Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American
actor, director, and writer best known for his 20-year
portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on two
different sitcoms, Cheers and Frasier.
Grammer, who came to public attention in the classic
TV sitcom Cheers, was able to successfully spin off
his character, Dr. Frasier Crane, into a television
series in its own right, named Frasier. Grammer won
a number of Emmys and Golden Globes for his work in
Frasier. He was the first American actor to ever 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 who played Marshall Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke
from 1955 to 1975.
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, lasted but one year (1992–1993). Since
August of 1997, Grammer has been married to Camille
Donatacci, a former MTV dancer. They have a son and
a daughter together via a surrogate mother. Grammer
has one additional daughter, Greer, born in 1992, with
hair and makeup stylist Barrie Buckner.
Grammer's life has been marked by tragedy and, as
a result, occasional depression and substance abuse.
In 1968, his father was murdered in the Virgin Islands;
in 1975, his sister was raped and murdered after leaving
a Red Lobster restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colorado,
and in 1980, his twin half-brothers were killed in
a shark attack. Bravely putting his personal tragedies
behind him, Grammer currently seems to be optimistic
and happy with his third wife and child.
Grammer's trademark smooth, deep voice makes him
popular for voiceover work. He provides the voice of
Sideshow Bob on The Simpsons and worked as the voice
of "Stinky Pete the Prospector" in Toy Story
2. He also sang the title theme for Frasier. |
