William Truman is a fictional character and one of the two
protagonists on the American
sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Will & Grace
''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a Gay men, gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra ...
''. Portrayed by the actor
Eric McCormack
Eric James McCormack (born April 18, 1963) is a Canadian and American actor known for his roles as Will Truman in the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', Grant MacLaren in Netflix's ''Travelers (TV series), Travelers'', and Dr. Daniel Pierce in the T ...
, the character is a
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters.
The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
who lives on the
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...
of
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
with his best friend,
Grace Adler (
Debra Messing
Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing starred in the television series ''Ned and Stacey'' on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox (1995–1997) an ...
). The series is centered around Will and Grace's relationship, and their interactions with the two other main characters,
Karen Walker (
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outst ...
) and
Jack McFarland (
Sean Hayes).
Fictional character history
Will was born on October 23, 1966, in
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...
, to
WASP
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
parents
Marilyn (
Blythe Danner
Blythe Katherine Danner (born February 3, 1943) is an American actress. Accolades she has received include two Primetime Emmy Awards for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Best Supporting Actress in a Dra ...
) and
George Truman (
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Pollack is known for directing commercially and critically acclaimed studio films. Over his forty year career he received numerous accolades ...
). He has two brothers,
Paul
Paul may refer to:
People
* Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people
* Paul (surname), a list of people
* Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament
* Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
(
Jon Tenney
Jonathan Frederick Tenney (born December 16, 1961) is an American actor. He played Special Agent Fritz Howard in TNT's '' The Closer'' and continued in its spin-off '' Major Crimes''.
Early life
Tenney was born in Princeton, New Jersey. His mot ...
) and
Sam (
John Slattery
John M. Slattery Jr. (born August 13, 1962) is an American actor and director. He is known for his role as Roger Sterling in the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–15), for which he was nominated 4 times for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outsta ...
in the first season,
Steven Weber
Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series '' Wings'', and as Dr. Dean Archer on NBC’s Chicago Med. He also voiced Charlie B. Barkin in '' ...
in the eighth). Will and Grace met in college and began dating, while Will was in denial about being gay. He
came out as
gay in 1985, when—after being accused of living in denial by then-acquaintance
Jack McFarland—he found himself attracted to a poster of
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. Known for various roles, including leading man characters, Bacon has received numerous accolades such as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Bacon made his featu ...
. Will then realized that his relationship with Grace masked his true
sexuality
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
. He and Grace had a fight after Will came out to her—after proposing marriage to her in a desperate means of avoiding sex—and did not speak to each other for a year. Eventually, however, they reconciled and became inseparable best friends, after running into each other at D'AGOSTINO.
After graduating from
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
and
NYU School of Law, he started working for a successful law firm on track to make
partner, but decided to quit and start his own practice. His practice folds in the show's second season after his main client Harlin Polk (
Gary Grubbs) fires him, and he begins working for the law firm Doucette & Stein (Doucette played by
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. As an actor, he is best known for '' Wolfen'' (1981), '' The Cotton C ...
and Stein played by
Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder (born Jerome Silberman; June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and filmmaker. He was mainly known for his comedic roles, including his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Fa ...
), where he remains until the end of the seventh season, when he quits to do something more meaningful with his life.
Will's next job is working for the mysterious Malcolm (
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...
), but that comes to an end when Malcolm reveals that he is a
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
agent who's protecting a back-from-the-dead former client—Karen's husband, Stanley Walker. In the eighth season, Will takes a job at the Coalition of Justice, a business providing legal support for people who cannot afford it. He ultimately returns to Doucette & Stein, taking back his old job after being offered a partnership by his new boss at the firm, Margo (
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. Tomlin started her career in stand-up comedy and sketch comedy before transitioning her career to acting across stage and screen. ...
).
In the ninth season, after being promoted to senior partner, Will finally quits from the firm for good after realizing that this is not what he wants, and partners with Grace at Grace Adler Designs. In the tenth season, Will works as a part-time law professor at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
, before eventually securing a full-time position midway through the season.
In season 11, Will decides to have a child. He hires a surrogate named Jenny (
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
) to carry his baby.
Relationships
Grace Adler
Will and Grace have been best friends since college. They dated in 1985, before Will realized that he was gay; after he came out to her, she was so hurt that they didn't speak for a year, but they eventually reconciled and became inseparable best friends.
They move in together after Grace breaks up with her fiance Danny
and live together for a year. At the beginning of the second season, Grace moves out, albeit only across the hall. They are on-and-off roommates for the rest of the series. Their relationship is somewhat
codependent, with each basing the future of every romantic relationship on whether the other approves. Other characters in the series, particularly Jack and Karen, often compare their relationship to a dysfunctional marriage.
In the fifth season, Will and Grace decide to have a baby together through
in vitro fertilization
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating the ovulatory process, then removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) from ...
. The process is repeatedly delayed through a series of mishaps, however, and Grace changes her mind after she begins dating
Leo Markus (
Harry Connick, Jr.), whom she marries later in the season. Will is hurt that she does not want to have a baby with him, and the ensuing argument nearly ruins their friendship. Eventually, however, they both realize that they just want the other to be happy, and reconcile.
Will and Grace become roommates again in the sixth season when Grace admits her marriage to Leo is deteriorating, and Will supports her in the seventh season when she decides to get a divorce from Leo for cheating on her. In the eighth season, Grace finds out that she is pregnant with Leo's child after a chance encounter with him, and she and Will plan on raising the child together. In the
series finale
A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, ...
, however, Grace has a nightmare that the two will become miserable and resentful from raising the child, and thus reunites with Leo when he proposes to her again. Will feels betrayed and ends their friendship. They do not see each other again for two years. By the time they reconcile, they both have their own families, and they find that they have no time for each other. They drift apart, until 16 years later, when they meet again while helping their children move into the same college dorm. Will's son, Ben (
Ben Newmark), and Grace's daughter, Lila (
Maria Thayer
Maria Christina Thayer (born October 30, 1975) is an American actress and comedian. She first earned public recognition for her portrayal of Tammi Littlenut on the cult series '' Strangers with Candy'' in 1999. Thayer has also had supporting rol ...
), begin dating and eventually marry, and Will and Grace once again become close friends.
When the series was revived in 2017, the events of the original 2006 finale were
retconned
Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...
. While Grace and Leo did remarry, they never had any children and were going through a divorce. Grace moves back in with Will while her divorce is being finalized.
When Grace gets pregnant in the 11th season, Will plans to raise their children with her, and they eventually buy a house together in
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...
. In the series finale, Grace goes into labor as they are packing up the apartment, and Will leaves with her, Jack, and Karen to go to the hospital.
Jack McFarland
Will and Jack meet in 1985, and Jack sees immediately that Will is gay. Jack helps Will
come out and find the confidence to start dating men, and the two become best friends.
That closeness does not prevent them from trading insults with each other at virtually every opportunity: Will makes fun of Jack's promiscuity, effeminate behavior and perpetual unemployment, while Jack mocks Will's stagnant love-life and enjoys calling Will "fat and bald" (which he clearly isn't). However, on several occasions, Jack has confessed his love for Will, and it is occasionally suggested that Jack is attracted to him. Jack is often portrayed sponging off of Will, who pays half of his rent, gives him money to pay his back taxes, and foots the bill for clothes and meals.
Karen Walker
In the beginning of the series, Will has an antagonistic relationship with Grace's assistant
Karen Walker; she makes fun of his sexuality, while he mocks her
alcoholism
Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
and vain, spoiled demeanor. They warm up to each other somewhat after Will becomes Karen's lawyer, although they continue to mock each other ruthlessly. Throughout the series' run, however, Karen has expressed concern for him and has even offered her friendship, albeit in her own sarcastic fashion. In one eighth-season episode, they get drunk together and bond over their troubles, while still bantering incessantly. She also comforts him at his father's funeral.
In the series finale, Will and Karen are portrayed as still being friends 18 years in the future.
Romances
Will has had romantic relationships with three women: Claire (
Megyn Price
Megyn Price is an American actress, best known for her roles on television as Claudia Finnerty in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox/The WB, WB sitcom ''Grounded for Life'' (2001–05), Audrey Bingham on the CBS sitcom ''Rules of Engagement (TV se ...
), his high school girlfriend; Grace, whom he dated in college; and Diane (
Mira Sorvino
Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born ) is an American actress. She rose to stardom with her performance as a prostitute in the comedy film ''Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995), which won her both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Academy Award for Best S ...
), with whom he had a
one-night stand
A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...
after he and Grace broke up. Diane had a brief cameo in season 3, episode 8, "Lows In The Mid-Eighties," played by another actor. Diane is the only woman Will has ever had sex with.
At the beginning of the series, Will's most successful relationship was with his long-term boyfriend Michael (
Chris Potter/
Cheyenne Jackson), with whom he was with from 1989 to November 1996. They briefly reconcile in 2018 but Will ends it once more after realizing that Michael is manipulative and controlling.
In the
seventh season, he enters into a serious relationship with
NYPD
The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...
Vince D'Angelo (
Bobby Cannavale). They break up after Vince, who loses two consecutive jobs because he can't resist trying on gloves while on duty, needs to take some time off for himself from their relationship. The two reunite during the funeral of Will's father in
season eight and are shown to be raising a son together, Ben Truman, after the series' time-jump in the
2006 series finale. Nearly twenty years later, Ben, who was conceived through
in vitro fertilization
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating the ovulatory process, then removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) from ...
with a surrogate, goes off to college and meets Grace's daughter,
Laila Markus, whom he would eventually marry.
In the 2017 revival of the series, the events of the original 2006 finale were
retconned
Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...
. In the new continuity, Will and Vince were together for five years. They never had children, as it was revealed that Ben and the series' original time-jump were figments of Karen's imagination.
Vince visits Will and informs him that he is getting married and invites him to his wedding ceremony. Will tries to be happy for Vince, but is secretly insecure, not knowing why their relationship ended. When Will shows up at the wedding and his toast at the reception end up being condescending, Vince reveals that they broke up because Will criticized everything he did and did not really appreciate him. Vince and Will then manage to patch things up somewhat, Will assuring Vince he is not making a mistake with his marriage and the two fondly reminiscing about the time they had together.
In the 10th season, Will begins dating McCoy Whitman (
Matt Bomer), a famous news anchor. Although they have problems at first due to McCoy's insecurity and Will's fear of commitment, they eventually move in together, and Will finally proposes to him during Jack's wedding. In the season 11 premiere, they get into a discussion about having children and start making plans to adopt. However, several episodes later, McCoy changes his mind and admits to Will that he is not ready to have children and needs to break off their engagement if this becomes a problem for them. This prompts Will to break up with him so he can continue with his adoption plans. In the series finale, however, Will and McCoy get back together.
Family
Will comes from a wealthy but dysfunctional family of
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
WASPs
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
. His relationship with his parents is complicated, particularly with his father, who is uncomfortable with his son's sexuality. In season eight, the two have a fight in which George confesses that he wishes Will wasn't gay. A few days later, having not spoken with Will since the fight, George dies of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
. Will is devastated, but he learns from the tragedy to be more open about his feelings, especially with people he loves.
Will is close with his mother, Marilyn, played by Blythe Danner. Marilyn admits Will is her favorite son in s4 e10 'Moveable Feast Part 2'. Marilyn also admits, however, that she was unable to pick up Will for the first year of his life (season 7, 'Christmas Break'). Still, the pair have a close bond, living together after the breakdown of his parents' marriage, visiting the gym together, sharing clothes, and many dinners.
He was once very close to his brother Sam, but they stopped speaking to each other following a fight over Sam's marriage (Will disliked Sam's wife).
They do not see each other for five years after that, until, in the first-season episode "Big Brother is Coming", Grace engineers a chance meeting and forces them to talk out their problems. They have another fight in the following episode when Will finds out that Sam and Grace slept together, but they eventually repair their relationship.
Reception
The character was met with a mixed reception from critics; some applauded him for not conforming to
gay stereotypes, while others criticized him as a safe version of a gay man designed to be more palatable to
heterosexual
Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions ...
viewers.
Nevertheless, McCormack won a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001 for his performance.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Truman, Will
Fictional characters from Connecticut
Television characters introduced in 1998
Fictional gay men
Fictional American lawyers
Fictional Democrats (United States)
Will & Grace characters
Fictional LGBTQ characters in television
American male characters in television
nl:Will & Grace#Will(iam) Truman