document_title: List of Australian Football League records

question_text: who holds the record for games played in the vfl/afl

question_tokens: who holds the record for games played in the vfl / afl

text: Team records[edit]

text: Team wins, losses and draws[edit]

text:
Team
Matches
Won
Drawn
Lost
GF-BF
%
For
GA-BA
%
Agn
%

Win%

Adelaide
602
321
2
280
8326.7567
52.4
57523
7821.6877
53.2
53803
106.91
53.41

Brisbane Bears †
222
72
2
148
2852.2606
52.3
19718
3521.3259
51.9
24385
80.86
32.88

Brisbane Lions
461
216
6
239
6269.5714
52.3
43328
6390.5655
53.1
43995
98.48
47.51

Carlton
2447
1415
34
998
29836.31440
48.7
210456
27173.29237
48.2
192275
109.46
58.52

Collingwood
2485
1504
26
955
30694.32504
48.6
216668
27165.29277
48.1
192267
112.69
61.05

Essendon
2411
1350
35
1026
29803.30539
49.4
209357
27523.28946
48.7
194084
107.87
56.72

Fitzroy †
1928
869
25
1034
21102.23701
47.1
150313
22350.24426
47.8
158526
94.82
45.72

Fremantle
499
224
1
274
6332.5641
52.9
43633
6762.5922
53.3
46494
93.85
44.99

Geelong
2381
1289
22
1070
29242.30059
49.3
205511
27257.28631
48.8
192173
106.94
54.60

Gold Coast
132
34
1
97
1476.1433
50.7
10289
2014.1772
53.2
13856
74.26
26.14

Greater Western Sydney
112
37
2
75
1302.1188
52.3
9000
1720.1439
54.4
11759
76.54
33.04

Hawthorn
1930
947
10
973
25131.24345
50.8
175131
24658.25008
49.6
172956
101.26
49.33

Melbourne
2352
1057
21
1274
27192.28398
48.9
191550
28733.29645
49.2
202043
94.81
45.39

North Melbourne
1920
856
17
1047
24200.23814
50.4
169014
25652.25281
50.4
179193
94.32
45.03

Port Adelaide
462
234
5
223
6213.5514
53.0
42792
6212.5449
53.3
42721
100.17
51.19

Richmond
2206
1108
22
1076
27442.28400
49.1
193052
27527.28066
49.5
193228
99.91
50.73

St Kilda
2328
904
26
1398
25575.26974
48.7
180424
28966.29964
49.2
203760
88.55
39.39

Sydney
2383
1131
24
1228
27807.29483
48.5
196325
28295.29768
48.7
199538
98.39
47.96

University †
126
27
2
97
841.1135
42.6
6181
1245.1597
43.8
9067
68.17
22.22

West Coast
705
393
6
306
9740.8866
52.3
67306
9082.8045
53.0
62537
107.63
56.17

Western Bulldogs
1894
851
22
1021
23018.23099
49.9
161207
24327.24156
50.2
170118
94.76
44.51

Source: AFL Tables. Last updated: 18 March 2017.
(†) = Defunct Club

text: Highest and Lowest scores[edit]

text:
Highest

Rank
Score
Club
Opponent
Year
Round
Venue

1
37.17.239
Geelong
Brisbane Bears
1992
7
Carrara Stadium

2
36.22.238
Fitzroy
Melbourne
1979
17
VFL Park

3
36.20.236
Sydney
Essendon
1987
17
Sydney Cricket Ground

4
37.11.233
Geelong
Melbourne
2011
19
Kardinia Park

5
36.15.231
Hawthorn
Fitzroy
1991
6
North Hobart Oval

Source: [1]. Last updated: 20 August 2013.

text:
Lowest

Rank
Score
Club
Opponent
Year
Round
Venue

1
0.1.1
St Kilda
Geelong
1899
3 (FS)
Corio Oval

2
0.2.2
St Kilda
South Melbourne
1897
3
Lake Oval

0.2.2
St Kilda
Geelong
1899
14
Corio Oval

0.2.2
Melbourne
Fitzroy
1899
2 (FS)
Brunswick Street Oval

5
0.3.3
St Kilda
South Melbourne
1897
10
Junction Oval

0.3.3
St Kilda
Essendon
1897
12
East Melbourne Cricket Ground

Source: [2]. Last updated: 20 August 2013.
(FS) = Sectional Round in Finals

text: All these scores were from the first three years of VFL competition, when scores in general were much lower. The following table shows the lowest scores since 1919 (the first year of complete competition following World War I):

text:
Lowest since 1919

Rank
Score
Club
Opponent
Year
Round
Venue

1
1.0.6
Fitzroy
Footscray
1953
5
Western Oval

2
0.8.8
Richmond
St Kilda
1961
16
Junction Oval

3
1.5.11
St Kilda
Melbourne
1957
16
Junction Oval

4
1.7.13
Hawthorn
Melbourne
1926
9
Melbourne Cricket Ground

1.7.13
Richmond
Collingwood
1927
GF
Melbourne Cricket Ground

1.7.13
Fremantle
Adelaide
2009
15
Football Park

Source: [3]. Last updated: 20 August 2013.

text: Highest losing scores and lowest winning scores[edit]

text:
Highest losing scores

Rank
Score
Club
Opponent
Opponent’s score
Year
Round
Venue

1
25.13.163
Geelong
Hawthorn
26.15.171
1989
6
Princes Park

2
25.9.159
Kangaroos
Essendon
27.9.171
2001
16
Melbourne Cricket Ground

3
23.19.157
Fitzroy
Melbourne
24.23.167
1978
2
Melbourne Cricket Ground

4
24.11.155
South Melbourne
Geelong
26.11.167
1978
19
Lake Oval

5
24.10.154
South Melbourne
Melbourne
24.23.167
1979
6
Melbourne Cricket Ground

Source: [4]. Last updated: 20 August 2013.

text:
Lowest winning scores

Rank
Score
Club
Opponent
Opponent’s score
Year
Round
Venue

1
1.8.14
Essendon
Melbourne
0.8.8
1897
3 (Finals)
East Melbourne Cricket Ground

2
1.9.15
Geelong
Melbourne
0.10.10
1897
9
Corio Oval

2.3.15
South Melbourne
Melbourne
1.7.13
1898
6
Melbourne Cricket Ground

1.9.15
Essendon
South Melbourne
0.9.9
1899
3
East Melbourne Cricket Ground

5
1.13.19
Essendon
South Melbourne
2.3.15
1897
6
Lake Oval

Source: [5]. Last updated: 20 August 2013.

text: As with the lowest overall scores, all these were from the first three years of the VFL. The lowest winning scores in more recent times are:

text:
Lowest winning scores since 1919

Rank
Score
Club
Opponent
Opponent’s score
Year
Round
Venue

1
2.13.25
Collingwood
Richmond
1.7.13
1927
GF
Melbourne Cricket Ground

2
3.10.28
Essendon
Footscray
3.5.23
1989
13
Windy Hill

3
4.6.30
Carlton
Richmond
3.5.23
1927
17
Princes Park

4
3.13.31
Collingwood
Essendon
4.6.30
1927
17
Victoria Park

4.7.31
Collingwood
Geelong
3.11.29
1951
14
Kardinia Park

3.13.31
Carlton
Geelong
2.12.24
1977
12
Princes Park

Source: [6]. Last updated: 20 August 2013.

text: Highest scores for each quarter[edit]

text:
Quarter
Score
Club
Opponent
Year
Round
Venue

1st
15.4.94
Essendon
Gold Coast
2011
6
Docklands Stadium

2nd
14.2.86
Adelaide
Fitzroy
1996
17
Football Park

3rd
13.4.82
Essendon
Footscray
1982
22
Western Oval

4th
17.4.106
South Melbourne
St Kilda
1919
12
Lake Oval

Source: [7]. Last updated: 20 August 2013.

text: Greatest winning margins[edit]

text:
Rank
Margin
Club
Opponent
Year
Round
Venue

1
190
Fitzroy
Melbourne
1979
17
VFL Park

2
186
Geelong
Melbourne
2011
19
Kardinia Park

3
178
Collingwood
St Kilda
1979
4
Victoria Park

4
171
South Melbourne
St Kilda
1919
12
Lake Oval

5
168
Richmond
North Melbourne
1931
2
Punt Road Oval

Source: [8]. Last updated: 20 August 2013.

text: Biggest comebacks[edit]

text: Deficit from end of 1/4 time:

text:
Rank
Deficit
Club
Final Score
Opponent
Final Score
Year
Round
Venue

1
58
Essendon
27.9.171
Kangaroos
25.9.159
2001
16
Melbourne Cricket Ground

2
55
St Kilda
15.22.112
Hawthorn
14.15.99
1937
2
Glenferrie Oval

3
51
Hawthorn
17.7.109
St Kilda
14.12.96
1999
12
Waverley Park

4
48
Richmond
19.13.127
Sydney Swans
16.14.110
1982
21
Sydney Cricket Ground

48
West Coast Eagles
16.17.113
Western Bulldogs
15.10.100
1998
10
WACA Ground

Source: http://afl.allthestats.com/?itm=211134&fmqtr=0. Last updated: 14 January 2011.

text: Deficit from end of 2/4 time:

text:
Rank
Deficit
Club
Final Score
Opponent
Final Score
Year
Round
Venue

1
52
Collingwood
14.23.107
St Kilda
15.10.100
1970
10
Victoria Park

2
50
Melbourne
17.17.119
Fremantle
15.23.113
2008
7
Melbourne Cricket Ground

3
49
Geelong
17.10.112
Collingwood
17.9.111
1972
20
Kardinia Park

49
Hawthorn
26.15.171
Geelong
25.13.163
1989
6
Princes Park

49
St Kilda
14.10.94
Western Bulldogs
13.9.87
2015
6
Docklands Stadium

Source: http://afl.allthestats.com/?itm=211134&fmqtr=1. Last updated: 14 January 2011.

text: Deficit from end of 3/4 time:

text:
Rank
Deficit
Club
Final Score
Opponent
Final Score
Year
Round
Venue

1
45
Brisbane Bears
14.20.104
Hawthorn
14.13.97
1995
16
The Gabba

2
44
North Melbourne
15.12.102
Essendon
14.10.94
1947
6
Arden Street Oval

3
41
North Melbourne
12.19.91
Footscray
13.7.85
1936
7
Arden Street Oval

41
Essendon
18.16.124
Melbourne
19.9.123
1992
6
Melbourne Cricket Ground

5
40
Western Bulldogs
14.15.99
Adelaide
14.13.97
1999
16
Melbourne Cricket Ground

40
Kangaroos
17.16.118
Sydney Swans
18.4.112
2004
19
Sydney Cricket Ground

text: Largest comebacks (from any stage of the game):

text:
Rank
Deficit
Club
Final Score
Opponent
Final Score
Year
Round
Venue

1
69pts Q2 10mins
Essendon
27.9.171
Kangaroos
25.9.159
2001
16
MCG

2
63pts Q2 5mins
Hawthorn
17.7.109
St Kilda
14.12.96
1999
12
Waverley Park

3
60pts Q2 27mins
Collingwood
14.23.107
St Kilda
15.10.100
1970
10
Victoria Park

4
56pts Q2 28mins
Hawthorn
26.15.171
Geelong
25.13.163
1989
6
Princes Park

5
55pts at Q1 time
St Kilda
15.22.112
Hawthorn
14.15.99
1937
2
Glenferrie Oval

55pts Q2 10mins
Collingwood
19.9.123
Richmond
16.13.109
1978
20
Punt Road Oval

55pts Q3 3mins
St Kilda
14.10.94
Western Bulldogs
13.9.87
2015
6
Docklands Stadium

text: Highest scores (both teams)[edit]

text:
Rank
Score
Home Team
Score
Away Team
Score
Year
Round
Venue

1
52.33.345
Melbourne
21.15.141
St Kilda
31.18.204
1978
6
Melbourne Cricket Ground

=2
51.31.337
Geelong
35.18.228
St Kilda
16.13.109
1989
7
Kardinia Park

=2
50.37.337
Hawthorn
21.23.149
Richmond
29.14.188
1985
5
Princes Park

=4
51.28.334
Kangaroos
35.19.229
Sydney
16.9.105
1993
6
Princes Park

=4
51.28.334
Hawthorn
26.15.171
Geelong
25.13.163
1989
6
Princes Park

Source: [9].

text: Individual records[edit]

text: Disposals[edit]

text: Most Disposals[edit]

text:
Rank
Player
Disposals[1]
Year vs Team

1
Tom Mitchell
54
2018 vs Collingwood

=2
Greg Williams
53
1989 vs St Kilda

=2
Gary Ablett Jr.
53
2012 vs Collingwood

4
Barry Price
52
1971 vs Fitzroy

5
Scott Thompson
51
2011 vs Gold Coast

=6
John Greening
50
1971 vs Geelong

=6
Tony Shaw
50
1991 vs Brisbane Bears

=6
Tom Mitchell
50
2017 vs Collingwood

text: Goalkicking[edit]

text: Most career goals[edit]

text:
Rank
Goals
Games
Player
Club/Clubs
Career

1
1360
281
Tony Lockett
St Kilda, Sydney
1983–1999, 2002

2
1299
306
Gordon Coventry
Collingwood
1920–1937

3
1254
269
Jason Dunstall
Hawthorn
1985–1998

4
1057
267
Doug Wade
Geelong, North Melbourne
1959–1975

5
1030
248
Gary Ablett, Sr.
Hawthorn, Geelong
1982–1996

Source: [10]. Last updated: 10 June 2009.

text: Most goals in a game[edit]

text:
Rank
Score
Player
Club
Opponent
Year
Round
Venue

1
18.1
Fred Fanning
Melbourne
St Kilda
1947
19
Junction Oval

2
17.4
Gordon Coventry
Collingwood
Fitzroy
1930
12
Victoria Park

17.5
Jason Dunstall
Hawthorn
Richmond
1992
7
Waverley Park

4
16.5
Gordon Coventry
Collingwood
Hawthorn
1929
13
Victoria Park

16.1
Peter Hudson
Hawthorn
Melbourne
1969
5
Glenferrie Oval

16.4
Peter McKenna
Collingwood
South Melbourne
1969
19
Victoria Park

16.0
Tony Lockett
Sydney Swans
Fitzroy
1995
19
Whitten Oval

Source: [11]. Last updated: 14 January 2011.

text: Most goals in a season[edit]

text:
Rank
Goals
Player
Club
Season

1
150
Bob Pratt
South Melbourne
1934

150
Peter Hudson
Hawthorn
1971

3
146
Peter Hudson
Hawthorn
1970

4
145
Jason Dunstall
Hawthorn
1992

5
143
Peter McKenna
Collingwood
1970

Source: [12]. Last updated: 9 July 2007.

text: Most seasons as leading goalkicker[edit]

text:
Rank
Seasons
Player
Club/Clubs

1
8
Dick Lee
Collingwood

2
6
Gordon Coventry
Collingwood

3
5
John Coleman
Essendon

4
4
Fred Fanning
Melbourne

4
Doug Wade
Geelong, North Melbourne

4
Peter Hudson
Hawthorn

4
Tony Lockett
St Kilda, Sydney

4
Lance Franklin
Hawthorn, Sydney

Source: [13]. Last updated: 20 May 2009.
Note: This table does not take into account goals scored in finals.

text: Highest goals per game average[edit]

text:
Rank
Average
Player
Club/Clubs

1
5.64
Peter Hudson
Hawthorn

2
5.48
John Coleman
Essendon

3
4.84
Tony Lockett
St Kilda, Sydney

4
4.66
Jason Dunstall
Hawthorn

5
4.58
Peter McKenna
Collingwood, Carlton

Source: [14]. Last updated: 9 July 2007.

text: Most goals on debut[edit]

text:
Rank
Goals
Player
Club
Opponent
Year
Round
Venue

1
12
John Coleman
Essendon
Hawthorn
1949
1
Windy Hill

2
9
Bill Wood
Footscray
Collingwood
1944
3
Whitten Oval

9
Warren Ralph
Carlton
North Melbourne
1984
1
Waverley Park

4
8
John Georgiades
Footscray
Carlton
1989
1
Princes Park

8
Scott Cummings
Essendon
Sydney Swans
1994
14
Melbourne Cricket Ground

Source: Official statistical history of the AFL (book). Last updated: 2007.

text: Most consecutive games with one or more goals[edit]

text:
Rank
Streak
Player
Club/s
Start
End

1
121
Peter McKenna
Collingwood
1968
1974

2
114
Tony Lockett
St Kilda, Sydney
1993
2002

3
98
Gordon Coventry
Collingwood
1932
1937

4
97
Dick Lee
Collingwood
1910
1918

5
90
Doug Wade
Geelong, North Melbourne
1971
1975

Source: AFL Tables. Last updated: 13 July 2015.

text: Most career games for no goals[edit]

text:
Rank
Games
Player
Club/Clubs

1
182
Ted Potter
Collingwood

2
172
Gary Malarkey
Geelong

3
166
Les Gardiner
Essendon

4
162
Jamie Shanahan
St Kilda, Melbourne

5
154
Ian Synman
St Kilda

Source: AFL Tables. Last updated: 9 July 2007.

text: Games[edit]

text: Most career games[edit]

text:
Rank
Games
Player
Club
Career span

1
432
Brent Harvey
North Melbourne
1996–2016

2
426
Michael Tuck
Hawthorn
1972–1991

3
403
Kevin Bartlett
Richmond
1965–1983

4
400
Dustin Fletcher
Essendon
1993–2015

5
383
Robert Harvey
St Kilda
1988–2008

text: Most consecutive games[edit]

text:
Rank
Games
Player
Club

1
244
Jim Stynes
Melbourne

2
226
Adem Yze
Melbourne

3
204
Adam Goodes
Sydney

4
202
Jack Titus
Richmond

5
200
Brett Kirk
Sydney

text: Most games for each club[edit]

text:
Club
Games
Player
Career span

Adelaide
340
Andrew McLeod
1995–2010

Brisbane Bears
164
Roger Merrett
1988–1996

Brisbane Lions
322
Simon Black
1998–2013

Carlton
375
Craig Bradley
1986–2002

Collingwood
313
Tony Shaw
1977–1994

Essendon
400
Dustin Fletcher
1993–2015

Fitzroy
333
Kevin Murray
1955–1964, 1967–1974

Footscray/Western Bulldogs
364
Brad Johnson
1994–2010

Fremantle
353
Matthew Pavlich
2000–2016

Geelong
332
Corey Enright
2001–2016

Gold Coast
114
Jarrod Harbrow
2011–present

Greater Western Sydney
107
Callan Ward
2012–present

Hawthorn
426
Michael Tuck
1972–1991

Melbourne
306
David Neitz
1993–2008

North Melbourne
432
Brent Harvey
1996–2016

Port Adelaide
300
Kane Cornes
2001–2015

Richmond
403
Kevin Bartlett
1965–1983

St Kilda
383
Robert Harvey
1988–2008

South Melbourne/Sydney
372
Adam Goodes
1999–2015

University
101
Bert Hurrey
1908–1913

West Coast
290
Dean Cox
2000–2014

Source: [15]. Last updated: 11 September 2016.

text: Age records[edit]

text: Youngest players[edit]

text: Age on their debut:

text:
Rank
Age
Player
Club
Year

1
15 years, 209 days
Claude Clough
St Kilda
1900

2
15 years, 287 days
Keith Bromage
Collingwood
1953

3
15 years, 297 days
Albert Collier
Collingwood
1925

4
15 years, 305 days
Tim Watson
Essendon
1977

5
15 years, 315 days
Wels Eicke
St Kilda
1909

Sources: Official statistical history of the AFL (book),
Australian Football.com.
Last updated: 2013.

text: Oldest players[edit]

text: Age in their last game:

text:
Rank
Age
Player
Club
Year

1
43 years, 50 days
Vic Cumberland
St Kilda
1920

2
40 years, 23 days
Dustin Fletcher
Essendon
2015

3
39 years, 296 days
Jack Leith
Melbourne
1912

4
39 years, 239 days
Syd Barker, Sr.
North Melbourne
1927

5
39 years, 181 days
Jim Flynn
Carlton
1910

Source: [16]. Last updated: 31 May 2015.

text: Finals[edit]

text: Most premierships[edit]

text:
Rank
Total
Player
Club

1
7
Michael Tuck
Hawthorn

2
6
Frank Adams
Melbourne

6
Ron Barassi
Melbourne

6
Albert Collier
Collingwood

6
Harry Collier
Collingwood

Source: Official statistical history of the AFL (book). Last updated: 2007.

text: Most Grand Final appearances[edit]

text:
Rank
Games
Player
Club

1
11
Michael Tuck
Hawthorn

2
10
Gordon Coventry
Collingwood

10
Albert Collier
Collingwood

10
Dick Reynolds
Essendon

10
Bill Hutchison
Essendon

Source: AFL Tables. Last updated: 5 July 2015.

text: Most finals games[edit]

text:
Rank
Games
Player
Club/Clubs

1
39
Michael Tuck
Hawthorn

2
33
Shaun Burgoyne
Port Adelaide (14)
Hawthorn (19)

3
31
Gordon Coventry
Collingwood

4
29
Leigh Matthews
Hawthorn

29
Wayne Schimmelbusch
North Melbourne

29
Bruce Doull
Carlton

Source: AFL Tables. Last updated: 10 September 2016.

text: Most finals goals[edit]

text:
Rank
Total
Player
Club/Clubs

1
112
Gordon Coventry
Collingwood

2
78
Jason Dunstall
Hawthorn

3
74
Jack Titus
Richmond

4
72
Leigh Matthews
Hawthorn

5
69
Lance Franklin
Hawthorn (46) / Sydney (23)

Last updated: 9 September 2017.

text: Coaching[edit]

text: Most games coached[edit]

text:
Rank
Total
Player
Club/Clubs

1
718
Mick Malthouse
Footscray, West Coast, Collingwood, Carlton

2
714
Jock McHale
Collingwood

3
678
Kevin Sheedy
Essendon, Greater Western Sydney

4
575
Allan Jeans
St Kilda, Hawthorn, Richmond

5
522
Tom Hafey
Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong, Sydney

Source: [17]. Last updated: 31 May 2015.

text: Most wins as coach[edit]

text:
Rank
Total
Player
Club/Clubs

1
467
Jock McHale
Collingwood

2
406
Mick Malthouse
Footscray, West Coast, Collingwood, Carlton

3
389
Kevin Sheedy
Essendon, Greater Western Sydney

4
357
Allan Jeans
St Kilda, Hawthorn, Richmond

5
336
Tom Hafey
Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong, Sydney

Source: [18]. Last updated: 31 May 2015.

text: Most premierships as coach[edit]

text:
Rank
Total
Coach
Year

1
8
Jock McHale
1917, 1919, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1935, 1936

2
6
Norm Smith
1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1964

3
5
Jack Worrall
1906, 1907, 1908, 1911, 1912

5
Frank 'Checker' Hughes
1932, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1948

5
4
Dick Reynolds
1942, 1946, 1949, 1950

4
Tom Hafey
1967, 1969, 1973, 1974

4
Ron Barassi
1968, 1970, 1975, 1977

4
Allan Jeans
1966, 1983, 1986, 1989

4
David Parkin
1978, 1981, 1982, 1995

4
Kevin Sheedy
1984, 1985, 1993, 2000

4
Leigh Matthews
1990, 2001, 2002, 2003

4
Alastair Clarkson
2008, 2013, 2014, 2015

Source: [19]. Last updated: 6 January 2016.

text: Player/Coach[edit]

text: Most games played and coached[edit]

text:
Rank
Total
Coach/Player
Teams Coached
Games Coached
Teams Played For
Games Played

1
929
Kevin Sheedy
Essendon, Greater Western Sydney
678
Richmond
251

2
892
Mick Malthouse
Footscray, West Coast, Collingwood, Carlton
718
St Kilda, Richmond
174

3
878
Jock McHale
Collingwood
714
Collingwood
261 (97 games as playing coach)

4
793
Leigh Matthews
Collingwood, Brisbane
461
Hawthorn
332

5
729
David Parkin
Hawthorn, Carlton, Fitzroy
518
Hawthorn
211

Source: AFL Tables – Coaches. Last updated: 31 May 2015.

text: Awards[edit]

text: Most Brownlow Medals[edit]

text:
Rank
Awards
Player
Club/Clubs
Years

1
3
Haydn Bunton, Sr.
Fitzroy
1931, 1932, 1935

3
Dick Reynolds
Essendon
1934, 1937, 1938

3
Bob Skilton
South Melbourne
1959, 1963, 1968

3
Ian Stewart
St Kilda, Richmond
1965, 1966, 1971

text: Most club best and fairests[edit]

text:
Rank
Awards
Player
Club/Clubs
Years

1
9
Kevin Murray
Fitzroy
1956, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1969

9
Bob Skilton
South Melbourne
1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968

3
8
Leigh Matthews
Hawthorn
1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982

4
7
Dick Reynolds
Essendon
1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1942, 1943

7
Bill Hutchison
Essendon
1947, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956

7
Gary Dempsey
Footscray, North Melbourne
1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979

7
Scott West
Western Bulldogs
1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005


document_title: Supporting characters on Will & Grace

question_text: who plays grace's dad on will and grace

question_tokens: who plays grace 's dad on will and grace

root

text: Supporting characters on Will & Grace

text: Supporting characters[edit]

text:
Actor
Character
Seasons

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Leigh-Allyn Baker
Ellen

Tom Gallop
Rob

Molly Shannon
Val Bassett

Debbie Reynolds
Bobbi Adler

Steve Paymer
Steve

Gregory Hines
Ben Doucette

Marshall Manesh
Mr. Zamir

Laura Kightlinger
Nurse Sheila

Sydney Pollack
George Truman

Tim Bagley
Larry

Jerry Levine
Joe

Sara Rue
Joyce Adler

Lesley Ann Warren
Tina

Woody Harrelson
Nathan

Leslie Jordan
Beverley Leslie

Blythe Danner
Marilyn Truman

Eileen Brennan
Zandra

Charles C. Stevenson Jr.
Smitty

Rip Torn
Lionel Banks

Harry Connick, Jr.
Dr. Marvin 'Leo' Markus

Minnie Driver
Lorraine Finster

Jamie Kaler
Gary

Emily Rutherfurd
Joanne

Jon Fleming
Russell

Bobby Cannavale
Vince D'Angelo

Alec Baldwin
Malcolm Widmark

Mathew Botuchis
Dave

Bernadette Peters
Gin

tag: table

text: Family members[edit]

text: Grace's family[edit]

text:
Dr. Marvin "Leo" Markus, portrayed by actor and singer Harry Connick, Jr., is a Jewish doctor and Grace's husband from the fifth season. Leo meets Grace Adler in Central Park while she is on her way to be artificially inseminated with gay best friend Will's baby. After Will finds out that Leo and Grace are dating, they have their biggest fight of the entire series, in which Will tells Grace to move out. Thanks to Jack and Karen's meddling, they forgive each other and Will accepts Grace's relationship. In November, 2002, Grace and Leo are married at a spontaneous group ceremony in Central Park, which was supposed to be broadcast on The Today Show. It was later revealed in the storyline that the ceremony was not legal, but the two officially marry at a ceremony soon after. Leo and Grace's relationship was a constant source of tension between Will and Grace, although they eventually achieved a certain accord with each other – Leo even commenting to Will at one point that he considered himself essentially married to both of them due to his ability to accept their close relationship. Leo's true first name is Marvin, as revealed by his mother at their wedding reception. According to The Nation Magazine, this was the first time in television history that a Jewish protagonist character had married inside the faith.[1] Grace immediately realizes she does not know as much about Leo as she expected. Their marriage fails after less than two years, when Leo reveals that he had a one-night stand while working in Cambodia for Doctors Without Borders. Leo admits his affair to Will first. Will then refuses to help Leo break the news to Grace. After Leo comes clean about his affair, Grace briefly considers continuing their marriage, but quickly decides she wants a divorce. Leo reappears during season eight, a little over a year after the divorce in the storyline, in the episode "Love Is in the Airplane." In the episode, he and Grace have a sexual encounter on an airplane after coincidentally ending up on the same flight to London, though Leo was to continue to Thailand. The result is Grace's pregnancy, as discovered in the season eight episode "The Definition of Marriage". A couple of months later Grace meets Leo, with the intention of telling him that she is pregnant with his baby, but he informs her that he is engaged to another woman, Kate. Consequently, Grace decides not to tell Leo about the pregnancy. In the series finale (May 2006) Leo tells a heavily pregnant Grace that he loves her. Leo has a job as a hospital researcher in Rome, Italy, and this is where Grace gives birth. After one year in Rome, Leo and Grace move back to Brooklyn, New York, where they raise their daughter, Laila, together. 11 years later in season 9 it was revealed that this was part of Karen’s dream.
Bobbi Adler, Grace's mother, was played by Debbie Reynolds. Bobbi is an actress and singer, although her performances are generally with the Schenectady Players and involve gender changing roles, in plays such as "Death of a Salesperson", "The Music Person" and "Queen Lear". She has a constant desire to meddle in the love lives of her daughters, is the creator of the Adler family "Told you so" dance, and can always be relied upon to have a song for every occasion. She has, in the past, shown a perfect willingness for Will and Grace to get married. It is mentioned in Season 9 episode "Rosario's Quinceañera" that she died.
Martin Adler, Grace's father, played by Alan Arkin and Robert Klein in Season 9[2]. Portrayed by his family as the stereotypical Jewish patriarch, Martin shows genuine affection for Grace, although remarks he has made suggest Joyce is his favorite. He has been known to pinpoint Grace's flaws without looking up from his Kojak and Baretta reruns.
Janet Adler, Grace's older sister, is played by Geena Davis and Mary McCormack in Season 9. Janet lives in a van and designs jewelry. Her nickname for Grace is "Smudge". It is once implied that she has difficulties with her mother. In the episode "Lows in the Mid-Eighties", Will asks if Grace has another sister named Janet, to which Bobbi, Joyce, and Grace quickly answer "No!"
Joyce Adler, Grace's younger sister, is played by Sara Rue. It is suggested that Grace and Joyce had a not too friendly relationship growing up, and that Joyce was formerly a binge eater. She is often hostile to Grace, but one word from Will and she tends to giggle and act girlishly; it appears that she, like Grace before her, has a crush on Will.
Laila Markus, Grace and Leo's daughter, is played by Maria Thayer. Laila was conceived by Leo and Grace on an aircraft, during a period where her parents were divorced. She was going to be raised by Will and Grace, but her parents remarried shortly before her birth. She appears on screen only during the series finale.
Warren, played by Jesse Fremont Allis, is the imaginary son of Grace and Leo in a dream that Grace has during the last episode of season 8. Grace and Will raise 'their' son together.

tag: ul

text: Will's family[edit]

text:
Vince D'Angelo, played by Bobby Cannavale. An Italian-American police officer, Vince first met Will after giving Karen a ticket for speeding and they started dating after the subsequent hearing. Vince was friends with Joe and Larry and began Will's first long-term relationship in the series' run. Vince broke up with Will, requesting time alone after repeatedly losing his job. He re-encountered Will in season 8 and, during the funeral of Will's father, they acknowledged their mutual feelings, thus rekindling their romance. In the finale, Will and Vince are shown to raise a son, Ben, together. 11 years later in season 9 it was revealed that this was part of Karen’s dream.
Marilyn Truman, Will's mother, is played by Blythe Danner. A typical WASP, Marilyn regularly drinks, collects Lladró statues and treats them as if they were her children, and put up with her husband's regular affairs until their ultimate separation. She is not a fan of musical theater – once claiming that Les Misérables was unrealistic because "poor people don't sing that much" – but was impressed with Mamma Mia!. She does not like the jokes Grace and Karen make about Will's sexuality, saying, "Is that a gay joke? I don't like that."
George Truman, Will's father, is played by Sydney Pollack. While he and Will have a close loving relationship, of which both Jack and Grace are envious, it is eventually revealed that he had trouble dealing with telling others of his son's sexuality, initially telling his friends Will was married to Grace. He dies in season 8, only days after having a fight with Will in which he admitted he would rather that Will was not gay.
Sam Truman, Will's brother, is played by John Slattery in season one and Steven Weber in season 8. He had a falling-out with Will over comments Will made about his wife, but reconciled after he had a one-night stand with Grace. He eventually divorced his wife and gained full custody of their two children.
Paul Truman, Will's brother, is played by Jon Tenney. Paul never really came to terms with his brother's sexuality and often behaved like a childish bully, belittling and insulting Will.
Peggy Truman, Paul's wife and Will's sister-in-law, is played by Helen Slater. She was only shown in one episode and came off as waspish and suspicious of Grace's friendly behavior towards her own husband.
Tina, George's mistress, is played by Lesley Ann Warren. She began a relationship with George while he was still married to Marilyn, but was dismayed to learn that George was then seeing his ex-wife behind her back. Ultimately she and Marilyn come to an understanding, that they will share George between them without him knowing what is going on. This arrangement apparently ended not long before George's death.
Jordy Truman, Sam's son and Will's nephew, is played by Reed Alexander. Flamboyant Jordan incenses Will, since Marilyn is incredibly accepting of him even though she was not at first accepting of Will. His nickname is Jordy. He is perceived to be gay by the other characters, although he is still a child, because of his flamboyant nature, love of show tunes and musicals, along with his general disposition.
Casey Truman, Sam's daughter and Will's niece, is played by Kyla Dang. Casey was adopted by Sam and his ex-wife.
Ben Truman, Will and Vince's son, is played by Ben Newmark. Appearing only during the series finale, Ben was apparently born from a surrogate mother using Will's sperm.[3] Upon going to college, he meets and later marries Grace's daughter, Laila.

text: Karen's family[edit]

text:
Stanley "Stan" Walker, Karen's third husband (little is known about her first two), is a mostly unseen character. He is an obese man, and has worn a toupee since his teens. Stan has two children from a previous marriage to a woman named Kathy. Karen fell in love with him in the 1980s but they didn't marry until 1995. Stan was jailed for tax evasion in season four, and began an affair with a cafeteria worker named Lorraine (played by Minnie Driver), and – after his release in season five – continued the affair, ultimately separating from Karen because of it. He is reported to have died at the end of season five but, at the end of season seven, he reveals to Will that he had faked his own death and is hiding out with the aid of the government. He and Karen reconcile in season 8, but subsequently faced marital difficulties and divorce. Stan's popularity with fast food establishments leads to Pizza Hut taking out a full-page ad in the New York Times to congratulate him on his release from prison; Taco Bell also organize a flyover at his funeral. It is revealed in the series finale that Stan's riches were actually borrowed and that he had no real money of his own.
Mason Walker, Stan's son, is another unseen character. He is known to Karen as "the fat one". During one episode, Karen visits Mason during a swim try-out. She cheers and applauds and has a conversation with him until, at the end, she realizes she has been conversing with the wrong boy and not Mason after all.
Olivia Walker, Stan's daughter, is played by Hallee Hirsh. Although she has had fun times with Karen, such as sticking food to the floor to see how long Mason will spend trying to eat it, she also has problems with her stepmother.
Lois Whitley, Karen's mother, played by Suzanne Pleshette. A con artist who used Karen in her early schemes. They had been estranged for several years when they reconciled in season 4, with the help of Jack.
Virginia "Ginny" Delaney, Karen's sister, played by Bernadette Peters. In 1963, as a child, she was injured in a brutal game of Twister played with Karen.
Barry, Karen's cousin, is played by Dan Futterman. Originally a gay bookish homebody, Karen had Will and Jack bring him out of his shell to become an attractive person whom both Will and Jack fall for.
Sylvia Walker, Karen's mother-in-law, is played by Ellen Albertini Dow. She is a woman that 'strikes fear in her heart-facsimile'. A seemingly kind, but homophobic old woman, Sylvia appears in one episode to accompany Will and Jack to a club. In the beginning neither Will nor Jack wanted to babysit Sylvia, known as "Syl". She had been dumped on them by Karen, who then ditched her. Karen and Syl have a caustic relationship.
Sumner, Karen's nephew, is played by Paul Satterfield. Karen tries to keep him from dating Grace in season 3.

text: Rosario Inez Consuela Yolanda Salazar[edit]

text: Karen Walker's put-upon but faithful maid portrayed by actress Shelley Morrison. In 1985, Rosario met Karen Walker at a club, while working as a cigarette lady, and went to work for her as a maid, which was where she was working when the series began in 1998. Rosario and Karen are very close, but their relationship is love-hate. They are notorious for swapping insults. Rosario is just as feisty as Karen, and is one of the few people who manage to go head-to-head with her. A native of El Salvador, Rosario was a school teacher who received a bachelor's degree in clinical psychology from the University of Texas and who almost got a master's degree. She also attended business school. At some point, she moved to the Bronx, presumably while studying business; however, Karen makes a comment that she bought Rosario from Rosario's parents. While there, she also performed with a then-unknown Jennifer Lopez, including a production of "Tea for Two" at the Shalom Retirement Center. At one point, she was also paid to tape pornographic videos for Tommy Lee. Although she had been mentioned by Karen since the pilot episode, Rosario's first appearance was in the season 1 finale. Due to Karen's patronizing tone, we're made to think that Rosario doesn't speak English well. Rosario actually speaks English fluently, albeit with a thick accent, but is an illegal alien. To keep her in the country, Karen has her marry Jack McFarland, her gay friend, to get a green card. The marriage was later terminated at the end of season 2 when Rosario asked for a divorce in order to pursue other romantic interests. However, she maintained a close relationship with Jack (often echoing hers with Karen) and claimed to still think of him as family. In the series finale, Rosario was shown to have lived with Karen and Jack in the years after the show ended, growing older with them and possibly still working for them despite being in a wheelchair (though she states that she is only in the wheelchair due to a sprained ankle).

tag: p

text: Jack's family[edit]

text:
Judith McFarland, Jack's mother, is played by Veronica Cartwright. Despite the obvious clues, Judith did not learn about Jack's sexuality until he was 30. She was impregnated with Jack while at a swinger's costume and pool party.
Daniel McFarland, Jack's stepfather, is played by Beau Bridges. Daniel always had trouble relating to Jack, due to his own athleticism and Jack's lack thereof. Despite Jack's statements to the contrary, Daniel is shown to be a caring man who is at least recently trying to reconnect with Jack.
Joe Black, Jack's biological father. Never portrayed on screen, Joe was revealed to have attended a swingers costumed pool party during the 60s, where he was dressed as Richard Nixon. During the party he impregnated Judith, who was dressed as the rear end of a horse. He dies several years before Jack discovers that Daniel McFarland is not his biological father.
Elliott, Jack's son, is played by Michael Angarano. Shortly after learning of his biological father's death, Jack meets Elliott – his biological son created from sperm Jack donated at the age of 17. He is described by Will as, "Polite, sweet, and kind" which, he says, is the reason Karen initially dislikes him. His relationship with Jack is shown to be very close – Jack noting in one episode that he wants to avoid being the kind of father he had as he always regretted the fact that they never really connected. However, they have a brief rift when Elliott prepares to leave for college during the last season.
Bonnie, Elliott's mother, is played by Rosie O'Donnell. Initially, Bonnie did not want Jack to be included in Elliott's life. Bonnie was a lesbian, but was not open about her sexuality to Elliott. She felt jealous that Jack found it easy to be open with Elliott about his sexuality when she did not feel she could be.

text: Friends[edit]

text:
Rob and Ellen, Will and Grace's close friends, are played by Tom Gallop and Leigh-Allyn Baker. Ellen and Grace were best friends since college, as were Rob and Will, and the two couples regularly played charades and other games during dinner parties. Grace also sleeps with Rob in season one when they were both going through break-ups and felt emotionally vulnerable, a fact that didn't come up until Rob and Ellen's wedding some years later. The couple did get married, however, and have since had three children, the youngest named Roman (which is the name of Debra Messing's real-life son, born in 2004). Rob and Ellen want to separate, so that they could begin dating other people, and they announce their separation at a dinner date with Will and Grace. Grace makes them realize that they had worked at their marriage and they should remain together; and also keenly reminded them that no one else would have them. Rob and Ellen decided to give their marriage another chance.
Joe and Larry are Will, Jack and Grace's close friends, and are played by Jerry Levine and Tim Bagley. A gay couple, once party animals, Joe and Larry adopted a baby girl called Hannah in season three. Karen occasionally refers to them as "Mo and Mary", with "Mo" being a play on the word "Homo".
Val Bassett, a neighbor of Will and Grace, is played by Molly Shannon. Slightly unstable, and alcoholic, Val originally befriends only Will, until Grace eventually discovers some common interests with her. Both of them still consider her unstable, as does Jack, who found her as an uninvited guest in his bedroom. When Grace accidentally attends an AA meeting, she is seen there by Val, who coerces her to stay. Grace pretends to be an alcoholic for the "free food and therapy".
Beverley Leslie, played by Leslie Jordan, is an effeminate and very short "frenemy" of Karen's. Having a wealthy spouse, as Karen does, Karen and Beverley routinely find themselves traveling in the same society circle of the wealthy and elite. Their relationship is that of friends and enemies. Beverley's wife's name is Crystal and is considerably older than he is. His marriage seems to be held together purely out of his love of Crystal's money. Karen, Will, Grace, and Jack see Beverley as a closeted gay man. He is often seen with a younger attractive man named Benji who appears to be his lover, but Beverley tries to pass him off as a "business associate". When Beverley appears on screen he often catches the other characters by surprise. Sometimes his appearance comes after a character says something that could be comically associated with him. For instance, whilst discussing a dessert, Jack says, "I want something small and fruity, with ladyfingers," and Beverley enters. Beverley and Karen often trade insults, as Karen enjoys ridiculing him for his height. Whenever he appears on screen he can usually be heard saying 'Well, Well, Well' in an effeminate way. Crystal later dies and Beverley inherits the fortune. Some years later Karen's husband Stan loses his fortune, putting Karen's extravagant lifestyle in jeopardy. Beverley presumably spends several more years with Benji after Crystal's death, and then begins seeing a reluctant Jack, who only dated Beverley to support Karen's excessive spending habits, as she had done for him for so many years. During the series finale Beverley is swept off a balcony by a strong gust of wind and dies, leaving his estate in his will to Jack.
Rory, Toby, and Josh are friends of Jack who are never seen, but mentioned in various episodes. Early in Season 3 Rory is mentioned as being into Asian men. In Season 4 Josh, Toby and Jack watch a video of Will freezing up on camera talking about Stanley Walker, but Josh and Toby leave before Will gets home.

text: Love interests[edit]

text: Grace[edit]

text:
Nathan, played by Woody Harrelson. Nathan is Grace's neighbor in season 3, who becomes her boyfriend. They appear to be a good match, but early in Season 4 he abruptly proposes to her during sex and she becomes distraught at the unromantic nature of his proposal, forcing him to take it back and ask again in a more romantic way. For several days they are awkward around each other and, fearing that their relationship is over, Grace proposes to Nathan who reluctantly refuses and breaks up with her.
Ben Doucette, played by Gregory Hines, is introduced in mid-season 2. Grace sues him after he violates her contract of employment, firing her without reimbursement for expenses she incurred while decorating his house. Although at first he played Grace and Will, who was representing her, he eventually gave her the money voluntarily and hired Will to work at his renowned law firm. Grace and he disliked each other for the rest of the season, until the season finale when Ben showed her his more humane face, when Will invited him to dine with them. They then started a happy, semi-monogamous relationship that lasted for roughly six months, until they broke up early in Season 3 when they realized that they were not in love.
Josh, played by Corey Parker. A sweet, romantic New Age-y man whom Grace dates in season 2. Grace often has issues with him being far too affectionate and nice, to the point of being obnoxious. The two broke up because Jack confessed that he had slept with him.
Nick, played by Edward Burns. A greetings-card writer who falls for Grace when he meets her one Valentine's Day in season 7, after her divorce from Leo. Nick is the first guy Grace starts dating after her divorce with Leo. They decide to break up when he has to go out of the country to work on a screenplay he wrote.
Tom Cassidy, played by Eric Stoltz. An old friend of Grace's, now married, with whom she reunited briefly at the end of season 7. He asks her to help design his and his wife's hotel, yet she still feels chemistry with him and kisses him. She nearly takes it further, but feels guilty and breaks it off with him at the beginning of season 8.
Danny, played by Tom Verica, Grace's long-term boyfriend from roughly 1995–1998, whom she nearly marries in the pilot episode. She realizes, after Will advised her against the marriage, that Danny was too immature for her, and practically leaves him at the altar. They reunite at the end of season 1, much to Will's dismay. Yet again Grace decides that she does not love him and, after roughly a week (one episode), Grace breaks up with him off-screen.
Mark, played by Ken Marino, is another of Grace's partners in Season 3, "Three's a Crowd, Six is a Freakshow". She dumps him because he has 6 toes, although the actual 6th toe was not seen in the episode.

text: Will[edit]

text:
Barry, played by Dan Futterman. Karen sets up her hopeless cousin Barry with Will, shortly after he comes out. Will and Jack soon undertake a Pygmalion-esque attempt at turning Barry into a more confident gay man, ending when Will falls for Barry though Barry wants to play around before settling down.
James Hanson, played by Taye Diggs. Will meets James at a Manhattan theater and the two have an immediate connection. He later runs into James while on a trip to Los Angeles. James has recently discovered he is going to be deported back to Canada. Grace agreed to marry James so that he can acquire a green card in order to remain in the United States, thus giving James and Will's relationship a chance. However, Will soon discovers James was not who he thought he was, as James began showing himself to be self-centered. Will requests that Grace annul their marriage.
Matthew, played by Patrick Dempsey, is a sports reporter Will meets at a Banana Republic store while trying to help Jack woo him. Jack and Matt have little in common and Will instead finds himself in a relationship with him. They date for a while but Matt's refusal to come out leads to their break-up.
Scott, played by Branden Williams, is Will's 23-year-old date in two episodes in season 3, and works at a local video rental shop. Although they get along well together, Will feels self-conscious about dating Scott, who is quite a bit younger than he is. Will agrees to break it off with Scott if Grace agrees to dump Nathan. Grace agrees and Will breaks up with Scott, though Grace keeps on seeing Nathan.
Diane, played by Mira Sorvino & Lisa Borgnes, is a woman with whom Will has a drunken one-night stand in order to convince himself he was a 100% gay after leaving Grace. She is also one of Leo's exes. Both of these facts make Grace very jealous. Diane states that Will is much better in bed than Leo. Diane was shown briefly (though she had no lines) in the season 3 episode titled "Lows In the Mid-Eighties", but was played by a writer's assistant, Lisa Borgnes.
Claire, played by Megyn Price, is Will's high school friend and girlfriend, the first of the only two women Will has ever dated, the second being Grace. She lives in Paris and asks Will to donate sperm so that she can have a baby, but Will realizes that if he was going to donate sperm he wanted to donate it to Grace.
Michael, played by Chris Potter in season 2 and Cheyenne Jackson in season 9, is a mostly unseen character and is Will's lover of seven years. When the sitcom first appeared, he and Michael had recently broken up. Michael appears in the episode "Hey La, Hey La, My Ex-Boyfriend's Back", which aired on March 14, 2000. He is mentioned occasionally by Will and Grace, and more than once Will refers to him as the love of his life. In the early seasons of the show Will has a hard time letting him go. He and Will begin dating again in season 9, but Will ends ti when Michael asks for money.

text: Karen[edit]

text:
Lyle Finster, played by John Cleese. Lyle is the father of Stan's mistress, Lorraine. He becomes Karen's fourth husband for about 20 minutes until the couple realize how little they had in common outside of the bedroom.
Scott Woolley, played by Jeff Goldblum. Wooley is the man who lost to Karen for Student Body President and has spent his life hatching schemes to ruin her. Sadly, his schemes are often poorly thought out and eventually Grace realises that he doesn't hate Karen, he loves her. However, his attempts to woo her are as misguided as his previous ones. Woolley also has a dreadful sense of word-play (i.e. "The Scotty Mammoth", "Beam me up, Woolley"). He also changes his first name when using an alias, whereas most people change their last names.
Lionel Banks, played by Rip Torn. Banks is a bachelor who falls for Karen, under her alias Anastasia Beaverhausen, while Stan is in jail and tempts her into having an affair.
Malcolm Widmark, played by Alec Baldwin. Widmark is a government agent who helps Stan fake his death. He has a brief relationship with Karen before she reconciles with Stan, and Widmark goes on a government mission to Sri Lanka. Malcolm reappears in the final two episodes of season 9, where it is revealed that he and Karen go on a rendezvous trip every year. However, Malcolm is very tired of having to hide from Stan and pressures Karen into deciding between him and Stan. Though she is reluctant to change their situation and despite both of them being tempted to give in to each other, Karen decides to stay with Stan and she and Malcolm share an awkward goodbye.

text: Jack[edit]

text:
Stuart Lamarack, played by Dave Foley, is a client of Will's who becomes Jack's longest relationship, until Jack cheats on him.
Drew, played by Ryan Pinkston, is a police officer, Vince’s co-worker and Jack’s boyfriend for the second half of season 9. Jack meets him at Vince D’Angelo’s wedding in “The Wedding”. As Drew is the only cop at the wedding whose favourite show is “This is Us”, Jack concludes he must be gay and sleeps with him. This turns out to be the first gay experience for the formerly straight Drew, who reveals he is married, tells Jack he loves him and then introduces him to his wife Angela. Jack is annoyed at that revelation, but later comes to relish it and he and Drew go at it in the bathroom. In the next episode, Jack and Drew start seeing each other secretly and Jack, nervous about screwing things up too soon, advises a reluctant Drew to hold off on coming out to Angela for the time being. He even supports the alibi of them being just guy friends by having Karen pose as his wife. However, Karen, reminded of her mother’s unhappiness in her marriage, outs both Jack and Drew in front of Angela, who is surprisingly supportive and arranges a coming out party for Drew, much to Jack’s distress. Jack admits to Drew that he fears missing out on other great men in his life, but when Karen reminds him of his fear of being old and lonely, which is even worse, he decides to give Drew another chance. In “One Job”, after two months of dating, Drew breaks up with Jack, admitting he is not ready for a serious commitment at the moment and wants to see other people. Jack is devastated at the breakup, as he realises that he is now ready to settle down with someone.
Jack has countless short-term lovers over the course of the series (and presumably long before and after), although most are never mentioned by name, or mentioned at all; it is constantly assumed, and not always stated, that he has multiple boyfriends in every episode. Due to Jack's promiscuity, and his habit of forgetting his boyfriends' names, it would be literally impossible to list all of his love interests over the course of the show. Will jokes that if he was to avoid every man that Jack has ever slept with, "that would leave [him] with women." Grace jokes that if everyone stopped working for every man that broke his heart "the city would shut down." Jack also comments that he goes on thousands of dates a year.

text: Other supporting characters[edit]

text:
Lorraine Finster, played by Minnie Driver, is Stan's mistress. She is a slutty prison cafeteria worker (and, it is implied, prostitute) who instantly forms a hatred of Karen. She was Karen's stepdaughter very briefly (for about 20 minutes) when Lyle, her father, marries Karen. Lorraine was unable to attend the wedding due to an aggressive strain of herpes that kept her from flying. According to the episode "The Accidental Tsuris" she was raised as a girl, despite being genetically male or perhaps a hermaphrodite. It is implied she was estranged from her father for several years and may have been born out of wedlock.
Harlin Polk, played by Gary Grubbs, is a major client of Will's in season one who ultimately fires him.
Mrs. Freeman, played by Jo Marie Payton, is an executive assistant at Doucette & Stein, her most commonly uttered phrase is "Mm-hmm" which is often said with sass.
Zandra Zoggin, played by Eileen Brennan, is Jack's crusty acting coach and a chain-smoking former Hollywood star. After Jack takes over her class, Zandra loses her interest in life and ends up in an actor's retirement village.
Dr. Jay Markus, played by Tom Skerritt, is Leo's father and Grace's eventual father-in-law. She meets him during brunch, thinking he is one of Leo's "old friends".
Eleanor Markus, played by Judith Ivey, is Leo's mother and a noted author of three books on theatre; she meets Grace during brunch alongside her husband. She also is the first to tell her new daughter-in-law her son's actual name, Marvin.
Mr. Stein, played by Gene Wilder, is the senior partner at Will's firm, an eccentric man who takes a liking to Will. He refers to Will as "Gay Will," but without at first realising that Will is actually gay. He and Karen are attracted to each other, but nothing comes of it. He is away from the office for some time prior to season 5 due to a mental breakdown and subsequent incarceration in a mental facility; having been referred to in the company letter-head as running "The London Office" in his absence.
Margot, played by Lily Tomlin, is a senior partner at Will's firm, who apparently takes over after Mr. Stein. She is also quite eccentric and sarcastic. She promotes Will to partner.
Dorleen, played by Parker Posey, is Jack's bitchy, chain-smoking boss during his brief tenure at Barneys New York.
Mr. Zamir, played by Marshall Manesh, is an obnoxious tenant in Will and Grace's building, with a tendency to take off his shirt and to steal Will and Grace's newspapers.
Benji, played by Brian A. Setzer, is Beverley Leslie's "business associate" and boytoy.
Joanne, played by Emily Rutherfurd, is a student of Zandra's acting class who becomes a devoted follower of Jack and his "McFarland method".
Russell, played by Jon Fleming, is a handsome, muscular student of Zandra's acting class who is often asked by Jack to take his shirt off when Jack is teaching the "McFarland method".
Julius, played by Neil Vipond, is Bobbi Adler's close friend and a pianist.
Gary, played by Jamie Kaler, is Will's coworker at Doucette and Stein.
Nurse Sheila, played by Laura Kightlinger, is a rather creepy nurse who works at the sperm bank (where Will visits, intending to donate sperm to his high-school friend Claire). She openly admits she is a whore in season 4 (when Will and Grace are planning to have a baby together), and thereafter seems to appear whenever Will goes into a hospital. She is pregnant in season 8 and attends birth-classes alongside Grace. Her brother, a doctor played by guest-star Jack Black (Kightlinger's real-life former boyfriend), claims he would be "tappin' that big time" if they weren't related.
Dave, played by Mathew Botuchis, is the only openly straight worker at OutTV, the gay network where Jack works in the last seasons. Jack is unimpressed with his heterosexuality and instead refers to him as Elizabeth.
Jamie, played by John Ducey, is the station manager at OutTV.
Tim, played by Mark Harelik, is a member of Senior Management at OutTV.
Jimmy, played by Sam Pancake, is a colleague of Jack's at OutTV.
Smitty, played by Charles C. Stevenson Jr, is a bartender who regularly serves Karen at different establishments. She has been known to call other bartenders "Smitty", even when they tell her it isn't their name. If Karen is depressed Smitty will tell her a tragic story about his own life, which she will laugh at thinking it is a joke.

text: Guest stars playing one-time characters[edit]

text:
Shohreh Aghdashloo, as Pam, an incompetent Iranian hired by Grace who she then fires upon realizing Pam is Jewish and thus she 'doesn't owe (her) anything'.
Rosanna Arquette, as Julie, a masseuse who lives in the same building as Leo and Grace.
Orson Bean, as Professor Joseph Dudley, a gay former literature professor of Will and Grace.
Jason Biggs, as Baby Glenn, a former local celebrity and a guest at Will's auction.
Roscoe Lee Browne, as Linus, owner of a landmark gay bookstore about to be turned into a gym.
Jack Black (uncredited), as Dr. Isaac Hershberg. He examines Karen and is also the brother of the occasionally seen nurse Sheila, played by show writer and Black's girlfriend at the time, Laura Kightlinger.
Richard Chamberlain, as Clyde, an elderly man who Will brings to game night, much to Grace's chagrin
Glenn Close, as Fannie Lieber (a play on celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz), a noted photographer who takes Will and Grace's picture.
Joan Collins, as Helena Barnes, a designer with whom Grace competes for a job, and a nemesis of Karen's.
Macaulay Culkin, as Jason Towne, a lawyer representing Karen in her divorce from Stan.
Tim Curry, as Marion Finster, Lyle Finster's brother.
Matt Damon, as Owen, Jack's heterosexual rival, pretending to be gay to vie for a spot in the Manhattan Gay Men's Chorus.
Kristin Davis, as Nadine, Vince's straight female friend – the same as Grace is to Will.
Ellen DeGeneres, as Sister Louise, a nun to whom Will sells Grace's uncle's old car.
Michael Douglas, as Gavin Hatch, a somewhat closeted gay police detective who becomes attracted to Will and has issues with seeing food stuck in people's teeth.
Christine Ebersole, as Candy Pruitt, another of Karen's rivals.
Edie Falco, as Deirdre, one of a pair of lesbian real-estate "flippers".
Victor Garber, as Peter Bovington, a former actor now working as a doorman.
Andy García, as Milo, a restaurateur, and lover of Karen's, who fails to phone Karen after their date and is confronted by Grace.
Sara Gilbert, as Cheryl who, like Will, is a Barry Manilow fanatic, a.k.a. "fanilow".
Seth Green, as Randall Finn, a former child star.
Clark Gregg, as Cameron, Jack's wealthy boyfriend who becomes Grace's client.
Neil Patrick Harris, as Bill, the leader of a group of so-called "former" lesbians and gays.
Alex Kapp Horner, as Alice Robinson, one of Grace's former classmates.
Peter Jacobson, as Paul Budnik, an overbearing guy who Will dates but is more fond of his dog.
Kathryn Joosten, as the owner to a cabin Grace finds money in.
Stacy Keach, as Wendell Schacter, a former colleague of Jack's who usurps his acting class.

Piper Laurie, as Sharon Timmers, the best friend of Professor Joseph Dudley.
Michele Lee, as Lucille, one of the lesbians who ended up dancing with both Will & Jack.
Hal Linden, as Alan Mills, an elderly gay man who befriends Will and bestows expensive gifts upon him.
Natasha Lyonne, as Gillian, Grace's intern who decides to turn into the spitting image of Karen.
Madonna, as Liz, Karen's roommate.
Lee Majors, as Burt Wolfe, a friend of Grace's father.
Camryn Manheim, as Psychic Sue.
Jason Marsden, as Kim, a friend of Leo's.
Dylan McDermott, as Tom, a boyfriend of Will's who is very closely attached to his elderly mother.
Michael McDonald, as a Don, a student in a cooking class Will takes and dates his brother.
Julian McMahon, guy in an elevator who Grace flirts with.
Demi Moore, as Sissy, Jack's former babysitter.
Nick Offerman, as a plumber that Karen has sex with on Thanksgiving when Stan asks her to be sexually active while he is still in jail.
Offerman appeared in season 9 as Jackson Boudreaux, a celebrity chef who meets Will and Grace at a cooking class, and begins a sexual relationship with both of them.
Sharon Osbourne, as a bartender in No Sex N' in the City.
Peter Paige, as a gay Immigration and Naturalization Service officer whom Jack tries to convince his marriage with Rosario is real.
Scott Patterson, as Grace's former high school crush in "Das Boob".
Sara Paxton, as Melanie, the head cheerleader at Elliot's school.
Luke Perry, as Aaron, a "hot gay nerd" bird-watcher on whom Jack develops a crush.
Jeremy Piven, as Nicholas, Grace's ex. who asks Grace if she wants to join him in a threesome with his current lover.
Chita Rivera, as Lenore, one of the lesbians who ended up dancing with Will & Jack.
Brandon Routh, as Sebastian, a stud whom Alan Mills replaces Will with, after the two have a falling out over Will's misinterpretation of their relationship.
Chloë Sevigny, as Monet, a wealthy bisexual real-estate agent who falls for Will.
Nicollette Sheridan, as Dr. Danielle Morty, a fellow doctor who wanted Leo sexually.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler, as Ro, Vince's lesbian sister.
Britney Spears, as Amber Louise, a conservative Christian and a "hardcore lesbian" as she describes herself, and a co-host to Jack on his talk show.
Wendie Jo Sperber, as April, Grace's short-lived housekeeper.
Sharon Stone, as Georgia Keller, Will and Grace's therapist.
Larry Sullivan, as Robert, Will's ballet dancing boyfriend on the holiday episode "Jingle Balls".
Wanda Sykes, as Cricket, a woman Karen offers to pay to deliver a child for her.
Tamlyn Tomita, as Naomi, half of the couple that takes Will and Grace out all night.
Rip Torn, as Lionel Banks, a man with whom Karen almost cheats on Stan with during his incarceration.
Stuart Townsend, as Edward, Karen's pansexual pastry chef, who ends up "sexing" Will, Karen, and Rosario.
Tracey Ullman, as Anne, the instructor of a couples cooking class that Will, Jack, and Jack's boyfriend Stuart attend.
Steve Valentine, as Kai, half of the couple that takes Will and Grace out all night.
Steven Weber, as Will's brother Sam.

text: Guest stars playing themselves[edit]

text:
Kevin Bacon
Candice Bergen
Sandra Bernhard
Cher
Katie Couric
John Edward
Jennifer Lopez

Rudy Galindo
Hall & Oates
Deborah Harry
Janet Jackson
Elton John
James Earl Jones

Matt Lauer
Stone Phillips
Josh Lucas
Patti LuPone
Barry Manilow
Martina Navratilova

Bebe Neuwirth
Al Roker
George Takei
Rip Taylor