Received the Yaddo Medal as best dramatic arts student upon graduation from Saratoga Springs High School, 1977.
Plays both the piano and the organ.
Attended Bethesda Episcopal Church in Saratoga Springs.
He received his initial interview with the creators of "Frasier" (1993) due to his close resemblance to Kelsey Grammer. After the interview, the part of Niles Crane was written for him.
Once worked as a security guard.
Is active in the fight to find a cure for Alzheimer's, which his grandfather suffered from.
Holds the record for being nominated for most Best Supporting Actor Emmys for a character, Dr. Niles Crane on "Frasier". He was nominated 11 times.
Graduated from Yale University with a double major in English and theater arts.
Attended Yale with Jodie Foster. When she was preparing to direct Little Man Tate (1991), she remembered him from a play he was in at that time and called and offered him a part.
Sold ties at Macy's in New York City
Once sold ties at Bloomingdales in New York.
He kickboxes.
Made his debut with the New York Philaharmonic in April 2003 in the role of Benedict, in the concert staging of Berlioz's opera Beatrice and Benedict. Harriet Harris, (Agent Bebe Glazer on Frasier) played Beatrice opposite Pierce.
Asked not to be credited as the voice of Abe Sapien in Hellboy (2004) because he felt the characterization of Abe truly belonged to Doug Jones (the actor who played Abe on the set).
David Hyde Pierce Detailed Biography
David Hyde Pierce (born April 3, 1959) is an American actor, best known for the role of Dr. Niles Crane on the sitcom Frasier.
Born and raised in Saratoga Springs, New York, he began acting in high school and attended Yale University, where he majored in English and theater. Pierce held an assortment of jobs, including security guard and tie salesman in New York City before breaking into film in the late 1980s.
Pierce's first big television break came in the early 90's with Norman Lears The Powers That Be. Pierce played Theodore, a suicidal congressman on the political comedy. Despite positive reviews from critics, the show was cancelled after a brief run. Pierce has commented in interviews that the cancellation came as a shock to him and that he was very disappointed the show did not continue.
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. He also provided the voice for Doctor Doppler in Disney's 42nd animated feature, Treasure Planet.
Pierce has a distinctive voice and, like his Frasier co-star Kelsey Grammer, is called on often to provide voice work. Some of his more notable roles in this calling include the Walking Stick insect "Slim" in A Bug's Life and the amphibian Abe Sapien in Hellboy. In a deliberate in-joke, he has also voiced Sideshow Bob's brother, Cecil, in one episode of The Simpsons, in which he and Grammer essentially recreated the Frasier/Niles relationship. The episode was humourously titled Brother from Another Series.
In 2005 he joined Tim Curry and others in the stage production of Spamalot. David Hyde Pierce is a supporter of the rights of the gay and lesbian community, but his own sexual orientation is not publicly known, as he prefers to keep it private. He has stated: "I live my life as an open book. I just don't intend to read it to anyone."
