Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer (born
February 21,
1955) is an
American actor best known for his 20-year portrayal of
psychiatrist Dr.
Frasier Crane on the
sitcoms Cheers and
Frasier. He has also worked as a producer,
director, and
writer.
Grammer was classically trained at
Juilliard School for two years, but after personal tragedies he was asked to leave. He had a three year internship with the Old Globe Theater in
San Diego in the late 1970s before a stint in
1980 at the
Guthrie Theater in
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He made his Broadway debut in
1981 as Lennox in
Macbeth, taking the lead role when
Philip Anglim withdrew after receiving negative reviews. In
1982 he appeared with
Christine Baranski in the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine production
Sunday in the Park with George with
Mandy Patinkin, and then a featured role of Cassio in a Broadway revival of
Othello with
James Earl Jones and
Christopher Plummer.
Grammer's televison career began in
1983 when he portrayed
Stephen Smith in the
NBC mini-series
Kennedy. Grammer came to broader public attention as Dr. Frasier Crane in the
TV sitcom Cheers; the show's creators originally wanted
John Lithgow for the brief, recurring role, but Lithgow was unavailable. Grammer's former Juilliard classmate and Broadway co-star Patinkin suggested Grammer to the New York casting director and he got the job.
[http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800020246/bio] The character became the center of the successful
spin off Frasier.
Grammer won a number of
Emmys and
Golden Globes for his work on
Frasier. He was the first American actor ever to be nominated for multiple Emmy awards for portraying the same character on three different television shows (
Cheers,
Frasier, and
Wings). His US$1.6 million per episode salary for
Frasier was the highest in the history of American television at the time, and his 20-year run playing Dr. Frasier Crane ties a record set by
James Arness in playing Marshall Matt Dillon on
Gunsmoke from 1955 to 1975.
[http://online.tvguide.com/newsearch/detail.aspx?id=160338&sourcetype=C&tvobjectid=160338]Grammer's smooth, deep voice makes him popular for
voiceover work. He has provided the voice of
Sideshow Bob on
The Simpsons, winning an Emmy for his work in the episode "
The Italian Bob"
[Grammer wins Emmy for Simpsons, a July 2006 Reuters article via CNN]He also supplied the voice for "Stinky Pete the Prospector" in
Toy Story 2, Vlad in the Fox animated movie,
Anastasia, and the title character in the short-lived animated series
Gary the Rat.
His most recent television work is on Fox's
The Sketch Show. While appearing in some sketches, his role is closer to that of a host. He also produces the
UPN sitcom Girlfriends. Prior to that he guest starred as The
Angel of Death on
Medium, which he also produces.
In film, his recent work includes the role of Dr. Hank McCoy (a.k.a.
Beast) in
the third X-Men movie and the mysterious Marvin in
The Fairly OddParents Movie).
Grammer was born in
St. Thomas,
U.S. Virgin Islands. Grammer's parents met at a music school in New York, where his father, Allen, fell for Sally Cranmer who was training to be a singer. After leaving college and the army, Allen Grammer started a dance band with his girlfriend as the chanteuse. The couple moved to St Thomas, where Allen opened a bar, played in a band, taught music to the islanders' children and later went on to present his own radio show. Kelsey Grammer was born in the small house behind the bar, and after the marriage failed Sally fled back to her family home in
New Jersey where she gave birth to her baby daughter.
In 1968, when Kelsey was 13, his father, whom he had only met twice, was
murdered on the front lawn of his home in the
U.S. Virgin Islands;
[http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/11/12/a-suitable-case-for-treatment/] in 1975, his sister was
raped and murdered after being abducted outside the
Red Lobster restaurant in
Colorado Springs, Colorado where her boyfriend worked.
[http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/classics/karen_grammer/index.html] Kelsey, who was 20 at the time and enrolled in the
Juilliard acting program, stopped attending classes and was asked to leave, citing a lack of focus.
[http://www.tvland.com/shows/cheers/actors/act7.jhtml] In
1980, his twin half-brothers were killed in a freak accident while
SCUBA diving.
[http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/kelseygrammer/]Relationships
Grammer has been married three times. His first marriage to dance instructor Doreen Alderman spanned eight years, from
1982 to
1990, and produced one child, a daughter named Spencer. His second marriage, to
stripper Leigh-Anne Csuhany in
1992, lasted one year. Grammer claims she was
abusive and that, after talk of divorce, she attempted suicide by overdosing on
Tylenol and wine, which resulted in the
miscarriage of their child.
[http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/11/12/a-suitable-case-for-treatment/] Also in
1992, Grammer had a daughter, Greer, with hair and makeup stylist Barrie Buckner.
His engagement to Tammi Alexander broke up due to rape allegations and her leaks to the
tabloid press, and since August of
1997 Grammer has been married to
Camille Donatacci, a former
Playboy model. They have a son and a daughter together via a
surrogate mother.
Grammer and Donatacci have homes in Los Angeles and New York, and a holiday home in
Maui.
Substance abuse
Grammer began drinking at age 9 and became a frequent abuser of alcohol. In
1988 he was sentenced to 30 days in jail for
drunk driving and
cocaine possession, and an additional 10 days Community Service with
CalTrans.
[http://www.dui.com/drunk_driving_research/grammer_dui.html] He was again arrested for cocaine possession in August
1990 and sentenced to three years
probation, fined $500 and given 300 hours
community service.
In January
1991 he was given an additional two years probation for violating his original probation through additional cocaine use.
Other notable incidents
* After publishing his
autobiography,
So Far... in 1995, he was sued by a former girlfriend Cerlette Lamme for
defamation of character and
invasion of privacy.
* In
1998, Grammer filed a
lawsuit against
Internet Entertainment Group, which Grammer claimed had stolen from his home a
videotape of him having sex with former girlfriend Cerlette Lamme. IEG countersued Grammer, denying they were in possession of such a tape, and Grammer's suit was eventually dropped. He eventually paid Lamme $1 million for the tape.
[http://www.nndb.com/people/043/000022974/]* In the mid-'90s Grammer was accused of
statutory rape by the parents of his child's 15-year-old babysitter, but a New Jersey
grand jury declined to indict due to lack of physical evidence.
[http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1621340/posts]* In 2003 the
British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) comedy series
Little Britain contained a school named Kelsey Grammer in several of its sketches, a clear reference to the actor.
* In
2005, Grammer fell off a stage while presenting a speech at
Disneyland. When he did the said "Fuck!" in the auditorium in front of kids and the parents had to explain that, 'fuck' was Donald Ducks cousin.
[http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2670087?htv=12]On September 21 2003, during an appearance on
Hannity & Colmes on
Fox News, Grammer expressed an interest in running for
United States Congress as a
Republican[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,98169,00.html]. He indicated that it was something he would consider when his children are older. During an interview on the
The Today Show, he told
Matt Lauer that he wouldn't enter politics until he felt he was more knowledgeable on the subject.
He declared in 2004 that he was the "only person in Los Angeles" to support President
George W. Bush. He was a celebrity guest at the first inauguration ceremony of President
George W. Bush.
"I think it's your duty to overcome what you inherit in life. It's the David Copperfield line: "Am I going to be master of my fate, or its victim?" I'm not gonna be its victim, though I've felt victimized — a lot." [http://www.tribute.ca/bio.asp?id=3430]Significant Others (2006), as Francis
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), as Dr. Hank McCoy AKA
BeastMedium (2006), as
Angel of DeathEven Money (2006), as Detective Brunner
The Good Humor Man (2005), as Mr. Skibness
Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show (2005), as various characters
A Christmas Carol (2004) (TV), as Ebenezer Scrooge
Teacher's Pet (2004), as Dr. Ivan Krank (voice)
Gary the Rat (2003) (TV series), as Gary 'The Rat' Andrews (voice)
The Big Empty (2003), as Agent Banks
Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (2003) (TV), as
George WashingtonFrasier (1993-2004) (TV series), as
Frasier CraneThe Simpsons (1990-present) (TV series), as
Sideshow Bob (
voice)
Cheers (1982-1993) (TV series), as
Frasier CraneAnimal Farm(1999), as Snowball (voice)
Down Periscope(1996), as Commander Dodge
*
Grammer's official site*
