Grammer, Kelsey

▪ 2003

      As the 2001–02 television season drew to a close, American actor Kelsey Grammer finished his 18th straight year of playing pompous, acerbic, but somehow lovable psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane. His longevity put him two years away from tying the record for consecutive years of appearing as the same character on prime-time TV, a mark set by James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke. Grammer played Crane on three different shows, Cheers, its spin-off series, Frasier, and the sitcom Wings. In describing his feelings about his longtime character, Grammer commented, “By now, Frasier lives in my subconscious. We discover life on kind of the same terms.”

      Grammer was born on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Feb. 21, 1955. He grew up in New Jersey and Florida and began acting in high school. Encouraged by his teachers to consider acting as a career, he enrolled in the Juilliard School in New York City. After two years there, Grammer joined the Old Globe Theatre company in San Diego, Calif., where he acted in plays by William Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw. He also performed in regional theatres throughout the U.S. and in Off-Broadway productions of Plenty, Sunday in the Park with George, A Month in the Country, and Quartermaine's Terms. On Broadway he appeared in Macbeth and Othello.

      Before joining the cast of Cheers in 1984, Grammer acted in the television daytime dramas Another World, One Life to Live, and Guiding Light and in the miniseries Kennedy. His career was threatened in 1988 when he was arrested for drunken driving and possession of cocaine. He eventually served a short jail stint and later spent time in a drug rehabilitation clinic. Cheers aired until 1993, and Frasier debuted the following season. For his acting on Frasier, Grammer won the Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series in 1994, 1995, and 1998. He won Golden Globe Awards for best actor in a television series (musical or comedy) in 1995 and 2000. Other honours for Grammer included American Comedy Awards for funniest male performer in a television series in 1994 and 1995 and a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a television comedy series, shared with his fellow cast members. When questioned about the length of time he had played Frasier Crane, Grammer responded, “I have never been visited by the fear that he's stale. Through him, I get to bring to light a lot of things I think about myself.”

      Grammer also served as executive producer of Frasier and of the television series In-Laws, Girlfriends, and Fired Up. In 2000 he produced the animated Internet series Gary the Rat and provided the voice of the title character. He also directed several episodes of Frasier.

David R. Calhoun

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▪ American actor

born Feb. 21, 1955, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

      American actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of the pompous, acerbic, but somehow lovable psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the television series Cheers and its spin-off Frasier.

      Grammer grew up in New Jersey and Florida and began acting in high school. Encouraged by his teachers to consider acting as a career, he enrolled in the Juilliard School in New York City. After two years there, Grammer joined the Old Globe Theatre company in San Diego, Calif., where he acted in plays by William Shakespeare (Shakespeare, William) and George Bernard Shaw (Shaw, George Bernard). He also performed in regional theatres throughout the United States and in Off-Broadway productions of Plenty, Sunday in the Park with George, A Month in the Country, and Quartermaine's Terms. On Broadway he appeared in Macbeth (1981) and Othello (1982).

      Grammer acted in the television daytime dramas Another World, One Life to Live, and Guiding Light and in the miniseries Kennedy before joining the cast of Cheers in 1984. The sitcom followed the workers and patrons of a Boston bar, and Grammer's Dr. Frasier Crane became a popular character. In 1988 his career was threatened when he was arrested for drunken driving and possession of cocaine. He eventually served a short jail stint and later spent time in a drug rehabilitation clinic. Cheers aired until 1993, and Frasier debuted the following season. The new series, set in Seattle, featured a cast of characters that included Dr. Frasier Crane's brother and father as well as employees of his radio call-in show. For his acting on Frasier, Grammer won the Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series in 1994, 1995, and 1998. He also won Golden Globe Awards for best actor in a television series (musical or comedy) in 1995 and 2000. Frasier ended in 2004, marking Grammer's 20th year playing Dr. Frasier Crane. His longevity tied the record set by James Arness (as Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke) for consecutive years of appearing as the same character on prime-time television.

      Following the end of Frasier, Grammer continued to appear in movies and television. His later films include Even Money (2006); X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), which was based on the comic book series; and Swing Vote (2008). In 2007 he returned to the small screen with Back to You, a sitcom about a news program; it was canceled after one season. Grammer was also a highly sought-after voice artist. In 1990 he began working on the animated series The Simpsons (Simpsons, The), providing the voice of Sideshow Bob, who frequently tried to bring harm to the Simpson family. Grammer also voiced Stinky Pete the Prospector in Toy Story 2 (1999). In 2008 Grammer suffered a mild heart attack.

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