Actors You Didn't Realize Were In Frasier

Kelsey Grammer has inhabited Dr. Frasier Crane on television for over 40 years (though not consecutively). Starting with his first appearance on "Cheers" in 1984, the acclaimed actor has taken the beloved psychiatrist from the friendly bar in Boston where everyone knows your name to his hometown of Seattle for a long-running spinoff and back to Boston for a short-lived (but hopefully extended) stint as a Harvard professor. He even stopped by Nantucket for an Emmy-nominated appearance at the tight-knit commuter airport on "Wings."

In all those years as Dr. Crane, Grammer has acted alongside a number of incredible guest stars. In fact, he encountered multiple in a single episode of "Frasier" since many prominent performers and personalities appeared as callers on the good doctor's popular radio show. Iconic "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve, rock music icon Eddie Van Halen, sitcom royalty Mary Tyler Moore, and prolific director Penny Marshall were just a few listeners to pose their problems to the radio show host.

But as venerable as the callers were, "Frasier" also featured plenty of talented individuals who graced the soundstages of Paramount Studios in the flesh. While it's easy to recall memorable guest stars like Laura Linney, Patrick Stewart, and all of the regular cast members of "Cheers," except for Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe, here are some actors you maybe didn't realize were on "Frasier."

Before her career really blew up thanks to roles in the holiday staple "Elf," indie darling "(500) Days of Summer," and hit sitcom "New Girl," Zooey Deschanel was bouncing around various roles across many genres in film and television. But in 2002, a year before joining Will Ferrell in Jon Favreau's Christmas spectacular, she appeared in season 10 of "Frasier," without her trademark brunette hair or bangs, as Roz Doyle's younger cousin Jen.

In an episode titled "Kissing Cousin," Deschanel's Jen visits Roz and expects to have a wild time. But staying out late at clubs until the wee hours of the morning and talking cynically about everything is no longer on the agenda for the older member of the Doyle family. Additionally, neither is hearing Frasier complain about Jen's negative views on Sigmund Freud. So in an act of self-preservation, Roz introduces her cousin to station manager and all-around sweet guy Kenny Daly, who is played by Tom McGowan.

As the duo form a connection (both physically and emotionally, as the title of the episode insinuates), Kenny is excited about the possibility of spending more time with Jen. But as she prepares to depart for more interesting pastures in Vietnam, she informs him that she travels alone. While Jen exits Seattle like an endlessly opinionated hurricane that Niles calls typical of twenty-somethings, both Roz and Kenny learn that getting older and settling in is all a part of growing up.

The Moon family tree has deep roots in "Frasier." From the moment that we first meet Jane Leeves' eccentric live-in physical therapist Daphne Moon, she's already telling Frasier and Martin Crane about her Grammy Moon and their family's connection to the supernatural, due to the women being "a bit psychic." But in addition to mentioning her grandmother, she also brings up her brothers quite a bit. 

Eventually, as Daphne inches closer to marriage (first to Donnie Douglas, then to Niles Crane) in season seven, her family finally begins appearing on the show, starting with her obnoxious, freeloading brother Simon (played by Anthony LaPaglia). Overall, five out of Daphne's eight brothers visit their dear sister in America. Although, one might feel more at home on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Long before Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane began handling fantastic beasts or riding a flying motorcycle in the "Harry Potter" films, he appeared as Daphne's brother Michael on "Frasier." As we learn from his various guest spots on the show, Michael is a bit destructive. Not only does he fire cannons as a hobby, he also lost a few toes from falling into a frozen lake as a child and a shooting incident later on in life. But the jovial Moon boy escaped largely unscathed, although, Coltrane does speak in a slurred British accent while playing Michael, making him largely incomprehensible to anyone other than his relatives. His siblings explain that this was a side effect of being dropped as a baby, but it didn't seem to hinder the rambunctious Englishman.

While Frasier's marriage to Dr. Lilith Sternin is well-documented across the "Cheers" universe of shows, as was his almost marriage to Diane Chambers, very little is known about his first marriage to Nanette Guzman, a free-spirited hippie that he met in medical school who goes on to become an acclaimed children's performer. 

Though their relationship didn't last very long, they still harbor an intense lust for each other. Viewers find this out firsthand when Emma Thompson is introduced as the character in the "Cheers" season 10 episode "One Hugs, The Other Doesn't." Later, when the younger version of Nanette appears in the ninth season of "Frasier" as a hallucination, while Dr. Crane analyzes himself and his love life over the years, she is played by Dina Waters. However, when we see Nanny G for the final time during season 11, the casting department tapped sitcom veteran Laurie Metcalf for the episode titled "Caught In The Act."

Best known on TV for her roles on "Roseanne" and "The Big Bang Theory," Metcalf has a celebrated career in film, TV, and theater. With a wide range of skills to utilize in any role, she has the insane ability to go from the working class Jackie Harris to chief investigator Susie Cox in "JFK," and from Andy's mom in the "Toy Story" franchise to her recent award-winning guest spot in the HBO Max series "Hacks," which stars fellow "Frasier" alum Jean Smart.

In her time as Nanny G, Metcalf proved once again that she is absolutely hilarious, especially when she delivers the meta line, "Do you know what it's like to play the same character for 20 years?" A slick reference to Grammer's own career.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Stephen Root was a staple of comedy. He has been a utility player for Mike Judge and the Coen Brothers for many years, but his roles as Milton Waddams in "Office Space" and Bill Dauterive in "King of the Hill" are simply iconic. In 2018, he really got to show a different side of his acting prowess when he played Monroe Fuches in the dark comedy "Barry" alongside Bill Hader. But he never strayed away from darker, more unique roles before that. In fact, he got to work that muscle a little bit when he guest-starred on season 11 of "Frasier."

In the episode "Detour," what originally started as a sweet gesture to spend more time with his girlfriend before she moves back to Chicago and potentially try a long-distance relationship turned into a disaster. That's because Dr. Crane and Laura Linney's Charlotte are stranded in a remote part of the Pacific Northwest when their car breaks down on the way to a conference. Luckily, they come across a house with an experienced mechanic played by Stephen Root. Unfortunately, Root's Harbin and his family are particularly emotional due to the very recent death of his mother... as in she's still in the casket in the living room where Frasier and Charlotte have to spend the night.

While Harbin is understandably distraught by the loss of his mother, Root brings some of his signature comedic awkwardness to the role. At one point, when he thinks their house guests are sleeping, he agonizes over the casket and wails with sadness. Typically, this isn't exactly a funny situation, but Root and his co-stars really make it work.

John Mahoney's Martin Crane is a huge part of "Frasier." One of the main reasons that the titular character returns to his hometown of Seattle is to spend more time with his father, after Martin in injured on the job as a police officer. But in learning more about the patriarch of the Crane family, fans also get to learn more about Niles and Frasier's mother, Hester, who passed away three years after she appeared on a 1984 episode of "Cheers." But in the "Frasier" season seven episode "Momma Mia," the audience finally gets a glimpse at what the character looked like in her younger years, and apparently she looked exactly like Rita Wilson from "Now And Then" and "Jingle All The Way."

In this episode, Frasier falls in love with children's book author Mia Preston. But when he introduces his new girlfriend to his family, they realize that he is unaware that she looks exactly like his late mother. Things come to a head when Niles, Martin, Frasier, and Mia go to the family's mountain cabin and watch old home movies. Mortified, the good doctor is forced to end things with Mia since he can't unsee the resemblance once the cat is out of the bag.

Along with the other prominent women in Fraiser's life, including Ben Neuwirth as Lilith Sternin, Shelley Long as Diane Chambers, and Dina Waters as Nanette Guzman, Wilson returned to the series in the season nine episode "Don Juan In Hell: Part 2," as Fraiser's hallucination of his mother, Hester Crane. Together, he and his great loves of his life try to figure out his feelings for recent love interests Lana and Claire.

Farce is one thing that "Fraiser" does incredibly well. The collaboration between the creative team, the cast, and the crew delivers a choreographed confusion that cracks up the audience every time. One example of this is the season four episode "Four For The Seesaw."

In this episode, Niles and Frasier's regular coffee spot is extra crowded, but they spy two available seats at a table where two beautiful women are seated. Though the younger, newly-separated Crane is hesitant to approach strange women, the elder brother suggests that they be more spontaneous romantically since the opposite hasn't been serving them well. This ends up being the right call as they meet interior designers Laura Paris and Beth Armstrong.

Hilarity ensues when the four of them head to the Crane family cabin for a romantic weekend, and things take a turn for the worse. But guest star Megan Mullally knows a thing or two about hilarity ensuing. Playing Niles' love interest Beth, the veteran actor is fun and flirty, as David Hyde Pierce's character overanalyzes and second-guesses himself every step of the way. You can also see glimpses of her excellent comedic timing and expert delivery of punchlines in this role.

After this 1997 guest spot and a few more like it in other popular sitcoms of the time, Mullally landed a starring role in "Will and Grace" a year later, and her star started to rise from there. She would go on to win multiple Emmys, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild Awards for playing Karen Walker on the landmark show. She would also earn acclaim for her fan favorite roles on "Happy Endings," "Party Down," "Bob's Burgers," and "Parks and Recreation."

Since starting his acting career in the mid-1980s, Alan Cumming has been absolutely everywhere. The Scottish actor seamlessly jumps across the stage, small screen, and big screen for projects in a variety of genres. His fans may know him as Sandy Frink from "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion" or as the host of the beloved Apple TV+ reality series "The Traitors" or from his various stints in "Cabaret" as the Master of Ceremonies. Many True Believers are excited to see him reprise the role of Nightcrawler from the X-Men franchise for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie "Avengers: Doomsday." He even runs a bar in Manhattan's East Village called Club Cumming.

But in between all of that, he still has time to pop in here and there for fun guest spots. For example, he recently lent his voice to Mr. Ring-A-Ding, a villainous cartoon character that terrorizes the 15th Doctor on "Doctor Who." In the same vein, Cumming also appeared on the 10th season "Frasier" as Niles and Daphne's yogi, Ahmrit. Though the role was small, he made every moment that he appeared onscreen count. Wth David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves to play off of in the episode titled "Kenny On The Couch," it was like a masterclass of comedy thanks to DHP's physicality and Cumming's delivery. As veterans of the theater, they were definitely playing to the cheap seats in the back of the theater and that just created even more laughs for the popular sitcom.

Similar to Cumming's yoga master, Jennifer Coolidge also popped into the world of "Frasier" for a quick guest spot. Shortly after her provocative turn as Stifler's Mom in "American Pie," but just before perfecting the Bend & Snap in "Legally Blonde," the actor appeared in the season eight episode "Forgotten But Not Gone" as Frederica, a temporary physical therapist for Martin who was brought in while Daphne was out of town.

This role was meant to serve both fashionable and functional reasons. At that time, Jane Leeves was pregnant, so she had to take a leave of absence and was written out of the show for a short time. But with Daphne gone, someone needed to step in to help Niles and Frasier's dad with his exercises, as well as seeing to the nutritional needs of the household. That's where Frederica comes in. Daphne's agency sent over the German healthcare worker to fill in, and Coolidge's character was tough on Martin, as evidenced by his excessive screams during their sessions. But she also rewarded her patient's hard work with home-brewed beer and delicious meals.

The standout performer from "The White Lotus" chose to utilize a unique accent while playing this character, and while Coolidge typically speaks in a distinctive way, this voice was something else entirely. Out of all the guest stars on our list, despite having such a brief appearance on the show, it is possible that Frederica's voice might be hard to forget once you hear it.

One of the most memorable recurring guest stars in the history of "Frasier" is Harriet Sansom Harris' Bebe Glazer. The fiendishly manipulative talent agent has been by Dr. Crane's side for the majority of his career in radio. As we learn from the Paramount+ revival of the long-running "Cheers" spinoff, Bebe even stuck around when Frasier made the jump to television during his time in Chicago. But there was a time when the psychiatrist's success was more than she could handle alone. Okay, really she was passing the buck to focus on more lucrative clients, but that didn't stop Kristin Chenowith's Portia Sanders from giving her all when it comes to Frasier's career.

Though she is small in stature, Chenowith possesses a powerhouse voice and a larger-than-life presence that has served her very well on the Great White Way of Broadway. That's why she rose to prominence in several roles in the theater, including originating the part of Glinda in the worldwide phenomenon known as "Wicked." She also took that energy into award-nominated parts on television shows such as "Pushing Daisies," "Glee," and "Schmigadoon!" But before any of those opportunities arose, she tried to be Frasier Crane's junior agent in 2001.

Throughout the season nine episode, fittingly called "Junior Agent," Frasier does his best to avoid the intrepid Portia. He feels like Bebe is brushing him off onto her former-assistant-turned-colleague because he's not as important anymore. But when Chenowith's crafty agent catches Fraiser and station manager Kenny Daly with their pants down (because she's holding the pants hostage in the locker room), she outlines a plan to make their radio show bigger than ever before. However, this plan likely worked out much better than she hoped, because we unfortunately do not see Portia Sanders again.

Before he flew into the hearts of Brownouts across the galaxy as playful pilot Hoban "Wash" Washburne in "Firefly" or showed how to integrate the Five D's of Dodgeball as Steve The Pirate in "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," Alan Tudyk was just getting his career in Hollywood started. He had supporting roles in "Patch Adams," "Wonder Boys," and "A Knight's Tale" early on in his career. But around the same time, he landed the part of newly rich tech bro Todd Peterson on "Frasier."

Tudyk's appearance as Todd can be seen in the season eight episode "The Great Crane Robbery" when he moves to Seattle from San Jose after he becomes the new owner of KACL 780. In an effort to get in good with the new boss, Frasier invites Todd over to his luxurious apartment in Elliott Bay Towers. But upon his arrival, Todd becomes enamored with the sophisticated life that his new employee lives. After a few lessons about art, fashion, and culture from Dr. Crane, the nouveau-riche dot-com millionaire ends up buying a condo in the same building and copying the exact layout that Frasier has curated over the years, right down to the recreation of Coco Chanel's couch. And of course, the trademark Crane luck strikes again when "Todd's apartment" ends up in Architectural Digest.

Unfortunately, Todd's time at KACL is brief, but Tudyk does go on to star in a string of fan-favorite roles in projects such as "Big Hero 6," "Harley Quinn," "Moana," and "Resident Alien," just to name a few.