Kelsey Grammer (Actor)

About Kelsey Grammer

Although a classically trained actor with a number of impressive stage performances on his resume, Kelsey Grammer was best known for playing the pompous, but ultimately likable psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on two classic and award-winning sitcoms, "Cheers" (NBC, 1984-1993) and "Frasier" (NBC, 1993-2004). Prior to him landing the role that defined his career, Grammer was struggling on stage and in small roles to make a name for himself, while behind the scenes, suffering from numerous personal tragedies that befell both himself and his family. Perhaps as a means of coping with the seemingly unending string of deaths of loved ones, Grammer fell into a dependency of drugs and alcohol – namely cocaine – which he later attributed to his inability to cope after the rape and murder of his sister by a man released on the grounds of insanity. For years, Grammer struggled to cope with his addictions, while audiences saw little to nothing of his problems in their enjoyment of Frasier Crane. Entering rehab for the first time in 1990, Grammer eventually attained sobriety in 1996, well into his Emmy Award-winning run on “Frasier,” largely considered to be one of the most successful television spin-offs of all time. After “Frasier” finally left the airwaves in 2004, Grammer was finally able to concentrate on other projects. Despite memorable performances in other sitcoms and in features, Grammer was indelibly linked to the beloved character he had played so convincingly for years.

Born on Feb. 21, 1955 in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, Grammer was raised in New Jersey and Florida after his parents divorced when he was two. Grammer lived with his mother and maternal grandparents, but suffered tragedy when his beloved grandfather died when he was 11. Adding to further heartbreak, the young Kelsey saw his father, Allen, only twice before he was murdered on his front lawn when Grammer was just 13. His father's killer was acquitted on the grounds he was insane at the time of the crime. His life was plagued by more personal tragedy when his younger sister, Karen, was raped and murdered outside a Red Lobster in Colorado Springs, CO. But through it all, Grammer tried to have some semblance of a normal life. After discovering acting while performing in plays at Pine Crest Preparatory High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Grammer attended The Juilliard School alongside Christopher Reeve, Robin Williams and Mandy Patinkin. But his sister’s murder proved to be too much to bear, causing him to miss classes and eventually get expelled.

In an attempt to exercise his personal demons, Grammer flung himself into work, performing with the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, CA for three years in the late 1970s. After a short stint at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN, he made his Broadway debut as Lennox in a 1981 production of “Macbeth,” eventually taking over the lead role. Then tragedy struck yet again – almost as if his family were cursed – the year before when his two twin half-brothers, Billy and Stephen, were killed by a shark while SCUBA diving. Meanwhile, Grammer had his first onscreen break playing shipping magnate and Kennedy insider Stephen Smith in the three-part miniseries, “Kennedy” (NBC, 1983). After playing Lieutenant Stewart in the sweeping eight-hour miniseries “George Washington” (CBS, 1984), Grammer landed the role that defined the rest of his career, playing psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane, fiancé of bar waitress Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), on the hit sitcom "Cheers." Originally, the show’s creators wanted John Lithgow for a brief recurring role, but the actor was unavailable. Grammer's former Juilliard classmate Mandy Patinkin suggested him to the New York casting director and he got the job, parlaying a six-episode arc into a career that would span two decades.

Because of his erudite ramblings, haughty air and natty style of dress, Dr. Frasier Crane was an immediate outsider in an establishment populated by blue collar barflies (George Wendt and John Ratzenberger), a wisecracking waitress (Rhea Pearlman) and a former Red Sox pitcher-turned-bar owner (Ted Danson). From the start, Frasier was a source of derision and ridicule, thanks to his overbearing, snobbish behavior. But eventually, he managed to fit in with the rest of the gang, even after Diane – whom Frasier planned to marry, only to be left at the altar, a jilted groom – had long left the scene. For nine seasons, Grammer essayed Dr. Crane, who, after being left by Diane, married fellow uptight psychiatrist, Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth), only to be jilted anew when she had an affair with another colleague. When the show wound down in 1993 after having been atop of the ratings heap for numerous seasons, Frasier Crane was as much a fixture at the bar as Norm, Cliff and the drunk old man in the corner. Meanwhile, Grammer was twice nominated for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (1988 and 1990). As “Cheers” wound down, however, Grammer was the subject of salacious rumors when his half-brother, John, sold a story to the media that the actor had underage sex with a 15-year-old girl. A grand jury later heard the case, but refused to file charges against Grammer. Nonetheless, the damage to his reputation had been done.

Right on the heels of “Cheers” leaving the airwaves after 11 seasons, Grammer portrayed the good doctor in his own series, “Frasier,” one of the most successful television spin-offs of all time. After breaking it off for good with Lilith, Frasier returns to his native Seattle, WA, where he plans on living the good life as a bachelor. But his new life becomes complicated when he is forced to take in his ex-cop father (John Mahoney), who is unable to care for himself after being injured in the line of duty. Meanwhile, his father’s live-in therapist (Jane Leeves) also moves in, while his overly-prissy brother (David Hyde Pierce) makes routine visits. Frasier also has a successful career as the host of a popular radio show dispensing psychological advice, though he is routinely hassled by his wisecracking producer (Peri Gilpin). For more than a decade, Dr. Crane searches for love, while battling his blue-collar father over differences in taste and trying to one-up his brother, Niles, in a quest to gain acceptance into Seattle’s cultural elite. During its run, “Frasier” won a stunning 37 Emmy Awards, breaking the record set by “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (CBS, 1970-77). Included in that total were Grammer’s four Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1994, 1995, 1998 and 2004).

During his runs on both “Cheers” and “Frasier,” Grammer became a frequent face on television, appearing in episodes of “Roc” (Fox, 1991-94) and reviving Frasier Crane for episodes of “Wings” (NBC, 1989-1997). Grammer was nominated for another Emmy for his “Wings” appearance, marking the first time an American actor was nominated on three different shows for the same character. He even landed a popular recurring role on “The Simpsons” (Fox, 1989- ), voicing Sideshow Bob, the underappreciated sidekick of Krusty the Clown with homicidal urges toward Bart Simpson. Meanwhile, Grammer made his feature debut in the forgettable road comedy "Galaxies Are Colliding" (1992). Thanks to his increasing success on television, he leapt to the big screen with the lead in the comedy "Down Periscope" (1996), about a misfit naval crew who must use a broken-down submarine for war exercises. Grammer has also voiced characters in the Mickey Mouse short "Runaway Brain" (1995), the feature length musical "Anastasia" (1997), the TNT animated version of "Animal Farm" (1999), his self-produced Spike TV! series "Gary the Rat" (2003), the big-screen spin-off of the animated series "Teacher's Pet" (2004) and as the narrator of the 1998 holiday-themed "How the Finch Stole Christmas" episode of "Just Shoot Me” (NBC, 1996-2003).

In 1999, Grammer made a return to the stage to play the title character in "Sweeney Todd" opposite long-time friend Christine Baranski in L.A.'s Reprise! musical revival series. Earlier that year, Grammer had invited Baranski to appear on "Frasier" and both collaborations won kudos from critics and audiences alike. In 2000, Grammer was seen in a less-than-successful stage endeavor when attempting to fulfill a life-long dream to play "Macbeth" on Broadway. The new production, which co-starred Juilliard classmate Diane Venora, suffered from scathing reviews and closed after only a handful of performances. Grammer was not in the critical doghouse for long, however earning yet another Emmy for "Frasier.” In addition to returning for the 2000-01 season, Grammer executive-produced the sitcom "Girlfriends" (UPN/CW, 2000-08), as well as the pilot for the NBC cop drama "County 187," which was written by famed crime writer James Ellroy. On the big screen, Grammer had a small role in the comedy thriller "15 Minutes" (2001), starring Robert De Niro. Thanks to a deal signed in the summer of 2001, Grammer became the highest paid actor on television, making $1.6 million per episode of "Frasier.” But Ray Romano, of “Everyone Loves Raymond” (CBS, 1996-2005), eclipsed him the next year.

Grammer continued to deliver fine performances in a variety of fare, including the holiday telepic "Mr. St. Nick" (2002), as George Washington in the television movie "Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor" (2003), and in the ensemble indie comedy "The Big Empty" (2003). But it was still "Frasier" for which he was most beloved. Though it began to flounder a bit in its later years, the series experienced a long-needed creative resurgence when it entered its final season. In fact, both cast and crew were having so much fun that Grammer briefly tried to convince the network to keep the show running for one more season. Although the passing of its NBC brethren "Friends" (1994-2004) that same year dominated the headlines, "Frasier's" departure in 2004 stirred similar emotion among viewers. Just as the show aired its final episode, news broke that Grammer – who had played Frasier Crane for a whopping 20 years; just one year shy of the record set by James Arness in "Gunsmoke" (CBS, 1955-1975) – and NBC were in discussions about launching another series chronicling the next phase in the life of the fussy psychiatrist.

Immediately post-"Frasier," the actor received good notices for his crotchety turn as Ebeneezer Scrooge in the NBC musical telepic, "A Christmas Carol" (2004), while behind the scenes, his production shingle Grammnet scored a major hit with the psychic detective series "Medium" (NBC, 2004- ) starring Patricia Arquette. Back in the feature world, Grammer appeared in the third installment to the X-Men series, "X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006), playing the hairy, blue, acrobatic mutant, Dr. Hank McCoy, a.k.a. The Beast. While serving as executive producer on the “Girlfriends” spin-off, “The Game” (UPN/CW, 2006- ), Grammer returned to regular sitcom work with “Back To You” (Fox, 2007-08), playing Chuck Darling, a local news anchor who has great onscreen chemistry with co-anchor Kelly Carr (Patricia Heaton), even though the two despise each other behind the scenes. Despite fine performances from the two leads, both the critical reception and ratings for the show was mixed. After a few schedule changes, the network decided not to renew the show for another season, though there was an outside shot the show could still return.

Nonetheless, Grammer signed on for another sitcom, “Roman’s Empire” (ABC, 2008- ), which was picked up by the network. Then on May 31, 2008, just weeks after learning “Back To You” was effectively canceled, Grammer had what was originally announced as a mild heart attack, which he suffered while paddle boating in Hawaii with his third wife, former Playboy model, Camille Donatacci. He was released on June 4th and spent the ensuing weeks recovering in his Hawaiian home. On July 24, 2008, while on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (NBC, 1992- ), Grammer claimed that it took paramedics an hour and a half to respond to the emergency call. He also revealed on “Entertainment Tonight” (Syndicated, 1981- ) that his heart attack was more severe than his publicist revealed – his heart stopped beating, forcing doctors to use a defibrillator to revive him. Then on July 28, 2008, Grammer suffered more health problems while at the premiere of his next film, “Swing Vote” (2008). After feeling faint, he was admitted to an undisclosed hospital in New York as a precaution. His doctor changed his heart medication and kept Grammer overnight at the hospital for observation.

Family

Name:	Relation:	Notes:
Doreen Alderman	wife	Met while she was performing on Broadway in "42nd Street"; married from 1982-1990; mother of Grammer's daughter, Spencer
Camille Donatacci	wife	Born in 1968; posed for Playboy at least 15 times; became engaged in fall 1996; married Aug. 2, 1997 in a Catholic ceremony
Leigh-Anne Csuhany	wife	Born c. 1970; married Sept. 11, 1992; Grammer filed for an annulment of their marriage in June 1993, after she allegedly menaced him with a kitchen knife; sought custody of their unborn child; she attempted suicide and had to have an abortion
Spencer Grammer	daughter	Born in 1984; mother, Doreen Alderman
Jude Gordon Grammer	son	Born Aug. 28, 2004 via a surrogate mother; mother, Camille Donatacci
Mason Olivia Grammer	daughter	Born Oct. 24, 2001 via a surrogate mother; mother, Camille Donatacci
Greer Kandace Grammer	daughter	Born Feb. 15, 1992; mother, Barrie Buckner; Grammer doesn't see her because of strained relations with her mother
Allen Grammer	father	Divorced Sally Grammer c. 1957; Grammer did not see his father for 15 years; met only twice before father's 1968 murder; was murdered on the front lawn of his home in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Sally Grammer	mother	Divorced Allen Grammer c. 1957; took Grammer to live with her parents in New Jersey; died July 7, 2008 at age 80
John Grammer	half-brother	Sold the story of Grammer's underage-sex allegations to the tabloids
Billy Grammer	half-brother	Died while scuba diving in 1980
Karen Grammer	sister	Born c. 1957; raped and murdered in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1975
Stephen Grammer	half-brother	Died while scuba diving in 1980
Gordon Cranmer	grandfather	Maternal grandfather; raised Kelsey after his parents divorce; died of cancer when Grammer was 11

Companions

Name:	Relation:	Notes:
Barrie Buckner	companion	Had affair with Grammer while he was living with Cerlette Lamme; mother of Grammer's daughter, Greer
Cerlette Lamme	companion	Performed with the Ice Capades; met in 1985; together for seven years, separating in 1992; sued Grammer for libel over comments in his book
Tammi Alexander	companion	Posed for Playboy; engaged to be married in March 1994; separated in June 1996, after allegations of an affair with an underage babysitter surfaced

Milestones

	Born in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
	Formed Grammnet Productions
	Moved to NYC to attend Juilliard; was expelled after two years
	Performed for three years at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego in the late 1970s
1980	Acted at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota
1981	Made Broadway debut in "Macbeth"; played the role of Lennox when Philip Anglim abruptly withdrew from the show
1982	Had featured role of Cassio in a Broadway revival of "Othello" opposite James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer
1982	Performed with Christine Baranski in the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine production of "Sunday in the Park with George"; also starred Mandy Patinkin
1983	Portrayed Stephen Smith in the NBC mini-series "Kennedy"
1984	Appeared as Dr. Canard on the NBC daytime series "Another World"
1984 - 1993	Joined the cast of the NBC sitcom "Cheers" as Dr. Frasier Crane in the third season; recommended by former Juilliard classmate Mandy Patinkin; became a regular cast member in the fourth season; earned Emmy (1988, 1990) nominations for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
1990 - 0	Provided the voice of Sideshow Bob on "The Simpsons" (FOX)
1993 - 2004	Reprised the role of Dr. Frasier Crane for the NBC sitcom "Frasier"; also executive produced; performed the shows theme song "Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs"; produced and directed several episodes; earned nine consecutive Emmy and Golden Globe nominations from 1994-2002 and an Emmy nomination in 2004 for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series; received three consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series from 1999-2001
1994	TV producing debut with the NBC TV-movie "The Innocent"; also starred
1995	Executive produced and starred in the NBC comedy special "Kelsey Grammer Salutes Jack Benny"
1997 - 1998	Produced the short-lived NBC comedy series "Fired Up" with Sharon Lawrence
1997	Voiced the the scheming Vladimir in the animated film "Anastasia"
1998	Featured in the HBO film "The Pentagon Wars"
1999	Lent his voice to Stinky Pete the Prospector for the animated film "Toy Story 2"
1999	Played the title character, opposite Christine Baranski's Mrs. Lovett in the LA Reprise! production of Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
2000	Executive produced the fall UPN sitcom "Girlfriends"
2000	Starred on Broadway in "Macbeth" opposite Diane Venora; show closed after only 13 regular performances
2001	Played a TV newsman in the feature film "15 Minutes"
2003	Starred as Agent Banks in the comedy "The Big Empty"
2005	Created an American adaptation of the British series, "The Sketch Show" (FOX)
2006	Cast as Dr. Hank McCoy (a.k.a. Beast) in the third installment of the "X-Men" series, "X-Men: The Last Stand"
2006	Guest starred as the Angel of Death in the NBC hit show, "Medium"; also a producer
2007 - 2008	Returned to series TV as the central character in the short lived FOX comedy "Back to You"
2008	Cast as the US President in the comedy film "Swing Vote"

Notes

"'Othello' was a real eye-opener for me, because that's when I made the decision that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. And that happened because of what I had to fight for. James [Earl Jones] is one of the most generous actors in the world on stage. Christopher [Plummer] is not. In any work I go into, my goal is to always stay true to the text and true to myself, to my actor's instinct. My actor's instinct was challenged by Christopher's performance, and having learned how to stand up for the part I needed to play, I knew that acting was what I wanted to do." - Grammer to InTheater Magazine, March 15, 1999

"Despite the fact that I developed a reputation for being quite the L.A. partyer, I did most of my partying at home. I would pour myself five or six drinks and lose them in the house. There was always a drink around somewhere. I realized that the kind of drinking they did on 'Cheers' was nothing like real drinking. My choice at the end was vodka. That's where most people wind up. I don't know why, maybe because it has less color. I ended up at potato vodka, which I convinced myself was more real, and I thought there was some payoff for me in the potato. When I was going through a bottle a day, it became too much. I was about three weeks away from bottoming out when I finally checked into the Betty Ford clinic in 1996." - Grammer to Details Magazine, March 1999

"Frasier is enormously human. People recognize themselves in him, and are charmed by his willingness to fail. He just throws himself into life. He still thinks he can find love and do good.

"Oddly enough, he succeeds now and then. He's endearing because he's flawed, yet he does his best. Don't forget that he's a good man, too. But he takes himself way too seriously. His behavior becomes almost insane sometimes, because he misunderstands the facts in many situations. As long as human beings are like that - and we all are - Frasier will be popular." - Grammer to Biography Magazine, April 1998

"I know the questions about 'my problems' or whatever, but they are not the defining factor of my life. The way I dealt with my problems defines me. I have cause to be proud of who I am, and I always did, but I just didn't know it. Now I do." - Grammer to TV Guide Magazine, Feb. 21, 1998

"If I don't go back to live theatre every few years, I begin to feel rusted." - Grammer to The Observer, June 11, 2000

"Kelsey has no boundaries. He was never told what was right and wrong. And now he has all the fame, the money and the power. So, he's like a child let loose on the world." - Grammer's former girlfriend, Tammi Baliszewski to Us Weekly, May 1997

"Kelsey taught me Shakespeare. We were in the same class at Juilliard, and he knew more about Shakespeare than anyone. He's a classical actor who happens to have made a successful career in television." - actress, Diane Venora to The Boston Globe, May 14, 2000

"The one thing Kelsey couldn't leave behind in playing Frasier is his big heart, and that's what people respond to. But he is, in almost every way, diametrically opposed to the part he has played for so many years." - actor, David Hyde Pierce to GQ Magazine, March 1997

"There was a time when I thought there was nothing of Frasier Crane in Kelsey Grammer. When I first knew him, there he was in torn shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, with unruly hair and all the mad partying. But over the years, I've seen the two get closer together. No one is as pompous as Frasier, but what they do share is both are driven by the desire to be kind and do the right thing." - writer/producer, David Lee to Newsday, June 11, 2000

Grammer became the highest salaried actor on TV beginning in fall 2002, when he signed a deal to receive a reported $1.6 million per episode of "Frasier" (NBC).

Grammer has the distinction of being the first actor to receive Emmy nominations for performances as the same character over three different seasons in three different shows. He garnered two Emmy nods for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series playing Dr. Frasier Crane on "Cheers" (NBC) and one in 1992 for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for a guest shot as a vacationing Dr. Crane on "Wings" (NBC). He finally won the statuette for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1994 for the first season of "Frasier" (NBC).

Grammer suffered a heart attack on May 31, 2008.

He launched his own website at Kelseylive.com.

In May 2001, Grammer received an honorary doctorate from Amherst College in Massachusetts.

In September 1996, after being involved in a traffic accident, Grammer checked into the Betty Ford Clinic.

On July 28, 2008 Grammer checked into an undisclosed New York hospital after complaints of feeling faint.