The Cast of "Fraiser"

Is Davis Hyde Pierce still with his hubby? I haven't seen pics of them together or heard anything about them in years it seems like.

I loved the show from start to finish. I was a male version of Roz and she was my favorite.

yes r1...I saw a picture of them the other day attending some Broadway function.

I love David Hyde Pierce. His timing is impeccable and his physical comedy skills are a joy to behold. The fight scene with Maris's fencing instructor is my very favorite.

Since finding out Kelsey Grammer is a right-wing retard moron bigot idiot, I find it a lot harder to watch these shows in repeats.

But I did love it when it was on, at least for the first several years.

Thanks, OP!

Any gossip about what it was like on set? I know Jane Leeves (Daphne), Peri Gilpin (Roz), and John Mahoney (Martin) were all close, but I wonder how they got along with Kelsey.

bump

WHET Peri Gilpin? Frasier ended almost eight years ago, and I haven't really seen her in anything but guest appearances. She was a good actress, I wonder why she's had so little work?

I miss seeing Peri too. I wish they had put her in Hot in Cleveland instead of the insipid Valerie. Maybe she's just sitting around rolling her Frasier money.

I miss Peri too. She would be good on Hot in Cleveland, but I also like Val.

The could get rid of Jane Leeves or Wendi Malick for Peri. (Hot in Cleveland)

She was a guest star in Hot In Cleveland. She also had a role in Grey's Anatomy this year.

I wonder if she knew Roz was really a gay 20 year old.

Peri plays a supporting role on the ABC Family show Make It or Break It.

Peri was the daughter of a pretty well known weatherperson here in the Philly area. He was named Jim O'Brien and he was weatherman on the ABC station, channel 6. (One of his successors was the Father of David Boreanaz.)

Anyhow, O'Brien was a confirmed sky diver and was down the shore jumping out of planes for the day when his parachute failed to open and he died in a fall on the beach. Much sorrow and unhappiness for Jim because he was pretty popular with the population.

The next year during a sand sculpture competition at the shore, some wise guy planted a pair of men's boots upside down in a pile of sand and titled it : "Jim O'Brien"..the judges were not amused.

I thought the entire cast was wonderful although I got tired of the Daphne Moon character.

I also loved the actress who played Frasier's agent for a short time. I thought she was tremendous.

I didn't like Daphe either.

Nor did I.

Bebe loves smoking!

According to the current issue of EW, Peri will be appearing in the last four episodes of CSI this season, as the (heretofore unseen) wife of Ted Danson.

Since Danson's character and Elizabeth Shue's character have a hinted-at romantic history, this should be interesting...

I think Peri Gilpin is an incredibly sexy woman. She's in fact the only woman to whom I've ever found myself that attracted.

'Frasier' is one of those rare shows like 'Seinfeld' that has really held up over the years. The writing (with the exception of the last 2 or 3 seasons) was always quite inspired. I think one of the funniest plot lines was when Frasier and Niles decide to take a class in automotive repair, thinking they'll have no issue breezing thru the vocational subject matter. But instead of being top of the class, they realize they're totally clueless and quickly recover by becoming the class clowns. Say what you want about Grammer's politics, but there's no denying he and DHP were pretty damn perfect in those roles. Not to mention the killer supporting cast of Mahoney, Leeves, Gilpin and the recurring station personalities (Edward Hibbert, Dan Butler, Tom McGowan) and Harriet Harris as Bebe his manager.

Now if only Paramount coughed up the cash and put out new editions on DVD/Bluray that actually have some special features. It's pretty unbelievable how barren (and in most cases, totally nonexistent) the special features on on all 10+ seasons of Frasier as compared to the Seinfeld DVDs (which have become the golden standard for TVDs)

Best, most talented cast of any sitcom ever. LOVE DHP and would watch him in anything.

Dan Butler ("Bulldog Briscoe") had a couple of standout scenes. I recall one where he stripped down and tried to jump in bed with Roz, and another even sexier scene where he was making out with someone (probably Roz but I don't remember) and was pressing his body up into her against a door ...I think he may have been naked in that too because I think part of his ass was visible in the scene (surprising that they got away with a few partial ass shots on NBC).

I also think it's strange that Kelsey Grammer is *not* gay, because not only the core cast of Frasier but the vast majority of the onscreen cameo roles was a parade of gay actors.

Does anyone know if all of the Frasier episodes available are played on syndication? It seems like they cycle through the same shows over and over. I've found episodes on Youtube and they all seem to be the same that are on syndication.

Remember when Daphne Moon used to be a crazy physic. Then they dropped that entirely because they didn't want her to be crazy.

Special mention must also be made of crazy Jane Adams as Maris.

And Marsha Mason as Martin's gf.

And Anthony LaPaglia and Millicent Martin as Daphne's cockney brother and mother.

And Jean Smart as Frasier's psychotic gf.

Sadly, it all fell apart when Niles confessed his love to Daphne and then Jane Leeves went through an entire season pregnant before Daphne could be.

R26, Maris was an unseen character - Jane Adams played Mel, the plastic surgeon Niles dated before hooking up with Daphne.

I agree with what you said about Niles and Daphne and the show falling part after they got together.

Ooooh, I knew as I was typing "Maris" it was somehow just wrong.

OMG I fucking loved Bebe. I also loved Marsha Mason.

The entire run is available free on Amazon Prime video.

I hated the season where Jane Leeves was pregnant but to cover it they just wrote it as Daphne getting fat. She became the butt of fat jokes from everyone and then went to a fat farm to lose weight. It was all so out of character for everyone to make such mean jokes, especially Niles. I just felt like the writers could have come up with a better response. Or just keep hiding her belly like most sitcoms do.

Harriet Harris (Bebe) was the best thing that show ever did. She was amazing. (Did you ever see her in Momento? She's totally unrecognizable).

Daphne was the weakest link on this show. Just wasn't very funny.

And like some of the other posters, once I found what a rightwing lunatic Grammer is, I lost interest in ever seeing the show again.

I think one of the problems with the later seasons is there was too much focus on Fraiser wanting to find true love. They brought in a bunch of multi-episode guest love interests and it was all about his love life angst who he really did not have any chemistry. Coupled with the angst of Daphne and Niles, the show shifted away from its strengths when it tried to make the brothers romantic leads.

In light of a comment in another thread about David Hyde Pierce not making a splash in films, I stumbled upon him in the lead role in "The Perfect Host" from 2010. What a bizarre film that was -- misguided in so many ways.

I think I read somewhere that the producers, at least initially, were not big fans of Period Gilpin's acting. I'm not sure if they ever changed their minds. But it was obvious that they had a hard time involving her in stories. When the Cranes went all on vacations or other trips Roz would be the one staying in Seattle. It was very late in the show that Roz could just stop by at Frasier's place to say hello. Usually there was an elaborate excuse needed, for her to show up at the Crane's residence.

Wasn't Lisa Kudrow the first choice for the role of Roz? She stuck with "Friends" when that got picked up instead.

DHP belongs in the hairy chest thread.

Grammer is so physically repulsive, shirtless scenes made me gag. He's said he wouldn't attend the gay marriage of any of his castmates and fired Bulldog as an example to the gay cast of just how disposable they were.

R36, I think Lisa was actually fired from FRASIER. I don't think it was her decision.

Harriet Sansom Harris as Bebe was one of my favorites and I think that she only appeared in one episode per season.

One of my favorite episodes was when they were going to an awards ceremony when Roz was very pregnant. When asked how she looked, Frasier said, "Roz, you look divine." to which she replied, "No, I look like Divine." Hilarious.

Yeah sometimes the Frasier love scenes made me gag. That was the one big weakness of the show when they treated him as a sex symbol. I thought for a supporting character that wasn't part of the family Roz go a lot of screen time.

I loved the scenes with Niles and Roz when they hated each other. However my favorite scene between them was when Roz helped Niles out. It was when he was having his breakdown and Roz found him naked in the alley by the coffee shop and she rescued him.

"well I didn't want you to wake up in an alley, naked and surrounded by cops. I know what THAT'S like and I didn't want it to happen to you"

It's the same mentality that treated Seinfeld as a sex symbol. It was always written as if Jerry was some stud who deserved hot women.

Jean Smart won two Emmys for her role on Fraiser, while Anthony LaPaglia won one.

Very, very clever show, but I can't watch it.

Kelsey Grammer makes me want to vomit blood.

Grammer looked slimmer and quite a bit younger (or at least different) in his cameo on "30 Rock" a couple of seasons ago. Surgery?

Don't forget Laura Linney as his last (and, presumably, true) love, Charlotte.

I always thought Peri Gilpin was the weak link in the cast. Not at all funny. Strange to see so many people raving about her.

Another Roz lover here!! Peri rocked!

Frasier: Roz, why is it that whenever we try to have a serious discussion, we always end up talking about your sex life?

Roz: [smugly] Because I have one.

Martin: "Maris hasn't taken up horseback riding, has she?"

Niles: "No, no, she wanted to but unfortunately her little quadracepts are so tight she's incapable of straddling anything larger than a border collie."

Niles's lines were so gay.

Niles notices Roz checking out a man

Niles: Are you quite finished undressing him with your eyes?

Roz: Oh, please. I'm already looking for my stockings and trying to remember where I parked my car.

Roz was a gay man. LOL

Niles ironing his pants is one of the funniest scenes ever. All without any dialogue. Brilliant.

Niles was the best in the show.

Harriett Samson Harris was absolutely hilarious in this show. They should have given her an Emmy every time she showed up. I remember the episode where she's trying to lure Frasier back after he's dropped her, and through a series of coincidences, the room becomes smoky, lit with red light, etc., and when she puts her hand on his shoulder, he says, "Get your tentacles off me!" In another ep she was taking all her goofball clients around on a bus, which she called "Bebe's Caravan of Stars".

For a sitcom, this show also had some very touching moments as well, like the episode where Martin goes to the parole hearing every year of the guy who shot him, or the episode featuring Rita Wilson as their late mother. Any episode with young Frasier and Niles was great. And let's not forget Frederic and the great, great Bebe Neuwirth!!

"Air violin"

I liked the character of Roz and the lines she was given, but I always thought Peri was terribly miscast. Her deadpan delivery was just bad acting.

R51 that is one of my favorite episodes. It always gives me a fit of giggles.

Is Kelsey really a homophobe? I recall one hilarious episode where he befriends Patrick Stewart and Stewart starts wooing him with gifts and Frasier actually considers it for a split second.

And the gay themed episode where the hot guy from Caroline in the City was in love with Frasier(again gag) and he thought Frasier was gay. That was one of the best episodes.

"I'll learn to love again."

Is Season 4 generally considered the best?

I never thought Peri Gilpin brought all that much to the show. I didn't like Roz.

No backstage gossip about this show? Surely Grammar's problems with addictions and strippers produced good tales on the set.

We need threads like this for a lot of shows. Someone make a "the cast of Will And Grace" thread please. Wanna hear more about Deb Messing!

I remember Grammer was really bitter about all the promotion NBC was giving "Friends" when it went off the air. "Frasier" had been on just as long and there was almost no promotion for their series finale. I kind of see his point but whatever you thought of "Friends" it had been a huge pop culture phenomenon and "Frasier" just wasn't on the radar in the same way.

My partner worked with Peri in summer stock one year. He said she drove up in her red porsche and was not particularly nice to the underlings. Sorry.

Why would he have Dan Butler fired and not the flaming queen of a food critic or DHP? Wasn't most of the cast gay?

Roz's voice was so monotone and annoying to me. She always ruined the show. Also did anyone notice Daphnie's accent changing?

I thought Roz had a sexy, radio-trained voice.

[quote]He's said he wouldn't attend the gay marriage of any of his castmates and fired Bulldog as an example to the gay cast of just how disposable they were.

Yes, Kelsey Grammar is a troubled, diseased prick, but I have a hard time believing this. He wasn't the only producer. Besides, as R65 mentions, the flaming Gil Chesterton, his mechanic wife and his houseboy! Not to mention the show's gay storylines -- Frasier goes to "Bad Billies," Frasier contemplates becoming Patrick Stewart's consort, the "Opera Queen" episode where Martin pretends he's gay and that Niles is his lover (who dumps Martin, declaring "And I'm taking the jewelery!"), the station manager who thinks Frasier is coming on to him. Frasier is always portrayed as over-refined and easily mistken for a gay man...

Here is what the evil homophobe said about Gay Marriage when he was on Broadway in the right-wing christian play 'La Cage aux Folles'

[quote]I think its pro-love. I think its pro-everybody, honestly. I have a funny thing about marriage. I think that marriage is the providence of the church. I think it's a religious rite. I don't understand the civil angle on marriage at all. So am I pro-my friends who love each other getting married? Yes -- gay, straight or otherwise. I don't have an issue about it. Somebody obviously thought it would be fun to tax marriage one day, so they made it a government thing.

[quote]Wasn't Lisa Kudrow the first choice for the role of Roz? She stuck with "Friends" when that got picked up instead.

In the new Vanity Fair, there's a long article about the genesis of "Friends," and it goes into Lisa Kudrow being fired from "Frasier" in the middle of rehearsals for the pilot. The pilot had been directed by Jim Burrows, who later directed the "Friends" pilot as well, so when Kudrow got called in to read for "Frasier" she was extremely nervous and insecure.

On "Frasier," I loved Bebe too, but I also loved Marsha Mason as Sherry and wished they would have done an episode where the two crossed paths. Another supporting character they only used a couple of times was Kim Coles as "Dr. Mary," who was very funny with Kelsey Grammer.

I loved Dr. Mary and Frasier's scene imitating a black woman with the shaking finger and his "black woman in a white man's world" speech.

[quote]Why would he have Dan Butler fired

Because Butler was awesome and could act rings around Grammar and Grammar wanted it made clear that obedience to him and not talent would keep a cast member on the show.

In the Voyage of the Damned episode Roz's reaction to seeing Maris was hilarious.

[quote]- Frasier, Martin and Roz are trapped in the bathroom of Maris' cabin, so Roz tries to see her through the keyhole: Roz: I see her coat on a hat rack. [Martin and Frasier exchange knowing glances] Frasier: Look closer. Is the hat rack moving? Roz: OH MY GOD!

I always pictured Maris looking like a very tiny Carolyn Bissette Kennedy, only paler.

[quote]Frasier: Roz, the woman has virtually no pigmentation. Three minutes in the sun and she'd sear like an ahi tuna!!

Actually, it's quite plausible that Frasier would get all those hot women. He's a local celebrity, wealthy, articulate, cultured, and gentlemanly. He'd be hugely appealing to straight women.

At first, anyway. It's also believable that they'd haul off once they realized what an obsessive pain he was under the polished surface.

They covered that in several episodes, r74, but my favorite one was where F goes after a wealthy, articulate, cultured woman and keeps missing his chance with her. Finally, he chases her to a train where she is about to board for a trip to Portland. He offers to drive her and she accepts, and he just glows with victory until, just as they begin the drive, she begins proselyting.

Woman: Have you heard the word of Jesus?

Frasier (with a pained look on his face): Something tells me I'm going to.

R22, are you high?

"Look it's dad and he brought Sophie Tucker."

I streamed an episode from Netflix during my lunch hour. The first one with Marsha Mason and her banjo. It was funny as hell.

For R71.

Thank you R79. He got that down perfect.

"I don't think so!"

Well, r64, I did a few summer stock seasons at Williamstown with Peri pre-Frasier and she was always delightful, super-friendly to everyone and a hard worker on and off stage.

Of course, it's true that as a non-Equity acting intern she didn't get cast much but still.....!

I can't believe it's a four-page Frazier thread and no-one's mentioned the ski chalet episode! 'I'm not gay, Gui!' A perfect farce in 20 minutes.

That one was great R82.

Daphne: Dibs on the Frenchie.

And who played the Frenchie? That actor seemed to disappear after the episode was aired.

And WEHT Eric Lutes?

"You Scratch My Book" and "Ham Radio" remain two of my favorite episodes. I love Niles giggling at the cheesy writing in Dr Honey Snow's corny self-help book.

The best episode is when Nile's starts a fire:

The Innkeepers. Great physical slapstick.

Frenchie was James Patrick Stuart who was put to good use in the under-appreciated Andy Richter Controls the Universe.

Loved Roz, hated Daphne

I recently read that Lisa (Phoebe from "Friends") Kudrow was originally cast as Roz and was fired during the filming of the pilot. Anyone know of other actors who may have been considered for any of the other supporting roles?

Thank you R18.

R66, I loved Roz's voice.

Roz's voice helped make the bawdy Roz such a hoot.

Imagine her lines in Phoebe's voice.

She did sort of sound like she was putting it on toward the end or whenever cousin Donny showed up.

James Patrick Stuart (Frenchie) does tons of cartoon voice work. I met him and was shocked to find out that he was not actually French.

I never really got Peri Gilpin in the role of Roz, but I did get to see her in a play off-Broadway called "As Bees in Honey Drown" (she replaced the lead). I was blown away with how great an actress she was. Her character wents from fake society girl to trailer trash. It was her first performance the night I saw the show and after the curtain came down you could hear the cast applauding her.

Anyone know what Jane Leeves is like? I can't really get a read on her. Love Hot in Cleveland, though.

Loved the epi where they had their ancestry traced, believing they were descendents of Russian aristocracy. Naturally, it turned out that their ancestors where thieves, whores and criminals.

Marsh Mason's Banjo...LOL

"The Ski Lodge" is my favorite episode.

I'm sure this will sound strange, but for some time I had recurring dreams that David Hyde Pierce was my boyfriend. I suppose that something about him really touched my subconscious mind and made him the object of some sort of wish fulfillment. He's very attractive to me and I can imagine him being a very sensitive lover.

I know what you mean, r99. David Hyde Pierce was so hot on Fraiser. I don't know what it is about him but I'd smash.

James Patrick Stuart is currently on Supernatural & still very hot.

r96 There was a post on here a while ago saying that she was sort of cold but not rude.

This thread is weird to me because I have found myself this week with no video entertainment other than my iPhone, and two seasons of Frasier.

Luckily, the two seasons contain two of the episodes I consider the greatest. One is the aforementioned "The Ski Lodge" and then there's "The Two Mrs. Cranes," the one where Martin is a retired astronaut.

These shows were so well-written.

In my memory, the series featured a few wonderful set-pieces like these, but I can't remember others.

All-in-all, the show was great, until Niles and Daphne got together.

Not quite R30. Amazon Prime only has partial seasons free for Frasier. The further along in the series, the more episodes are missing.

Not exactly R17

Lisa Kudrow was hired for the pilot to play Roz Doyle. After three days she was fired and Peri Gilpen replaced her.

If you have Netflix you can watch them all via streaming. The episode where Bulldog kisses Roz is Season 6, Ep 23 "Shut Out In Seattle: Part I" and the scene is about 10 minutes in. I also re-watched the "Ham Radio" episode after a few people here mentioned it and DHP's performance was hilarious.

I think I read that Jane Leeves asked both DHP and John Mahoney to be her son's godfathers. But she did not ask Kelsey Grammer. Anyone who asks two gay men to be her kids' godfathers but shuts out the right wing egomaniacal asshole whose show made her famous gets my approval.

I saw DHP starring in "The Perfect Host" on Encore last night. I recommend you guys check it out. Great creepy flick and DHP's performance is amazing as usual.

I agree, r107. A little lowbudget gem. The only problem was DHP's barechested scene. He has a great lean body but sadly he shaved his luxuriantly furry chest.

Netflix has the entire series.

Fancy Dress party.

Gil (wildly camp): "I'm the Last of the Mohicans!"

Martin (resigned): "Well I guess that mystery's solved." (Walks away.)

Roz shows up for a party in a frightful hairdo and overdone dress (can't remember why).

Frasier: "Roz, you look divine."

Roz: "You mean I look like Divine."

Was that the one when eveybody was supposed to come dressed as literary characters and Roz came dressed inappropriately as the title character from 'The Erotic Story of O'?

R112, that was the episode R110 was talking about.

It also featured Camille Grammar as Eve.

I like the one when they get their former drama teacher(I think that's how they know him) a job acting in Shakespeare and they think the guys is so horrible because of his over the top acting. That one is fucking hysterical. Along with the Klingon language episode.

He's not their drama teacher, he's an actor they saw performing Shakespeare as a child, the first Shakespeare performance they ever saw.

Derek Jacobi was the Shakespearean actor in "The Show Must Go Off."

And here's the episode where Frasier gives the speech at his son's Bar Mitzvah.

So many great episodes. In addition to the one already mentioned, the episode when Niles attempts to throw a dinner party for an exclusive supper club he belongs to and he and Frasier end up dressing a decomposing dead seal in a peignoir and stabbing it with a harpoon is also hilariously funny.

it was a comedy of manors and as such an acquired taste. it never dealt with anything remotely real or relatable. it was one endless farce populated with caricatures you'd never care to meet in real life. it's focus on the acquisition of wealth and status can be repellant in these depressed times.

Lighten up R119. It was funny and wasn't nearly as materialistic and obnoxious as SATC.

"Comedy of manners," [r119].

Why didn't Emma Thompson reprise her role? Was she asked and declined?

I love Laurie Metcalf, but she was nowhere near as good as Thompson was when she guest starred on CHEERS.

I tried many times to get into this show but I found it not that interesting to watch. I did like the actors but I found it repetitive. And I was not very fond of Daphne...the character and the actress

Paging Doctor Canard. Paging Doctor Canard.

LOL Holy shit I forgot about the Shakespeare episode. OMFG!!!

It's dated now, but the "Dr. Nora" episode with Christine Baranski and PIper Laurie, which satirized Dr. Laura's blame-the-caller schtick, was a scream. Dr. Laura had enough pull to get it pulled from reruns that year, but it's in syndication.

A little Dr. Nora would go a long way, but I always wished she would crop up again as Frasier's adversary in at least one more episode.

I love the episode about the Spa with the Silver Door, Gold Door and Platinum Door that ended up being an alleyway filled with bees.

I love Laurie Metcalf, but her guest starring as Nanny G was painful for me. It was during the brief period where she hammed up and over-acted everything, and the writing on Frasier was inconsistent by then. Plus seeing Fraiser in a diaper is something that should never have to be endured.

Thanks, R117. Now, could we just have it in English.

Fun fact: the actresses who play Roz and Daphne live next door to each other in real life.

Sorry DL queens for my naivety, maybe I just didn't notice because he played such an asexual character, but John Mahoney is gay right?

It makes so much sense now. Even in Moonstruck he had no chemistry with that woman.

Peri was so good as Roz. I can't imagine Lisa Kudrow in the role.

.

Grammar DID NOT FIRE Dan Butler. As much as it would fit into all you Libbietards idea of him, your wrong.

This show was all about Bebe and Harrett Sansom Harris was a triumph in that role.

No one has mentioned Wendie Malick? She was great on "Frasier" as Martin's girlfriend, too.

And James Patrick Stuart, mentioned several times upthread, is the son of Chad Stuart, one-half of British invasion duo Chad and Jeremy.

Never liked Kelsey's acting. He obviously tried (and failed) to out act DHP on so many scenes but just came across as hammy- a bit like the David Jacobi character!

Dan Butler was missing from the show for awhile but then came back as an employee working in the basement in the file fault or something.

Frasier discussing Bebe: She's been awfully difficult to get a hold of lately.

Niles: Oh, I thought all you had to do was stand in a pentagram and chant "I summon thee" three times.

Let's not forget Noel Shempsky the geeky little trekkie in love with Roz. He was very funny especially in the Klingon episode.

R135 Loved her.

The Best of Bebe...

Was calling that character "Bebe" an allusion to or a dig at Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith)?

Bebe to Frasier, an attractive, single, successful straight man, about working in San Francisco.

"You'll be like a Snickers bar at fat camp."

She had some great lines.

My favorite Fraiser episode was Hot and Foamy Niles, Niles is very upset goes into the bathroom where Martin has plugged in his shave cream can warmer, Fraiser is concerned about Niles being so despondent, suddenly there is a sound like a gun shot.... see clip below

The bloopers to that scene, r144, are hilarious. You can see them on YT.

I first saw James Patrick Stuart on daytime television as the villain Will Cortlandt on All My Children. Sex on a stick. He later played Elaine's "Desperado" boyfriend Brett on Seinfeld - the one who went into a haze when the Eagles' song played on the radio and thought Jerry was down-on-his-luck.

R141 Bebe is so funny. She should have had her won show. HSH was too good for DH.

James Patrick Stuart had a recurring role on "The Closer" (aka "The Kyra Sedgwick Programme") and has also been on "Hot in Cleveland," reuniting with Jane Leeves.

The episode where Daphne starts dating a Niles doppelganger was hilarious. Wish I could remember which episode that was.