Eric McCormack began his career as a member of the acting company at the prestigious Shakespeare Theatre Festival in Ontario where over the course of five seasons (1985-90), he rose to leading status, appearing in such plays as "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Three Sisters". McCormack's career accelerated after he landed a recurring role as a detective on the syndicated series "Street Justice" (1991-93). He began appearing as a guest actor on such series as "Hat Squad" and "Silk Stalkings" and made inroads in films like the 1992 remake of "The Lost World" and its sequel "The Return to the Lost World". Playing the ne'er-do-well dandy Clay Mosby on the syndicated "Lonesome Dove" spin-off series further raised his profile and sparked interest in the actor, whose brooding eyes and winning smile made him a natural leading man. With several TV-movies already to his credit, McCormack proved effective as a selfish businessman who learns to love in "Borrowed Hearts: A Holiday Romance" (CBS, 1997) and was properly tortured as a cheating husband who becomes entwined in a blackmail plot in the HBO film "Exception to the Rule" (1997).

Although McCormack was originally scheduled to appear as a regular in Jenny McCarthy's ill-fated 1997 NBC sitcom, he was replaced after the pilot was shot. Luckily, McCormack impressed the network with his comedic abilities and he was tapped to portray a homosexual lawyer who is the best friend of a female interior decorator in the sitcom "Will & Grace" (1998- ). A surprise breakout hit that began gaining momentum, viewers and accolades in its second season, "Will & Grace" made the hard-working actor with the relatively humble career into a household name. Playing the flawed but charming Will as an unaffected Everyman, he helped to squash gay stereotypes and introduce many Americans to their first openly homosexual man. Though some were displeased with the series' gay focus and others felt that Will's relative dating dearth did the community a disservice, the critical and commercial success of the show spoke volumes.

While the majority of McCormack's work has been featured on stage and on the small screen, periodic entries like "Free Enterprise" and "Holy Man" (both 1998) kept him active in film as well. In 2001, he made his Broadway debut succeeding Craig Bierko as Professor Harold Hill in the hit revival of "The Music Man," for which he earned respectful critical notices.