Allen Kelsey Grammer^[2] (born February 21, 1955)^[1] is an American actor and producer. He gained fame for his role as thepsychiatrist Dr.Frasier Crane on theNBCsitcomCheers (1984–1993) and its spin-offFrasier (1993–2004, and againfrom 2023 to 2024). At more than 20 years on-air, this is one of the longest-running roles played by a single live-action actor in primetime television history. He has receivednumerous accolades including a total of sixEmmy Awards, threeGolden Globe Awards, aScreen Actors Guild Award and aTony Award.

Kelsey Grammer
Grammer in 2016
Born	Allen Kelsey Grammer (1955-02-21)February 21, 1955 (age 70)[1] Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Education	Juilliard School
Occupations	Actor producer
Years active	1977–present
Spouses	Doreen Alderman ​ ​ (m. 1982;div. 1990)​ Leigh-Anne Csuhany ​ ​ (m. 1992;ann. 1993)​ Camille Donatacci ​ ​ (m. 1997;div. 2011)​ Kayte Walsh ​ ​ (m. 2011)​
Children	7, includingSpencer andGreer
Awards	Hollywood Walk of Fame

Grammer, having trained as an actor atJuilliard and theOld Globe Theatre, made his professional acting debut asLennox in the 1981Broadway revival ofMacbeth. The following year, he portrayedCassio acting oppositeChristopher Plummer andJames Earl Jones inOthello.^[3] In mid-1983, he acted alongsideMandy Patinkin in the originaloff-Broadway production ofStephen Sondheim's musicalSunday in the Park with George. He has since starred in the leading roles in productions ofSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,My Fair Lady,Big Fish, andFinding Neverland.

On film, he is known for his role asDr. Hank McCoy / Beast in thesuperhero filmsX-Men: The Last Stand (2006),X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) andThe Marvels (2023). His other roles includeDown Periscope (1996),The Pentagon Wars (1998), andSwing Vote (2008). He is also known for his voice roles inAnastasia (1997),Toy Story 2 (1999), and asSideshow Bob inThe Simpsons (1990–present). He took guest roles in the sitcoms30 Rock (2010–2012),Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2016), andModern Family (2017). For his performance as the corrupt mayor in theStarz political seriesBoss (2011–2012), he received aGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama.

In early 2010, Grammer returned to Broadway in the musical revival ofLa Cage aux Folles, where he received a nomination for theTony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.^[4] In mid-2016, Grammer won aTony Award for Best Musical as producer of a musical revival ofThe Color Purple. In early 2019, he starred asDon Quixote in a production ofMan of La Mancha at theLondon Coliseum. In late 2023,The Telegraph described Grammer as one of "the finest actors" of his generation.^[5] He was awarded a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in mid-2001.

Kelsey Grammer was born onSaint Thomas in theU.S. Virgin Islands.^[2][1] Grammer's mother, Sally Cranmer (1928–2008), was a dancer who performed under the name of Sally Sullivan.^[6] His father, Frank Allen Grammer Jr. was a musician who owned a coffee shop, Greer's Place;^[7][8] and owned and edited a magazine,Virgin Islands View.^[9] Kelsey had a younger sister, Karen, and four half-siblings from his father's second marriage.

Grammer's personal life has been shaped by many family tragedies. Following his parents' divorce, Grammer was raised in New Jersey by his mother and maternal grandparents, Gordon and Evangeline Cranmer.^[10] The family later relocated toPompano Beach, Florida. When Grammer was twelve years old, his grandfather died of cancer.^[10] In 1968, his father was murdered in Saint Thomas during awave of racial violence following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.^[9][11][12] In 1975, his sister was kidnapped, raped, and murdered inColorado Springs, Colorado, by spree killerFreddie Glenn.^[13] In 1980, his two teenage half-brothers died in a scuba diving accident.^[13]

Grammer attendedPine Crest School, a private preparatory school inFort Lauderdale, Florida.^[10] It was there that he first began to sing and perform on stage.^[10] Grammer later won a scholarship to study drama at theJuilliard School, where he was a member of Group 6 from 1973 to 1975.^[10][14] However, after his sister's murder, Grammer failed to attend classes and was eventually expelled.^[10]

Grammer described himself as "a Caribbean kid", and he enjoys vacationing in the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, and British Virgin Islands.^[15]

After leavingJuilliard, Grammer had a three-year internship with theOld Globe Theatre in San Diego in the late 1970s before a stint in 1980 at theGuthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Grammer acted as the Burglar in the LA production of theGeorge Bernard Shaw playToo True to Be Good in 1977. In 1980 he starred in theRoundabout Theatre Company's production ofA Month in the Country. He made his Broadway debut in 1981 as "Lennox" inMacbeth, takingthe lead role whenPhilip Anglim withdrew after receiving negative reviews. Grammer then playedMichael Cassio in the 1982 Broadway revival ofOthello, alongsideJames Earl Jones andChristopher Plummer. That same year he portrayed Codename Lazar in thePublic Theatre production of theDavid Hare playPlenty. In 1983, he performed in the demo of theStephen Sondheim–James Lapine productionSunday in the Park with George, starringMandy Patinkin.

In 1984, Grammer first appeared as Dr.Frasier Crane in theNBC sitcomCheers. Grammer's Broadway co-star and former Juilliard classmate, Mandy Patinkin, suggested Grammer to the New York casting director. He was supposed to appear for only six episodes, but ended up as a regular cast member.^[16] The character of Frasier first appears in the third season and continues to appear until the final season of the series in May 1993. Frasier Crane also had acrossover appearance in the 1992Wings episode "Planes, Trains, & Visiting Cranes".

Grammer has provided the voice ofSideshow Bob onThe Simpsons, starting in the 1990 episode "Krusty Gets Busted". He won a fifthEmmy Award for his work in the episode "The Italian Bob".^[17] Bob has appeared in twenty-two episodes of the show, the most recent being 2023's "Treehouse of Horror XXXIV".

From April to June 1992, he played the title role inRichard II, staged at theMark Taper Forum at theLos Angeles Music Center.^[18]

In September 1993, the character became the protagonist of spin-offFrasier. In the show, Frasier has moved from Boston to Seattle and works as a radio psychiatrist alongside his producerRoz (Peri Gilpin). In addition to starring, Grammer also directed more than 30 episodes, and sang the closing theme "Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs". In 2001, he negotiated a $700,000-per-episode salary forFrasier. The show was nominated for, and won,numerous awards during its 11-year run, concluding in May 2004. The show met instant success, and received fivePrimetime Emmy Awards forOutstanding Comedy Series. This record has never been broken, withModern Family tying the record.^[19] Grammer himself received 10Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his role inFrasier, winning four times, tying him withCarroll O'Connor,Michael J. Fox andJim Parsons for the most wins forPrimetime Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. His 20-year run playing Dr. Frasier Crane (in bothCheers andFrasier) ties a length set byJames Arness in playingMarshal Matt Dillon onGunsmoke from 1955 to 1975,^[2] but it was surpassed byRichard Belzer in playingDet. John Munch onHomicide: Life on the Street andLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit since 1993. Then, in February 2021, it was announced that Grammer would reprise the character in arevival set to air on the streaming serviceParamount+.^[20]

In 1995, Grammer voiced Dr. Frankenollie in theMickey Mouse shortRunaway Brain, and it was nominated forAcademy Award for Best Animated Short Film. He later starred in the lead role as Lt. Commander Thomas "Tom" Dodge in the filmDown Periscope (1996), and voiced Vladimir "Vlad" Vasilovich in the20th Century Fox's critically acclaimed animated movieAnastasia (1997). In 1999, Grammer voiced the main antagonistStinky Pete inPixar'sGolden Globe Award-winningToy Story 2 (1999). He also provided voice work for several other animated television series and direct-to-video films, such asBarbie of Swan Lake,Bartok the Magnificent, the title character in the short-lived animated seriesGary the Rat, and the narrator ofMickey's Once Upon a Christmas. He also voiced Dr. Ivan Krank in Disney'sTeacher's Pet (2004). In 2004, he playedEbenezer Scrooge in the musicaltelevision filmA Christmas Carol.

Grammer's voice has been featured in many commercials. In 1998, he appeared in a commercial forHoney Nut Cheerios, where he voices the wolf inLittle Red Riding Hood. Since 2006, Grammer has provided the voice for television commercials advertisingHyundai. In 2008, Grammer reprised his role of Dr. Frasier Crane in a commercial forDr Pepper (Frasier andCheers co-starBebe Neuwirth also reprised her role asLilith Sternin in the same commercial, albeit in voice only). In 2000, Grammer again playedMacbeth on Broadway, in a production that closed after only 10 days.^[21]

In 2005, Grammer produced an American adaptation of theBritish showThe Sketch Show, which aired onFox. The main cast consisted ofMalcolm Barrett,Kaitlin Olson,Mary Lynn Rajskub andPaul F. Tompkins, as well asLee Mack from the British version of the show. Grammer appeared in only short opening and closing segments in each episode. Many of thesketches from the British version were re-created. Only six episodes of the show were made, and it wascancelled after just four of them had aired. In 2007, Grammer starred withPatricia Heaton in the American sitcomBack to You, which Fox cancelled after its first season. His next lead role,ABC'sHank, was cancelled after only five episodes had aired. Grammer later commented, "Honestly, it just wasn't very funny."^[22]

On April 18, 2010, Grammer made hisBroadway musical debut playing the role of Georges in a revival of theJerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musicalLa Cage aux Folles at theLongacre Theatre. Grammer starred alongsideDouglas Hodge for which they both were nominated forTony Awards forBest Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Grammer was said to have been "delivering an assured and charming leading turn."^[23] In 2011 and 2012, Grammer found temporary success in theStarz drama seriesBoss as a fictional mayor of Chicago, based on former mayorRichard J. Daley. It premiered in October 2011.^[24] It was his first dramatic TV series.^[25] At the2012 Golden Globe Awards Grammer won the award forBest Actor in a Television Series Drama for his role. The show ran for 18 episodes over two seasons.^[26] From 2010 to 2012, Grammer guest starred as a comical version of himself in three episodes of theNBC show30 Rock alongsideJane Krakowski andJack McBrayer.

In 2011, he was originally announced to provide the voice of Henry J. Waternoose III in the prequel toMonsters, Inc.,Monsters University, and he was meant to replaceJames Coburn, following Coburn's death in 2002. The character, however, got cut from the film.

In 2014, Grammer came back to sitcom television when he appeared inPartners with comedianMartin Lawrence. The Lionsgate-produced show was written and executive produced byRobert L. Boyett and Robert Horn, known for writing hit shows likeFamily Matters,Living Single,Full House,Designing Women, andPerfect Strangers. Despite this, the show was cancelled after its first season. Later that same year, Grammer starred in several films such as Bonaparte inThe Expendables 3 (2014) and asHarold Attinger inTransformers: Age of Extinction (2014). He appeared as both the narrator andHerod the Great, in the National Geographic TV filmKilling Jesus. In 2015, Grammer andJohn Lithgow lent their voices to the critically acclaimed documentaryBest of Enemies asWilliam F. Buckley Jr. andGore Vidal, respectively.^[27] The documentary surrounds the events around the televised debates between intellectuals Vidal and Buckley during the1968 United States presidential election. The film premiered at the2015 Sundance Film Festival and was shortlisted for theAcademy Award for Best Documentary but did not make the final cut.^[28]

In March 2015, Grammer originated the roles of Charles Frohman and Captain Hook in the Broadway premiere of the musicalFinding Neverland, continuing with the roles through June.^[29] In February 2016 he made an appearance in theWest End production ofBig Fish.^[30] In 2016, Grammer won aTony Award as a producer ofThe Color Purple.^[31] In 2019, Grammer starred asDon Quixote in a production ofMan of La Mancha at theLondon Coliseum. That same year he starred as Harry Hamilton in theNetflix filmLike Father (2018), alongsideKristen Bell, and as a detective oppositeNicolas Cage inGrand Isle (2019).

Grammer reprised his role asFrasier Crane in the2023 revival ofFrasier onParamount+.^[32] The show was renewed for a second season withPeri Gilpin from the original series returning for a recurring role.^[33] Grammer reprised his role as Dr. Hank McCoy / Beast in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmThe Marvels (2023) during anpost-credits scene.^[34] It was announced in 2025 that Grammer would also reprise the role in the upcoming MCU filmAvengers: Doomsday (2026).^[35]

Grammer has been married four times, and has seven children and one grandchild, Emmett.^[36] His first marriage, to a dance instructor, Doreen Alderman,^[37] lasted from 1982 to 1990, although they wereseparated for the last six years of that period.^[38] They have one daughter, the actressSpencer Grammer (born October 9, 1983).^[39] Through Spencer, Grammer has one grandson, born on October 10, 2011.^[37]

After his divorce from Alderman, Grammer had a daughter,Kandace Greer Grammer (born February 15, 1992), with a hair and makeup stylist, Barrie Buckner. Kandace was later a cast member onMTV's showAwkward.^[38][40]

His second marriage, to Leigh-Anne Csuhany in September 1992,^[41] lasted one year. When Csuhany was three months pregnant, Grammer filed for anannulment and evicted her from their home;^[38] Grammer claimed she wasabusive and fired a gun at him.^[8][42] The pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.

In 1994, he met 28-year-old Tammi Baliszewski at a bar inManhattan Beach, California. In December 1994, they appeared together on the cover ofPeople magazine, announcing their engagement and Grammer'ssubstance abuse problems.^[43]

In August 1997, Grammer married the dancer and modelCamille Donatacci. They met on ablind date in 1996.^[44] They have a daughter, Mason, born October 2001, and a son, Jude, born August 2004, both born to asurrogate mother.^[40] During their marriage, several of Grammer and Donatacci's homes were featured in magazines, including ones inMalibu (February 2001,InStyle),Maui (May 2004,InStyle),Long Island (April 2008,InStyle),Bachelor Gulch (Architectural Digest),^[45] andBel Air, Los Angeles (Architectural Digest). InNew York City, they lived at15 Central Park West.^[46][47] On July 1, 2010, it was announced that Camille had filed for divorce.^[48] The pair's divorce was finalized on February 10, 2011.^[49]

On August 12, 2010, Grammer announced that he was going to be a father to a fifth child, this time with his girlfriend, Kayte Walsh, an English flight attendant 25 years his junior and daughter of the former footballerAlan Walsh.^[50] In October, Grammer announced that Walsh hadmiscarried six weeks earlier.^[51] The couple announced their engagement in December 2010^[52] and married atthe Plaza Hotel in New York City on February 25, 2011, two weeks after the dissolution of Grammer's third marriage.^[53] Grammer and Walsh have a daughter, born July 2012,^[54] and two sons, born July 2014^[55] and November 2016.^[56] On January 18, 2023, it was reported that Grammer had purchased a house in his wife's hometown ofPortishead, Somerset, England.^[57]

In 2001, Grammer described himself as religious and believed in God, but he said he does not adhere to any particular religion.^[58]

On July 1, 1975, Grammer's younger sister, 18-year-old Karen Grammer, was raped and murdered byspree killer,Freddie Glenn, and two other men. Grammer identified his sister's body and informed their mother shortly after. According to Grammer, his bouts of alcoholism and drug abuse were driven, in part, by guilt and depression over his sister's death, as the pair had been close in childhood.^[59]

In a 2012 interview withOprah Winfrey, Grammer said he would be willing to forgive the perpetrators if they would take responsibility for the crime, though they all claimed innocence. In the same interview, Grammer expressed his loss of faith for several years after Karen's death.^[60] He subsequently forgave Glenn in a 2014 parole hearing after being convinced of Glenn's contrition, but refused to support his release, saying that it would "be a betrayal of my sister's life".^[59] He named his daughterSpencer Karen Grammer in part for his sister.^[39]

Karen Grammer's murder and the investigation by theColorado Springs Police Department was the subject of the episode "Animal Nature" of theInvestigation Discovery seriesHomicide Hunter.^[61]

Grammer's 2025 bookKaren: A Brother Remembers is about his sister's life and murder, and its effect on his life.^[62]

Grammer is a supporter of theRepublican Party, and he endorsed theTea Party movement on economic issues such assmall government andlower taxes;^[63]City A.M. described him as "one of Hollywood's best-known Republicans, a rare spark of red in a blue sea ofDemocrats".^[64]

ANew York magazine profile published in 2010 described Grammer as "pro-choice".^[65] In 2015, however, his wife posted anInstagram photo of Grammer wearing a T-shirt from theanti-abortion group Abort73.^[66]

Grammer has expressed disbelief on thescientific consensus on climate change, comparing theCalifornia wildfires to allegedglobal cooling from his youth and criticized the 2011 and 2018 climate meetings.^[67][68][69] Additionally, he stated in a 2016 interview withThe Guardian that the person he admired most wasVladimir Putin "because he is so comfortably who he is".^[70] In 2019, he issued a statement in support ofBrexit.^[71]

Grammer has criticized Washington politicians, stating: "I don't think Washington did us any favors for the last 50, 60 years, I think they've all been sort of the same party, the same bunch of clowns".^[72] He has expressed an interest in some day running forUnited States Congress,^[73]Mayor of New York City,^[74] and the presidency.^[64] In an interview with radio talk show host Frank Morano in August 2021, he indicated that he was no longer interested in running for office.^[75] Grammer was a guest at PresidentGeorge W. Bush's first inauguration.^[65] Grammer endorsedRudy Giuliani in the2008 presidential primary and later campaigned forJohn McCain in thegeneral election.^[76][77] Grammer also promotedRightNetwork, aconservative start-up American television network.^[78] He endorsedMichele Bachmann for theRepublican nomination for president in 2012.^[79] Grammer later endorsedMitt Romney after he had won the Republican nomination.^[80] He initially supportedBen Carson's candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, although later stating he would gladly vote for Republican candidateDonald Trump in the upcoming election.^[64]

In a December 2023 interview withBBC'sToday to promote the new series ofFrasier, Grammer confirmed he still supports Donald Trump.^[81] Grammer expressed support for Trump again in a May 2025 interview withThe Times.^[82]

Grammer has a history ofsubstance abuse.^[38] In 1988, he was charged withdrunk driving andcocaine possession and sentenced to 30 days in jail.^[83] In August 1990, Grammer was charged again with cocaine possession and was sentenced to three years'probation, fined $500, and required to perform 300 hours ofcommunity service.^[83] In January 1991, Grammer was given an additional two years' probation for violating his original probation through additional cocaine use.^[83] In September 1996, he crashed hisDodge Viper sports car while intoxicated, and subsequently checked into theBetty Ford Center for 30 days.^[83] Grammer's personal problems affected his work. The cast and producers of bothFrasier andCheers heldinterventions to help him; co-starBebe Neuwirth and writerKen Levine cited delays with rehearsals and filming due to his erratic behavior.^[84] The writerDan O'Shannon recalled:^[84]

He would ooze into the studio, his life all out of sorts. Jimmy would say "Action," and he would snap into Frasier and expound in this very erudite dialogue and be pitch-perfect. And Jimmy would yell "Cut!" and he would ooze back into Kelsey—glazed-over eyes, half asleep, going through whatever he was going through. It was the most amazing transformation I'd ever seen.^[84]

Grammer credits his religious faith for helping him confront his personal problems.^[58]

On May 31, 2008, whilepaddleboarding with his then-wifeCamille inHawaiʻi, Grammer had a heart attack. Their personal assistant, Scott MacLean, was essential in saving his life.^[85] Grammer was discharged on June 4, 2008, and was said to be "resting comfortably" at his Hawaii residence.^[86] Seven weeks after the attack, Grammer toldEntertainment Tonight that, although his spokesman described the attack as mild, it was more severe as hisheart had stopped.^[87] Grammer thought Fox's decision to cancel his TV sitcomBack to You contributed to his health problems, saying: "It was a very stressful time for me, and a surprise that it was cancelled. But you know, everything that doesn't kill us—which it almost did—makes us stronger!"^[88]

In 1988, Grammer was arrested for possession of one-quarter gram of cocaine, after being pulled over in a traffic stop for driving with expired plates inNorth Hollywood, California. A year earlier, he had been arrested for a DUI inVan Nuys, California, and would go on to serve 14 days of a 30-day sentence. Grammer later served 10 days of community service after failing to comply with the requirements of his parole in 1990. Later in the same year, Grammer was sentenced to 90 days ofhouse arrest, ordered to pay a $500 fine, underwent drug and alcohol abuse counseling, and performed 300 hours of community service for his 1988 cocaine possession case.^[89]

In 1995, Grammer was accused of having sex with his child's underage babysitter. A grand jury chose not to indict the actor, stating: "The young woman's delay of more than a year in pressing charges against Mr. Grammer made it difficult to support her claim." Grammer released a statement shortly afterward, saying: "I have said from the outset that there was no basis for the allegations."^[90] In 1996, Grammer's ex-girlfriend, Cerlette Lamme, sued him fordefamation of character andinvasion of privacy over content he included in his autobiographySo Far....^[91]

In 1998, Grammer filed a lawsuit againstInternet Entertainment Group (IEG), which Grammer claimed had stolen from his home avideotape of him in bed with a woman. IEG counter-sued Grammer, denying it was in possession of such a tape, and Grammer's suit was dropped.^[92] IEG PresidentSeth Warshavsky later said, "We have been presented with another Kelsey Grammer tape. But we have no plans to air it. We are still evaluating it at this time."^[93]

Grammer won numerous awards and accolades, particularly for his work onFrasier. He was the first American actor to be nominated for multiple Emmy awards for portraying the same character on three different television shows (Cheers,Frasier, andWings). In 2010, Grammer received his firstTony Award nomination forBest Actor in a Musical for his performance inLa Cage Aux Folles oppositeDouglas Hodge. He later won theBest Revival of a Musical, as a producer forThe Color Purple, in 2016.^[108] On May 22, 2001, he was presented with a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for television. He received a nomination from theDirectors Guild of America Award in 1999, for directing theFrasier episode "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz". At theGolden Globes, he has received nine nominations and won three.

• Grammer, Kelsey.So Far.... New York:Viking Press, 1995. Print.ISBN 978-0-670-86671-7.OCLC 32743033. His Autobiography.

• Kelsey Grammer atIMDb
• Kelsey Grammer at theInternet Broadway Database 
• Kelsey Grammer at theInternet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
• Neal, Rome (February 4, 2003)."'Frasier' Meets 'Becker'".CBS News.