Eric James McCormack (born April 18, 1963, height 5' 11" (1,80 m)) is a Canadian American actor, musician, writer and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute High School. He left Ryerson University in 1985, in order to accept a position with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, where he spent five years performing in numerous play productions.

For much of the late 1990s, he lived in Los Angeles and had minor roles. He made his feature film debut in the 1992 science fiction The Lost World. McCormack appeared in multiple television series roles, including Top Cops, Street Justice, Lovesome Dove: The Series, Townies, and Ally McBeal. McCormack later gained worldwide recognition for playing Will Truman in the American sitcom Will & Grace, which premiered in September 1998. His performance earned him an Emmy Award in the category for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001.