Hester Crane

The main character of the American television sitcom ''Frasier'' is Frasier Crane. Other regular characters include: his father Martin, brother Niles, producer Roz Doyle, and his live-in caregiver Daphne Moon. Other minor characters made regular appearances.

Main characters

* Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane, a radio psychiatrist. The character could be characterized as pedantic, finicky, scrupulous, and pontifical. Growing up with a cultured mother and "Average Joe" father, Frasier epitomises a synthesis of upper-class sophistication, yet is still capable of working-class enjoyments. After returning to Seattle, he begins embracing his more cultured background but developed a more snobbish and haughty self, possibly due to rekindling his relationship with his brother Niles Crane. Despite his pretentious demeanour, Frasier has a good heart and strong moral compass.
* Jane Leeves as Daphne Moon (''later Crane''), a Mancunian physiotherapist and live-in housekeeper hired by Frasier to help Martin with his physiotherapy. Daphne's eccentric, working-class background and self-professed psychic abilities (which often end up being correct) frequently lead to Daphne's comical non-sequiturs about her unusual family, to the Cranes' incredulity. Despite her background, Niles falls for her instantly. Niles' obsession with Daphne and her obliviousness of this obsession is developed throughout the earlier seasons of the series.
* David Hyde Pierce as Niles Crane, Frasier's younger brother, a psychiatrist in private practice. Fastidious, fussy, and far snobbier than Frasier, Niles' pedantic, neurotic qualities provide a foil for Frasier's own idiosyncrasies. He is also loyal, chivalrous, and incredibly loving, which more than makes up for it in the eyes of his loved ones. Niles is very close to his older brother, though their fiercely competitive natures provide much of the humour. Like Frasier, Niles also prefers fine arts, music, and intellectual pursuits to activities like sports, though (surprisingly given Niles' clumsiness and lack of hand-eye coordination) he excels in squash and croquet. Niles is especially Mysophobic, given to wiping his hands after human contact and wiping down chairs in public places before sitting on them.
* Peri Gilpin as Roz Doyle, the producer of Frasier's radio show. Originating from Bloomer, Wisconsin, Roz is an attractive single woman with a euphonious voice much-remarked amongst Frasier's listeners. She has no shame about her serial dating, which is the subject of many jokes and snide remarks, particularly from Frasier's brother Niles.
* John Mahoney as Martin Crane, Frasier and Niles's father, a down-to-earth and unpretentious Seattle police detective who was forced to retire from the force due to a gunshot wound to his hip. Due to this injury inhibiting him from living alone, Martin is forced to accept Frasier's invitation to live with him upon Frasier's return to Seattle. Though his sons share very little in common with him in terms of hobbies and personalities, their relationship deepens over the seasons. Martin's relationship with his Jack Russell terrier, Eddie; beer-drinking (specifically Ballantine); and his pea-green recliner are a perpetual source of irritation for Frasier.

Crane men love interests

As many of the plots on ''Frasier'' surround the romantic entanglements of the Crane men, several women have significant minor roles in the series. The more significant of these are listed below, excluding Daphne Moon:

Sherry Dempsey

Sherry Dempsey (Marsha Mason) is a bartender at McGinty's, Martin's favorite bar, and, for a short time, Martin's girlfriend. Sherry is fun-loving, brash, loud, and crass, and she and Martin share many interests. Frasier and Niles dislike her, but the brothers nevertheless attempt to tolerate her for the sake of family unity. This extends to the point that, when Sherry and Martin split, Frasier attempts to reunite them despite it being against his own interests. Martin and Sherry eventually break up at a bar when Martin wants to marry, but Sherry wants to keep the relationship casual. As father and son watch a basketball game and drink beers at that bar, Martin confides to Frasier that while he wanted to marry Sherry, he could not bring himself to propose as he already knew what her response would be.

Faye Moskowitz

Faye Moskowitz (Amy Brenneman) is a former lawyer turned pastry chef who is a love interest to Frasier during the sixth season. While Christmas shopping with Roz, he meets Faye's mother. Thinking Frasier is Jewish because she sees him buying a menorah for his son, Mrs. Moskowitz takes a liking to him and hooks him up with Faye. Despite a decent first date, Faye breaks up with him for a while when she embarks on a planned trip to Paris. By the time Faye returns to Seattle towards the end of the season, Frasier is already dating a KACL marketing manager named Cassandra Stone (played by Virginia Madsen). Almost immediately, Frasier finds himself torn between both women, and, although Frasier eventually chooses Faye, he constantly calls her "Cassandra" by mistake. To cover this, Frasier tells her that Cassandra is his aunt. But when Faye learns the truth, she breaks up with him for good.

Mel Karnofsky Crane

Dr. Melinda "Mel" Karnofsky Crane ( Jane Adams) is Maris Crane's plastic surgeon, and for a period, Niles Crane's girlfriend and wife. She is fussy, neurotic, and fastidious, much like Niles. Similarly, she is the sort of manipulative, controlling female Niles is attracted to. Although she and Niles genuinely love each other, everyone else thinks she's a bad influence on him. It is heavily implied in her first appearance that she is much older than she appears, probably due to her profession. Mel also has one son and is divorced. Just two days prior to Daphne's planned marriage to Donny, Niles and Mel impulsively elope. After Niles runs off with Daphne on the day of her intended wedding to Donny, Mel is humiliated and bitter. She pays Niles back by refusing to grant an immediate divorce; instead, she forces Niles to play along that the two remain happily married, assuring him that after he has done this on several select social occasions she will file for divorce. It quickly becomes apparent that she is deliberately prolonging the process while ensuring the maximum public humiliation for Niles. At a social event held by Frasier, Mel finally pushes Niles to the limit; Niles publicly disowns "this sham of a marriage", and the two are quickly divorced.

Charlotte

Charlotte (Laura Linney), the founder-owner of Charlotte's Web dating service, is a matchmaker recently arrived from Chicago and Frasier's final love interest on the series. Frasier initially hires her to set him up with someone following a particularly grim period regarding his romantic prospects. Charlotte sends Frasier on several bad dates, who later discovers that she had set him up with random strangers rather than his "ideal matches" as her business was failing, as she had eaten into her savings to establish the business and maintain an image as a successful businesswoman, and as Frasier was her first and only client. When they get to know each other, Frasier finds himself falling in love with her. She eventually returns his feelings, but the relationship is forced to end prematurely when Charlotte, having bought back her old business from her ex-husband, moves back to Chicago. Frasier, initially claiming not to have any regrets about letting her go, accepts a high-paying job offer in San Francisco. The series ends with Frasier on a plane, but it is revealed at the last minute that he had chosen love over career as the plane lands in Chicago, where he hopes to reunite with Charlotte.

Kelly Easterbrook

Kelly Easterbrook (Sela Ward) is a supermodel, part-time, in order to support her zoology PhD work. She and Frasier meet on a plane to Acapulco where Kelly is headed to observe spiny-tailed iguanas. After they spend the night together, she reveals that she is in the process of breaking up with a player from the Seattle Seahawks and "doesn't want any publicity". She does not want anyone to know that she and Frasier are consummating their relationship and asks him not to tell. He is covert with friends and attempts discretion with his family members, but in both cases it is interpreted as loneliness. He states he is tired of the pity and ends up stating that he met a supermodel in Acapulco who would like him to be discreet. He reveals that it is Kelly Easterbrook, "the lotion girl" as Daphne refers to her. When they do not believe him, he tries to take a snapshot of her in bed with him, prompting her to dump him. Ironically, this is when his family finally sees her.

Ronee Lawrence Crane

Veronica "Ronee" Lawrence Crane (Wendie Malick) is Niles and Frasier's old babysitter, and the first woman to break Frasier's heart (he used to watch her kiss her boyfriend through the balusters). She is also responsible for Niles' compulsive furniture-wiping, as she told him stories when he was a child about earwigs laying eggs on all the furniture, which would hatch, crawl into his ears, and eat his brain.

In 2003 she meets Frasier by chance and soon starts dating Martin (whom she had a crush on as a teenager). They get married the following year, on May 15 (Eddie's birthday), in the show's final episode, "Goodnight, Seattle".

She released an album called ''Mood Swings'', and works as a lounge singer and pianist at the Wellington Club. Ronee drives a red 1959 Cadillac Eldorado. Her traditionally minded, prudish mother lives in Spokane, Washington.

Claire French

Claire (Patricia Clarkson) is a friend of Frasier's old date / high school prom queen. She appears in season 8. Although his family and friends think she is perfect for him, Frasier's fear of abandonment prompts him to break up with her, leading to a serious evaluation of all his past relationships.

Crane family members

The following are significant members of the Crane family excluding Frasier, Martin, Niles, and Daphne Crane. Although most of the series revolves around Frasier Crane and his immediate family, occasionally members of Frasier's extended family appear. These are listed below.

David Crane

David is Niles' and Daphne's son. He was born in the two-part episode "Goodnight, Seattle". During Daphne's pregnancy, it is implied he takes after his low-brow maternal uncles (Daphne's brothers); for example, he kicks away classical music and jumps at the mention of a pub. He was born in a veterinary clinic and is named after show's creator David Angell, who died along with his wife Lynn aboard American Airlines Flight 11 during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Eddie

Eddie (born May 1990) is a Jack Russell Terrier. Eddie was originally played by Moose, and later by Moose's son Enzo.

Eddie is known for responding to Martin and Daphne with human-like understanding, and often seems to taunt Frasier. In one episode, "Three Dates and a Breakup", Eddie eats the meals Frasier prepared for his dates as if he, Eddie, knew that Frasier's dates would not be staying for dinner. An early recurring gag had Eddie staring unceasingly at Frasier, often wanting something, to Frasier's increasing annoyance. Frasier's ex-wife Lilith is the only one who scares Eddie and whenever she is around, Eddie does exactly as Lilith says.

In a flashback in the episode "The Return of Martin Crane", Martin (shortly before being shot) is shown having just bought a goldfish named "Eddie". His partner suggests that he should have got himself a dog instead, to which Martin responds that he is not a dog person.

Frederick Crane

Frederick Gaylord Crane (born October 1989, played by twins Christopher and Kevin Graves in ''Cheers'', Luke Tarsitano in 1995, Trevor Einhorn from 1996 until 2003) is the son of Frasier and Lilith Sternin. "Freddy" was born in the ''Cheers'' episode "The Stork Brings A Crane"; he appears in several episodes throughout the show's run. In the episode "Breaking In Is Hard to Do", which aired a year after his birth episode he spoke his first word: "Norm!" He lives with his mother in Boston but often comes to visit Frasier in Seattle on the holidays. Through his mother, he is Jewish; his bar mitzvah was most notable for his mother's emotional breakdown and his father's ill-advised attempt to make a speech in Hebrew (but in fact in Klingon) (as seen in the tenth-season episode ''Star Mitzvah'', which reveals Freddy's middle name, Gaylord). In his first appearance, he has Lilith's hair color but when he returns, he has Frasier's.

Frederick was born during ''Cheers eighth-season episode "The Stork Brings a Crane". He was delivered in a taxicab while Lilith was on her way home from the hospital after an episode of false labor. Lilith tolerated the pain by biting down on one of the cab driver's fuzzy dice. Initially his personality is very undeveloped, as he is just a small child. In early seasons he is portrayed as having numerous rather debilitating allergies and being rather inexpert when faced with a number of more or less mundane social situations (as seen in the fourth-season episode "A Lilith Thanksgiving"). He is known to be intelligent, achieving high academic scores, and is accepted to the Marbury Academy, an exclusive Boston private school. In addition to his intelligence he shares several family traits, including a talent for chess, and his mother's talent at Machiavellian scheming based on an understanding of behaviorist psychology. He shares both his Uncle Niles' lack of coordination and his spelling skill, becoming one of the two final contestants on the National Spelling Championship."War of the Words" As he gets older more traits begin to develop. At around seven he develops a crush on Daphne, much to Niles' jealousy. As he gets older he begins to get somewhat spoiled and surly, and enjoys Frasier's company less and less, prompting Frasier to fear a growing generation gap, particularly when Freddy becomes a goth, but father and son are able to bond over their mutual bad luck with the opposite gender. At the end of the series he is 15 years old.

Frederick's chronologically last appearance in the ''Cheers/Frasier'' universe is during the epilogue of the tenth-season ''Cheers'' episode "I'm Okay, You're Defective", described as taking place "Many years later". It shows an older Lilith and adult Frederick (played by Rob Neukirch) sitting for the reading of Frasier's will.

Hester Crane

Hester Rose Crane, née Palmer (Nancy Marchand in ''Cheers'', Rita Wilson in ''Frasier'') was Martin's wife and Niles's and Frasier's mother. By the time the series begins, she has been dead for approximately six years;. Hester Crane died in 1987 of lung cancer. Hester appears in a dream sequence (experienced by Frasier in the episode "Don Juan In Hell") and in 8 mm cine transferred to video (in the seventh-season episode " Momma Mia" where Rita Wilson also plays Mia Preston who is the spitting image of Hester).

Hester first appeared (played by Nancy Marchand) in a third-season episode of ''Cheers'' ("Diane Meets Mom") in which Hester threatened to kill Diane Chambers if Diane did not stop seeing Frasier. This Hester was duplicitous, manipulative and controlling, more so than the recollections and descriptions of her in the later series. Frasier is surprised by her threats, and says she "has always been the most gentle, rational human being ehad ever known."

Rita Wilson would play a middle-aged version of Hester in the two-part episode "Don Juan in Hell", using prosthetic makeup.

Hester was a research psychiatrist and met Martin, a cop, in 1952 when she was profiling a murderer. She rejected his first marriage proposal, but the two married when she became pregnant with Frasier. As they did not know better in the 1950s, Hester smoked during at least her first pregnancy. Hester had an affair with a family friend when Frasier and Niles were still children, and she and Martin were subsequently separated for a time.

Hester was the inspiration for both Frasier and Niles to go into the profession. She named her two sons after favorite lab rats. Both her sons take after her more than they do their father, being intellectually pompous

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