David Hyde Pierce, an American actor, and director, is best known for his role as Dr. Niles Crane in the sitcom Frasier. His acting career spans over four decades, including his works in theater and as a voice actor. David is famous for his unique voice and body language that is prominent in the show Frasier.
Career
After graduating from Yale University, David moved to New York and started trying his luck with acting jobs. He got minor roles in theater shows while he worked as a security guard and a tie seller. His first big play was Beyond Therapy, a Broadway show in 1982. David’s entry into the television industry started with Norman Lear’s show The Powers That Be. The show was successful, but it soon got canceled.
Due to his striking resemblance with Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce was cast in the hit sitcom Frasier. Kelsey played the main character of a psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane while David played his younger brother, Dr. Niles Crane. David’s character got huge praise from critics and fans alike.
David got a record of 11 consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations as a supporting actor, and he won four of them.
David also starred in movies with big names like Jodie Foster in Little Man Tate and Anthony Hopkins in Nixon. Due to his unique voice, he contributed to several animated movies as a voice actor. His voice acting career includes Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, Disney’s Treasure Planet, and Hellboy. David resumed his theater career in 2005 with a stage production of Spamalot. His performance as Lieutenant Frank Cioffi in the play Curtains earned him a Tony Award for the best leading actor in a musical play.
After 2010, David returned to the big screen, starring in the psychological thriller A Perfect Host. He continued working for a TV series La Bête, which started its production in West London and later moved to New York. David’s next television series, The Good Wife, ran from 2014 to 2015.
In 2017, David appeared in a series about LGBTQ+ awareness and rights, When We Rise. Apart from his on and off theater performances, David is currently working in HBO’s show Julia after replacing Tom Hollander.
Personal Life
David was born in Saratoga Spring, New York. His father was a struggling actor, and perhaps David got his love for acting from his father. He chose the name “Hyde” as his middle name to avoid confusion with another actor of the same name. David studied at Yale University as an arts degree student. After his graduation, he took part in a student’s performance of H.M.S. Pinafore. He also directed the production of the play Princess Ida.
David Hyde Pierce’s fame cost him his privacy, which speculated a lot about his sexuality. Although there had been rumors in the early 1980s, David came out as gay in 2007. He revealed that he had been in a relationship with actor Brian Hargrove since 1983. He got married to Brian in 2008, right before the state of California banned same-sex marriages by Proposition 8.
David described his struggles as a closeted gay as something that never stops. He appreciated his parents for accepting his then-partner Brian and did not cause any scene. In the show When We Rise, David plays the father of an LGBTQ+ activist, and he was not happy about his son coming out as gay. David implied that his own sexual orientation was the reason he chose to work on this show.
Apart from acting, David has actively worked with Alzheimer’s Association to publicly campaign for the funds.
