Dr. is a
Fictional Psychiatrist portrayed by
Kelsey Grammer on the
American Television shows ''
Cheers '' and ''
Frasier ''. Grammer played Frasier for twenty years, tying the record for the longest running character on prime-time American television with
James Arness as Marshall Matt Dillon on the show ''
Gunsmoke ''. Grammer won
Emmy Award nominations for portraying Crane on three different
NBC shows, including a
1992 guest appearance on ''
Wings ''. There is a rumor that Crane will return in another series.
Much of Frasier Crane's early life was fleshed out in more detail on the television show ''
Frasier '', which introduced or
Retconned elements of his life not established on ''
Cheers '' in more detail.
It is established in ''Frasier'' that Frasier Crane was born in
1952 , with one episode ('
Back Talk ') establishing that his birthday was the same as one of
Queen Elizabeth 's children (this is an impossibility, since Elizabeth II did not have any children in 1952 - her eldest daughter was born in
1950 and there was a ten-year gap until the birth of her second son in
1960 . However, the intended meaning is probably that they share a birthday although the years of their births (and therefore their ages) are different). He was born in
Seattle to Hestor Crane (a psychiatrist) and
Martin Crane , a
Police Detective , and had a younger brother,
Niles . It has been established that Hestor was (heavily)
Pregnant with Frasier when she and Martin married, her having refused a previous offer of marriage before her pregnancy. The two subsequently celebrated their anniversary on an earlier date in order to spare Frasier this knowledge.
As a child, Frasier was unusually sensitive, and as such was a frequent target for bullies. His closest companion when growing up was his even more sensitive brother Niles, with whom he was intensely close and yet fiercely competitive. During his school years, he eschewed typical 'manly' pursuits such as competitive sports (much to the disappointment of his father, with whom he was not close), and developed interests in - and frequently excelled at - the fine arts, cooking, and other, more intellectual, pursuits. He was keen on and drawn to the theatre, appearing in several amateur school productions, and seems to have considered acting as a future vocation, but inspired by his mother (whom it seems he was close to), he developed a fascination for psychiatry which lead to his later career, for which he was schooled at
Harvard and
Oxford .
At some (unknown) point in his life, Frasier settled in
Boston (the time of his life partly covered through the television show ''
Cheers ''). It was established in ''
Cheers '' that at a young age, Frasier married Nannette Guzman, later a well-known children's entertainer, but the marriage seemingly didn't work out and they then divorced after nine months. (Nannette appeared both on ''Cheers'', where she was played by
Emma Thompson , and subsequently on ''Frasier'', where she was played by
Laurie Metcalf ). Following this marriage, Frasier was for a time engaged to 'Cheers' barmaid
Diane Chambers (
Shelley Long ), but this marriage ended in heartache when Diane abandoned him at the altar. Frasier later married again, this time to
Lilith Sternin , a fellow psychiatrist. Together, they had a son, Frederick, but this marriage too ended in heartbreak following Lilith's adultery with a colleague.
At some point during his life in Boston, his mother Hestor passed away. This seems to have briefly led to Frasier cutting his ties to Seattle, as during this period he doesn't seem to have been particularly close with either his father or his brother (certainly, in ''
Cheers '' he claims that his father was both a scientist and dead, a claim explained in ''
Frasier '' as being prompted at the time by a recent vicious argument with his father; in the episode '
You Can Go Home Again ', his father bitterly comments that his visits to Seattle became remarkably infrequent following his mother's death, and neither Martin nor Niles seem particularly welcoming to Frasier). Nevertheless, following his divorce from Lilith, Frasier moved back to Seattle, reestablished links with his father and brother, and got a job at the KACL radio station as a radio psychiatrist.
Although looking forward to living the life of a bachelor, his plans were immediately altered (albeit reluctantly and inadvertantly) by his father; wounded in the line of duty and forced to retire from the police department, Martin was struggling to live by himself, and as Niles was extremely reluctant to take him in, Frasier was forced to make a place for his father, his father's dog
Eddie , and his father's new physical therapist,
Daphne Moon . Although extremely reluctant - as the two were still not close - Frasier nevertheless opened his home to his father, and although frequently at loggerheads the next eleven years saw the two gradually grow closer (along with Frasier's relationship with Niles), until finally both Frasier and Martin, despite still being quite different in taste and temperament, were extremely close.
During this period, although Frasier's radio career, intellectual pursuits and reputation were quite strong, his romantic life was frequently disastrous. His unsuccessful pattern with women was finally altered when he met Charlotte (
Laura Linney ), a relationship guidance counsellor, to whom he was attracted. The two fell in love, but their relationship was prematurely ended when circumstances forced Charlotte to move back to
Chicago - however, for once Frasier was unwilling to give up so easily, and the series ended with him arriving in Chicago to give their relationship a second chance.
Crane is well-to-do, with
Upper Class Intellectual tastes and a snobbish, uptight demeanor (although it must be said that he possesses a greater dose of the common touch than his younger brother Niles). He is something of an
Epicure , and enjoys the finer things in life, such as
Wine , good food and expensive tailoring. An afficiando of the arts (including
Opera ,
Classical Music , and the
Theatre ), he possesses some quite obscure or esoteric interests in this area, such as '
Tibetan Throat Singing '. His large
Ego , coupled with his
Harvard and
Oxford education, make him extremely confident in the advice he gives on his radio show. He is extremely
Pompous and
Verbose , prone to making grand declarations regarding his intentions and making the most of every opportunity someone gives him to make a speech. Frequently, his pomposity and snobbery is undercut and belittled by the other characters he encounters.
Dr. Crane is very passionate about
Psychiatry . A staunch
Freudian , he strongly believes that "there are no accidents" and that every action carries with it a meaningful and unconscious subtext. He is a big fan of analyzing
Dream s as well. This frequently leads him to obsessively overanalyse and fret about relatively minor niggles and details regarding his life and relationships, which can sometimes consequently ruin some of the positive experiences and relationships in his life. When obsessing so, he is frequently prone to ignore the (wise and appropriate) advice given to him by his family and friends and pursue his own course of action, which frequently leads to disaster.
Conversely, Frasier himself is full of advice to impart to others, and offers the benefit of his counsel to the extent that he frequently meddles in the affairs and relationships of others, much to the chagrin of his family and friends. Although this approach is sometimes beneficial (such as his influence in bringing together his brother Niles and
Daphne Moon ), his advice and plans can frequently backfire on him, and can frequently lead to complicated, tangled scenarios not easily extricated from.
Perhaps because of all of this, Crane's personal life has been quite unstable - his unhappy love life (particularly his traumatc experiences with Diane and Lilith) has driven him to despair on numerous occasions, and at one point during his divorce he even attempted suicide, before the thought of his son stopped him from completing the act.
For all this, however, Crane is essentially a sympathetic and likeable character. His pomposity and stuffiness conceals a lonely, insecure man seeking emotional contact with his family, friends and members of the opposite gender. For all his flaws, and the fact that he can often be overbearing and annoying, Dr. Crane's pompous bearing hides an inner desire to please everyone around him. As a child he was frequently bullied and forced into the role of an outcast, so his adult life has been marked by a strong desire to be included and loved by everyone, and his meddling and advice stems from a genuine, well-meaning concern for others and a desire to help. For all his snobbery and class-consciousness, he is willing to help anyone, no matter who they are.
Frasier speaks several different languages, including
French ,
German , and
Spanish . He drives a black
BMW 7 Series .
Frasier's character was introduced on ''Cheers'' in
1984 as a psychiatrist friend upon whom waitress
Diane Chambers has called to help
Sam Malone combat his recent relapse into active
Alcoholism . It is soon revealed that Frasier is also Diane's new boyfriend. They would get engaged, though the relationship ended when Diane left Frasier at the altar; in spite of this, Frasier became a regular at the bar. He would go on to marry
Lilith Sternin and have a son,
Fredrick Crane , in
1989 . Frasier and Lilith divorced in
1993 with Lilith gaining primary custody of Fredrick.
Frasier's father and brother were introduced in ''Frasier'', having never been mentioned or seen during the run of ''Cheers''. His father is
Martin Crane , a
Police Officer injured on the job. (In an episode of
Cheers , Frasier told his friends at the bar that his father was a dead
Scientist , and was also presented as an only child; this was later
Retconned as a
Lie on Frasier's part, attributed to a bad relationship with his father at the time.) Frasier's younger brother is fellow psychiatrist Dr.
Niles Crane , with whom he shared a lot of personality traits as well as a sibling rivalry.
After Martin–a Seattle police officer–was shot in the line of duty, his injury required him to move in with Frasier, who had moved back to
Seattle to start a new life as the host of a radio talk program; these events began the series ''Frasier'' in
1993 . The arrangement was tense at first, but father and son soon reached an accommodation after Frasier hired
Daphne Moon as a live-in
Physical Therapist for his father.
At work, Frasier's producer was
Roz Doyle , who keeps him in line both professionally and personally; though her frequent short-term relationships make Frasier seem positively committed in comparison.
Frasier and Niles' mother, Dr. Hester Rose Crane, was seen in an episode of Cheers (played by actress
Nancy Marchand ) when she traveled to Boston to meet Diane Chambers. By the time ''Frasier'' begins, she has died. In an episode of ''Frasier'' entitled "Momma Mia", Frasier falls in love with Mia (
Rita Wilson ), a woman who bears a striking resemblance to a young Hester Crane. It is claimed in the episode '
Are You Being Served ' that Hester named her sons after her two favorite lab
Rat s, one of whom - Frasier - died when Hester was
Pregnant with Frasier.
After 11 years in Seattle, Frasier took a job offer in San Francisco. However, he eventually went to Chicago, because a woman he fell in love with had moved back there, and he wanted to continue the relationship if possible.
