in that environment, and it showed in his work.

The fans of Will and Grace are some of the most loyal in television. They watched the show for eight seasons, they mourned when it ended, and they celebrated when it returned for a revival. McCormack has always been grateful to those fans, and he has spoken about how much their support has meant to him. He knows that a show lives because people watch it, talk about it, and love it, and he has never taken that for granted. He has met fans at conventions, he has talked to them on social media, and he has thanked them for their loyalty.

The friendship between Will and Grace, the characters, is also at the heart of the show. Will and Grace are best friends, and their friendship is the most important relationship in the series. McCormack and Messing played that friendship with great care, showing two people who love each other, who argue, who forgive, and who are always there for each other. That friendship is something many viewers recognised in their own lives, and it is one reason the show resonated so deeply. It was not only a comedy. It was a story about friendship, and about the people who make life worth living.

The revival of Will and Grace, from 2017 to 2020, showed that the ensemble still worked, and that the fans still cared. McCormack slipped back into Will’s voice and timing as if no time had passed, and he showed that the character still lived in him. The revival was a success, and it proved that the characters still mattered, and that the humour still worked. It was a rare second chance for a cast, and McCormack made the most of it, bringing Will back to life for a new generation of viewers.

Lonesome Dove and the Western Years

Before Will and Grace, McCormack’s first major television role came in Lonesome Dove: The Series, a western series based on the famous novel and miniseries by Larry McMurtry. He played a character named Francis, and the show gave him exposure to American audiences. It was a western, a genre that requires a certain kind of toughness and a certain kind of honesty, and McCormack showed that he could handle it. He rode horses, he wore the clothes of the time, and he played a man living in a hard, dangerous world. It was a long way from the stage at Stratford, and it showed that he was willing to try anything.

The western years were important, because they taught McCormack how to work on location, how to handle the physical demands of a role, and how to play a character who is defined by action as much as by words. On stage, an actor’s voice and body carry the story. In a western, the landscape carries the story, and the actor must fit into it. McCormack learned to do that, and he learned to be still, to let the camera come to him, and to trust the silence. Those lessons stayed with him, and they show in his later work, where he is often at his best in quiet moments.

He also appeared in other early television roles, in miniseries and in films, building a body of work that showed his range. He played different kinds of characters, in different kinds of stories, and each role taught him something new. He was patient, and he was willing to wait for the right roles. He knew that a long career is built one role at a time, and he was building his. By the time Will and Grace came, he had spent more than a decade working in theatre and television, and he was ready. The western years were part of that preparation, and they deserve to be remembered as the foundation of everything that followed.

The Music Man, Stage Returns, and a Life in Theatre

McCormack has returned to the stage throughout his career, and that return matters, because the stage is where he learned his craft. He has performed in musicals and in plays, in Toronto, in New York, and across North America, and he has shown that a television star can still be a stage actor. The stage is a different world from television: there is no editing, no second take, and no camera to hide behind. An actor must be present, must be prepared, and must give his best every night. McCormack has done that for more than thirty years, and he has done it with grace. He has shown that theatre is not a stepping stone. It is a home, a place where an actor can grow, can learn, and can be tested, night after night, in front of a live audience.

My Take:

When I think about Eric McCormack, the first thing I feel is gratitude, because Will and Grace changed television, and it changed the way many people thought about gay men. Before Will and Grace, gay characters on television were often jokes, or villains, or minor characters who disappeared after one episode. Will Truman was different. He was the lead, he was funny, he was successful, and he was fully human. McCormack played him with such warmth and such honesty that audiences could not help but love him. I think that is a great achievement, and it is one that matters far beyond television. It matters because it helped people see gay men as people, not as stereotypes, and that is a real contribution to the world.

I think his greatest strength is his training. He spent five years at the Stratford Festival, performing Shakespeare, musicals, and serious drama, and that training shows in everything he does. He is a precise actor, a clear actor, and an actor who knows how to use his voice, his body, and his timing. In Will and Grace, he could deliver a joke with perfect timing, and then, in the next moment, he could show a real emotion, a real sadness, or a real joy. That range comes from the stage, and it is something that many television actors do not have. McCormack has it, and it is why his work lasts.

What I find most impressive about his career is the way he moved from comedy to drama without losing his touch. Will and Grace was a comedy, but Perception was a drama about a man with schizophrenia, and Travelers was a science fiction drama about the future. Each role was different, and each one was played with care and with skill. I think that range is rare, and it shows that McCormack is not only a comic actor. He is a complete actor, and he can handle any role that is given to him. That versatility is something I admire deeply.

I also think about the Emmy Award he won in 2001, and I think about what it meant. He was not only winning an award for himself. He was winning an award for a character who represented millions of people, and for a show that had changed television. That award was a recognition that Will Truman mattered, and that McCormack’s performance mattered. I think that is a beautiful thing, and it is a moment that deserves to be remembered.

There is something I find sad in his story, and it is the end of his marriage after more than twenty-five years. He married Janet Holden in 1997, and they were together for a long time, raising a son, building a life, and supporting each other’s careers. The divorce in 2023 must have been a painful experience, and I feel sympathy for him, and for his family. Long marriages are hard, and their ending is always sad, even when it is the right decision. I respect the way he has handled it, with privacy and with dignity, and I hope he has found peace.

I think about the revival of Will and Grace, and I think about how rare it is for a show to return after eleven years and still work. The revival was a success, and it showed that the characters still mattered, and that the humour still worked. McCormack picked up Will again as though he had never put him down, and his performance felt fresh rather than like a copy of the past. I think that is a testament to his talent, and to the strength of the character he created. Will Truman is a character that lives in the popular imagination, and McCormack is the reason.

If I have a criticism, it is that he has not yet had a major film role that matches his television success. He has been in films, but he is known first and foremost as a television actor, and as Will Truman. I do not think that takes away from his career, because television is a serious medium, and Will and Grace was a major achievement. But I do think that he has more to offer, and I hope he finds a film role that lets him show a different side of his talent, a side that is not about comedy, but about a real person in a real story.

Another thing I notice is that his dramatic roles, while strong, have not always reached a wide audience. Perception and Travelers were praised by critics, but they did not become cultural phenomena in the way that Will and Grace did. I think that is a shame, because his work in those shows deserves a wider audience. I hope that more people will discover them, because they show a different side of McCormack, a side that is serious, thoughtful, and deeply human.

For a young reader who wants to act, I think the lesson of McCormack’s life is to train, and to take your craft seriously. He spent years at Ryerson and at Stratford, learning how to act, how to use his voice, and how to command a stage. He did not rush into Hollywood. He learned his craft first, and when his chance came, he was ready. That is a powerful lesson: do not skip the training. Learn your craft, work hard, and be patient, because the training will pay off, and it will last for your whole career.

I also think his story teaches something about the power of representation. Will Truman was a gay man on television, played with dignity and with humour, at a time when that was still rare. That representation mattered, because it helped people see themselves on screen, and it helped other people see gay men as human beings. McCormack understood that, and he played the role with care. That is a lesson for all of us: the stories we tell matter, and the people we show on screen matter, because they shape how we see each other.

When I look at his whole career, I see an actor who has lived many lives: a stage actor, a television star, a dramatic actor, and a science fiction hero. Most people live one life. McCormack has lived several, and he has lived each one fully. I think that is the real lesson: do not be afraid to try new things, do not be afraid to change, and do not be afraid to be yourself. Whether that means playing a gay lawyer, a neuroscientist, or a time traveller, the spirit is the same. Work hard, be honest, and keep going.

In the end, I think Eric McCormack teaches us that a career built on craft, on patience, and on respect for the work can last a long time, and that a single role, played with honesty and with care, can change television and can change the world. He played Will Truman, and he changed the way millions of people thought about gay men. That is a remarkable achievement, and it is why his name will be remembered, not only as a star, but as a man who made television better for everyone.

I also think about the way McCormack has handled the revival of Will and Grace, and I find it admirable. Returning to a role after eleven years is hard, because the actor has changed, the world has changed, and the audience has changed. McCormack returned to Will with the same skill and the same warmth, and he showed that he had not lost his touch. The revival was a success, and it proved that the characters still mattered, and that the humour still worked. It was a rare second chance for a cast, and McCormack made the most of it, bringing Will back to life for a new generation of viewers.

There is something I keep returning to, and it is the idea that McCormack’s stage training is the secret of his success. He spent five years at the Stratford Festival, performing Shakespeare, musicals, and serious drama, and that training shows in everything he does. He is a precise actor, a clear actor, and an actor who knows how to use his voice, his body, and his timing. In Will and Grace, he could deliver a joke with perfect timing, and then, in the next moment, he could show a real emotion. That range comes from the stage, and it is something that many television actors do not have. McCormack has it, and it is why his work lasts.

I think about Perception and Travelers, and I think about how they show a different side of McCormack. Will and Grace made people laugh, while Perception explored a mind shaped by schizophrenia, and Travelers imagined a future built on time travel. No two parts were alike, and he gave every one of them attention and craft. That breadth is uncommon, and it proves McCormack is far more than a comic performer. He is a fully rounded performer, able to take on whatever part comes his way. That versatility is something I admire deeply, and it is one reason his career has lasted so long.

One more thought stays with me, and it is about representation. Will Truman was a gay leading man on television, portrayed with dignity and humour when such portrayals were still uncommon. That visibility counted, because it let viewers recognise themselves on screen and helped others see gay men as people. McCormack grasped that responsibility, and he honoured it in his performance. The lesson there is broad: the stories we choose and the people we put on screen shape how we view one another. McCormack told a story that mattered, and he told it well.

I think about Lonesome Dove, and I find it a good example of McCormack’s willingness to try anything. He played a character in a western, a genre that requires toughness, honesty, and a willingness to work on location, in the heat and the dust. He rode horses, he wore the clothes of the time, and he played a man living in a hard, dangerous world. It was a long way from the stage at Stratford, and it showed that he was willing to learn, to adapt, and to grow. That willingness is something I admire, because it shows an actor who is not afraid to be uncomfortable, and who is not afraid to fail.

There is something I notice about the way McCormack’s stage training shows in his television work, and I think it matters. He spent five years at Stratford, performing Shakespeare, musicals, and serious drama, and that training gave him a precision, a clarity, and a command of language that few television actors have. In Will and Grace, he could deliver a joke with perfect timing, and then, in the next moment, he could show a real emotion. That range comes from the stage, and it is why his work lasts. He did not skip the training. He learned his craft, and that learning has paid off for his whole career.

I think about Perception and Travelers, and I think about how they show a different side of McCormack. One show was a comedy, another was a drama about schizophrenia, and a third was science fiction about travellers from the future. Every character differed from the last, and he approached each with care and ability. Such variety is unusual, and it shows he is not limited to comedy. He has the full toolkit of an actor, and no role seems beyond him. That versatility is something I admire deeply, and it is one reason his career has lasted so long.

One last thought stays with me, and it is about representation. At a time when gay leads were scarce, Will Truman stood out as a gay man played with dignity and warmth. Seeing that character mattered, because audiences could find themselves in him, and others could see gay men as fully human. He understood the weight of that, and he treated the part with respect. There is a wider lesson in that: stories and the faces we show on screen influence how we understand each other. McCormack told a story that mattered, and he told it well.

I think about his son, Finnigan, and I find it moving that McCormack has always put his family first, even while working on one of the biggest shows on television. He has spoken about the importance of being present for his son, of making time for family, and of balancing work with home. That balance is hard to find in Hollywood, where work often takes an actor away for months at a time. McCormack has tried to find it, and he has been honest about the struggle. I think that honesty is valuable, because it shows that even a star has to work at being a good father, and that family matters more than fame.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Eric McCormack born and where did he grow up?

Eric McCormack was born on 18 April 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and he grew up there, drawn to theatre from a young age. He studied at Ryerson University’s theatre school and spent five years performing at the Stratford Festival in Ontario.

What is Eric McCormack most famous for?

He is most famous as Will Truman in Will and Grace, the comedy series that ran from 1998 to 2006 and was revived from 2017 to 2020. He won the Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001, and the show is regarded as a landmark in television history.

Did Eric McCormack win an Emmy for Will and Grace?

Yes, he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001 for playing Will Truman, and he was nominated five times in total. The show also won many other awards, and it helped to change the way gay men were shown on television.

What other shows has Eric McCormack starred in?

He starred in Perception from 2012 to 2015, playing a neuroscientist named Daniel Pierce who helps the FBI solve crimes, and in Travelers from 2016 to 2018, playing Grant MacLaren, the leader of a team of time travellers. He also appeared in Lonesome Dove: The Series early in his career.

Was Eric McCormack a stage actor before television?

Yes, he trained at Ryerson University and spent five years at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, performing in Shakespeare, musicals, and serious drama. That stage training gave him the skills that made his television work so strong, and he has returned to the stage throughout his career.

Is Eric McCormack married?

He was married to Janet Holden from 1997 until their divorce in 2023, and they have a son, Finnigan, together. He has spoken about the importance of family, and he has always tried to balance his work with his personal life.