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Dr. Niles Crane is a Fictional Psychiatrist on the show '' Frasier ''. He is played by David Hyde Pierce . Niles is the younger brother of Frasier Crane and the son of Martin Crane . BIOGRAPHY Niles was not referred to on '' Cheers '', the show '' Frasier '' was a Spin-off from; it was originally intended that Frasier be an only child, until David Hyde Pierce was hired as the newly written in younger brother. He was hired because '' Frasier '' producers saw his headshot and commented on how much he looked like a young Kelsey Grammer . As a result, Niles' background is largely established over the course of '' Frasier '' (with additional Retcon s made where necessary if Niles' existence clashes with previous revelations made on '' Cheers ''). Niles Crane was born in Seattle to Hestor Crane, a psychiatrist, and Martin Crane , a Police Detective . He has an older brother, Frasier . The exact date of Niles' birth or the age difference between the two brothers is not known. Like Frasier, Niles was an unusually sensitive child when growing up, and a frequent target for bullies. As a result, he was quite close to his older brother, and at the same time fiercely competitive with him. Like Frasier, he too (much to his father's disappointment) eschewed interest in traditional 'manly' pursuits in order to focus on (and excel in) fine arts and crafts, music and more intellectual, 'cultural'-based pursuits. Like his brother, he was drawn to the arts, but differed from Frasier with his greater interest in writing, writing numerous plays and articles for school newspapers. Niles Crane, like Frasier, is a Psychiatrist , inspired by his mother's example.Niles attended Yale and Cambridge for his tertiary education and training, (Yale is the same alma mater as David Hyde Pierce ) and describes his profession as 'the saving grace of my life'. Greatly respected professionally, he runs his own Jungian practice in Seattle, Washington and has had his research published in several academic psychiatric journals. Romantically, Niles was a shy person, and many of his early relationships were unsuccessful. He eventually met and married Maris , the daughter of a wealthy Seattle family (whose wealth was based on urinal cakes, and not lumber, as she told everyone). Although not an entirely happy marriage, the union was largely successful, based on their shared social-climbing instincts and concerns with status, and their many combined neuroses. Maris, a selfish, haughty, highly-strung Prima Donna with a great deal of neuroses (mainly concerning her body image), dominated and emasculated Niles throughout their marriage, until after fifteen years Niles finally snapped and walked out. A long separation period ensued, with numerous attempts at reconciliation (mainly prompted by Niles), followed by a bitter and protracted divorce during which Maris used her lawyers to spitefully punish Niles, cutting him off from her funds and bleeding him dry until a change of lawyer and his final discovery of the true source of Maris' wealth finally allowed Niles to gain the upper hand. Maris was never shown on the show, so all the audience got was descriptions of an uptight, physically weak, thin, Waspish woman. The descriptions of Maris became more outlandish with each passing season, to the point where she sounded almost inhuman. Niles has been married three times on the show. His second wife was Dr. Melinda "Mel" Karnofsky in 2000 , Maris' plastic surgeon. The two began dating following Niles' divorce from Maris, and their courtship was quite happy (despite Mel's own collection of neuroses and tendency to dominate Niles). The two eloped and married on an impulse, but the marriage was short-lived and fell apart after two days when Niles professed his love for Daphne Moon (more detail below). Both Maris and Mel tortured Niles with long, drawn-out breakups based on spite (although in Mel's justification, Niles did leave her for another woman two days after their marriage). In ending his marriage to Mel, Niles was required to pretend to be happily married to her so that their high society friends wouldn't find out, and was forced to stay away from Daphne in public. Eventually he and Mel were divorced and Niles married Daphne in Reno , Nevada . The two were happily married and Niles and Daphne's son, David, was born on the series finale, "Goodnight, Seattle" which aired on May 13 , 2004 . Upon Frasier's return to Seattle, the two brothers resumed their close friendship / bitter rivalry. They are frequently found having coffee and conversation at Cafè Nervosa, and attend many social functions together. Much has been commented on the show about how Frasier and Niles are best friends, even comparing them to the Collyer Brothers . Despite their many petty rivalries and competitive natures, the two remain close friends. Niles, a Jungian, however, often makes fun of Frasier's Freud ian theories and profession as a radio psychiatrist, looking down on it as not being 'real' psychiatry. PERSONALITY Both Frasier and Niles are extremely similar: both men are snobby with fussy natures and Gourmet tastes. Both men admire the fine arts including Opera , Theatre and Classical Music (usually from a somewhat Oblique or Esoteric angle) , drink fine wine and enjoy high culture and social gatherings. They are both particular about their tastes in clothes and furnishings, preferring things expensive and classy (although where Frasier's tastes are more Eclectic , Niles appears more traditional in his tastes). Frasier states how someone described Niles as 'just like Frasier, only more so'. This is an incredibly accurate description - Niles often manages to be even more uptight and Nerd ish, and certainly possesses less of the common touch, than his older brother (who is at least capable of successfully interacting with people from other social and class groups some of the time). Niles is incredibly uptight and fussy, rarely seen in anything less than an immaculately tailored and presented suit. Niles is incredibly class-conscious, frequently viewing other people he considers 'beneath him' with extreme contempt or distain. It is possible that this trait has been exaggerated due to his years of marriage to Maris, who was frequently established as being extremely haughty (and certainly unwilling to interact with members of Niles' family). Certainly, following his separation and divorce (and in particular following his relationship with Daphne), Niles' extreme distain for others toned down significantly. This can be seen in his relationship with Roz Doyle , Frasier's radio producer, which went from being extremely barbed and intolerant on both sides to friendship (although Niles remained quick to make fun of Roz's clothes and lifestyle, and vice versa). Physically weak and very uncoordinated, Niles has a long list of Phobia s and medical conditions, many of which are clearly Psychosomatic . Most prominently, he is quite Germaphobic , given to wiping his hands after human contact and wiping down chairs in public places before sitting on them. His nose bleeds when he tells a direct lie. When extremely stressed, he is prone to Panic Attacks and fits of Hyperventilation which have, on more than one occasion, seen him lose consciousness. He is hopeless at sports, barely able to catch objects even after simple throws - nevertheless, he once mananged to score a perfect Free Throw from center court during a basketball game (this was later revealed to be an astonishing fluke). Accompanying Martin on the shooting range one day, Niles discovered that he is an excellent Marksman . For all his faults, Niles is a committed and dedicated psychiatrist, devoted to his patients and frequently devastated if unable to help them. He is also a loving brother and son, expressing concern for both his father (during his years as a police officer) and his brother. He drives a Mercedes-Benz with the licence plate SHRINK. DAPHNE MOON By far, Niles' most significant relationship on the show was with Daphne Moon , his father's physical therapist. Despite significant differences in taste, temperament and social standing (Niles a stuffy snob, Daphne an eccentric, New Age working class girl from Manchester ), Niles was immediately smitten with Daphne, and would frequently drop by Frasier's apartment in the hope of seeing her. Niles' feelings for Daphne started as a main gag on the show, including the numerous ways he demonstrated how besotted he was with her (such as being entranced by the smell of her hair and, less romantically, staring at her Rear End when she bent over), but developed over the course of the series into a long-running plotline. He was frequently jealous of Daphne's other boyfriends (and, amusingly, his own nephew, Frederick, who nursed a crush on Daphne during his childhood). For numerous reasons - his shyness, marriage to Maris and insecurity - Niles never expressed his love for Daphne, who appeared to remain blissfully unaware of his feelings towards her for the first six seasons (although she did consider him a close friend and confidant). Eventually, upon Daphne's engagement to Donny Douglas, Niles gave up on his crush and pursued a relationship with Mel - unaware that Daphne, having accidentally learnt of his feelings from Frasier (who was drugged with painkillers at the time, and consequently didn't remember revealing the secret to Daphne), had fallen in love with him in return. The two finally confessed their feelings to each other and, despite some uncertainty, entered a relationship. This meant that Daphne left Donny at the altar and Niles left his wife Mel, two events which caused a great deal of heartache and the consequences of which both were left to face. Despite numerous early insecurities and issues, their relationship survived and grew strong; they eventually became engaged, and despite planning a high-profile wedding the two later eloped and married in Reno (causing a great deal of confusion when, having eloped, they were later forced to repeatedly marry each other in order to placate their unaware friends and relatives) Their first child, David, was born in the show's final episode. |
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