David Hyde Pierce

American actor and director

David Hyde Pierce is an acclaimed American actor best known for his role as Dr. Niles Crane on the hit sitcom Frasier. He has won numerous awards, including four Primetime Emmys and a Tony, for his outstanding performances on stage and screen. From his diverse film roles to his Broadway success, David Hyde Pierce has proven himself to be a versatile and talented actor throughout his illustrious career.

Table of Contents

About the David Hyde Pierce

David Hyde Pierceis an American actor. For his portrayal of psychiatrist Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier from 1993 to 2004, he received four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series as well as two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Pierce has also received five Golden Globe Awards nominations for Best Supporting Actor for the role. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role of Lt. Frank Cioffi in the Broadway musical Curtainsand Horace Vandergelder in the revival of Hello, Dolly! (2017). For the latter two, Pierce was nominated for a Tony Award. He made his Broadway directorial debut with the musical It Shoulda Been You (2015).

Frequently Asked Questions

David Hyde Pierce’s full name is David Pierce. He was born on April 3, 1959.

David Hyde Pierce won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for his portrayal of Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier from 1993 to 2004.

David Hyde Pierce has acted in several notable films, including Crossing Delancey (1988), The Fisher King (1991), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Wolf (1994), Nixon (1995), Down with Love (2003), and The Perfect Host (2010).

In addition to winning a Tony Award for his role in the Broadway musical Curtains, David Hyde Pierce has had other notable Broadway roles, including Sir Robin in Monty Python’s Spamalot (2005), Vanya in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (2013), and Horace Vandergelder in the revival of Hello, Dolly! (2017).

Besides his iconic role on Frasier, David Hyde Pierce has also starred in the NBC sitcom The Powers That Be, the CBS legal drama The Good Wife, the ABC docu-drama When We Rise, and the HBO Max series Julia.

David Hyde Pierce has voiced characters in several animated films, including Disney Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, Osmosis Jones, and Treasure Planet.

Yes, David Hyde Pierce made his Broadway directorial debut with the musical It Shoulda Been You in 2015.

23 Quotes by David Hyde Pierce

  1. 1.

    We can’t control what the ratings will be. It’s like, if you’re going to go skiing, do you hope you’ll have a good day of skiing? Yes. Do you hope you won’t break your leg? Yes.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  2. 2.

    Sometimes in the most tragic situation, something just profoundly funny happens.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  3. 3.

    People can be a hoot on the set, but if they’re not good to work with, that tires very quickly.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  4. 4.

    On some level in acting, what you’re trying to find is truth, because when it’s true is when it’s also funny.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  5. 5.

    I was going to be a concert pianist, and when I was in high school, my parents were scared to death that I would focus too much on that too soon. And that I’d end up in some sort of dead end, and not fulfilling whatever potential they thought I had.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  6. 6.

    I don’t remember any sibling rivalry growing up, because by the time I was really conscious, Tom was going away to college. My relationship with him, which is a very close one, really developed in more recent years.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  7. 7.

    My dad had been an actor… not only had my dad been an actor, but his dad had been an actor, and my great-grandfather had been an actor. And who knows before then?

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  8. 8.

    I don’t have the time to tell you all the things I’ve learned from this cast. It’s an extraordinary ensemble because we all support each other so well.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  9. 9.

    I went and took golf lessons so Dad would let me play with him. I was just terrible… but I was able to have a wonderful time just walking around with Dad. I can see the real pleasure of that game.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  10. 10.

    From Kelsey, I have learned among many other things the value of turning on a dime and how you can have an extremely funny and extremely poignant moment with absolutely no separation in between… and sometimes in the same moment.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  11. 11.

    I would always fall down the big main staircase in our house. My favorite thing in the world was to pretend to be horribly killed at the top of it, and to fall dramatically down to the bottom of it.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  12. 12.

    Don’t you always feel bad when they take away one of the spoons? It’s like you ordered wrong.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  13. 13.

    There’s nothing worse than putting two similar shows back-to-back. Viewers don’t want to watch one show and then sit through another half-hour of almost the same thing.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  14. 14.

    I probably was as bad as a security guard as I was as a tie salesman.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  15. 15.

    I was chased through a chateau in the Loire Valley by a bunch of American school girls.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  16. 16.

    Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease. It was painful for me and my family to watch my grandfather deteriorate. We must find a cure for this horrible disease.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  17. 17.

    Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, I’m finding enjoyment in things that stop time. Just the simple act of tasting a glass of wine is its own event. You’re not downing a glass of wine in the midst of doing something else.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  18. 18.

    Last year, I finally got my own grand piano, and that was a big thing for me because it’s always been and always will be a very important part of my life.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  19. 19.

    I was as happy doing theater in New York for little or no money as I am now doing television for more money. The happiness, I guess, comes out of it being a good job. The success has to do with the fact that it’s a good job that will continue.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  20. 20.

    The first year I was on the show, it took an interviewer about 45 minutes to get it out of me that I even had a dog, and even then I wouldn’t tell him the dog’s name.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  21. 21.

    I found every single laugh as Laertes that you can find and only realized later that you really shouldn’t find any at all.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  22. 22.

    You only have a week to do a show. I mean, there’s only so deep you can dig in that week.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director

  23. 23.

    We all went to Kelsey’s wedding, and yeah, we go to parties. We also go to each other’s house. A group of us got together over at Kelsey’s and just read through some plays just for the fun of it. That may not be everyone’s idea of a good time, but we had a good time.

    David Hyde Pierce

    American actor and director