David Hyde Pierce

David Hyde Pierce Height 5 feet 9 inches is an American actor director and producer best known for his portrayal of psychiatrist Dr Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier from 1993 to 2004 For his role on Frasier Pierce won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series making him the only performer to have won four consecutive Emmys in that category He also received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Lieutenant Frank Cioffi in the Broadway musical Curtains 2007 Pierce was born David Pierce on April 3 1959 in Saratoga Springs New York He is the youngest of four children His father James Joseph Pierce was a salesman and his mother Laura Marie Hughes was a homemaker Pierce attended Saratoga Springs High School where he was a member of the drama club After graduating from high school Pierce attended Yale School of Drama where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1984 Pierce began his acting career in the theater He appeared in a number of offBroadway productions including The Threepenny Opera The Playboys and A Midsummer Nights Dream In 1989 he made his Broadway debut in the play The Heidi Chronicles Pierces breakthrough role came in 1993 when he was cast as Dr Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier The show was a spinoff of the popular sitcom Cheers and it starred Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane a psychiatrist who moves to Seattle to join his brother Niles also a psychiatrist in practice Pierces portrayal of Niles Crane was both hilarious and nuanced and he quickly became a fan favorite For his work on the show Pierce won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series making him the only performer to have won four consecutive Emmys in that category After Frasier ended its run in 2004 Pierce continued to work in television and film He has starred in a number of television series including The Good Wife The Good Fight and Veep He has also appeared in a number of films including Wet Hot American Summer Down with Love and A Bugs Life In addition to his acting work Pierce is also a director and producer He has directed episodes of the television series Frasier The Good Wife and Veep He has also produced a number of television projects including The Good Fight and The Undoing Pierce is married to Brian Hargrove a film producer They have been together since 2002 and were married in 2008