David Hyde Pierce born 3 April 1959David Hyde Pierce is an American actor, best known for his role as psychiatrist Dr Niles Crane on the sitcom Frasier.
Pierce was born in Saratoga Springs, New York. As a child he became very interested in the piano and frequently played organ at the local Bethesda Episcopal Church in Saratoga Springs. He began acting in high school and was recognised as best Dramatic Arts student. However, his love of music was still strong so he decided to study classical piano at Yale University. Unfortunately, he soon grew bored with music history lessons and found that he wasn’t dedicated enough to practice the required amount of hours to become a successful concert pianist. Instead, he graduated in 1981 with a double major in English and Theatre Arts. Pierce then moved to New York City, where he worked several menial jobs (including selling ties at Bloomingdales and working as a security guard) while acting in the theatre during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Pierce’s first big television break came in the early 1990s in a sitcom that was cancelled after a brief run despite promising reviews. His career would soon, however, take off with a role on another sitcom. Because of his resemblance to Kelsey Grammer, the role of Niles Crane on the Cheers spin-off Frasier was created for him.
For this role, Pierce was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Emmy for a record eleven consecutive years, winning in 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2004. For the last few years of the run of the show, Pierce was paid up to USD$1 million per episode.Pierce also acts in movies from time to time. He appeared alongside Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle, with Jodie Foster in Little Man Tate and alongside Ewan McGregor in Down With Love. Pierce has a distinctive voice and, like his Frasier co-star Kelsey Grammer, is often called upon to provide voice work. He notably provided the voice for Doctor Doppler in Disney’s animated feature, Treasure Planet and the Walking Stick in Pixar's A Bug's Life. He has also starred in television commercials as the voice of the Tassimo coffee system.
In 2005, he joined Tim Curry and others in the stage production of Spamalot. In August/September 2006, he starred in Curtains, a new Kander and Ebb musical in Los Angeles, which transferred to Broadway in March 2007, winning him a 2007 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.
Pierce’s father and grandfather suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease, resulting in him being very active in fighting for research into the disease. He is also a regular supporter of AIDS charities as well as gay and lesbian causes.
Pierce's longtime life partner is TV writer/director/producer Brian Hargrove. He and Hargrove were married in California on October 24, 2008, just before Proposition 8 was adopted as law, banning same-sex marriages in the state. They live in New York and Los Angeles.