David Hyde Pierce (April 3, 1959, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA) is an American actor, director, and comedian.
Pierce is known for playing the psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier, for which he won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series during the show's run. Pierce also has appeared on and directed for the stage. He won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance in the musical Curtains. He also played Dr. Jones in When We Rise.
Born David Hyde Pierce in Saratoga Springs, New York. His father, George Hyde Pierce, was an aspiring actor, and his mother, Laura Marie (née Hughes), was an insurance agent. He added his middle name "Hyde" to avoid confusion with another actor named David Pierce.
As a child, Pierce frequently played organ at the local Bethesda Episcopal Church. While attending Yale, Pierce performed in and directed student productions, appearing in the Yale Gilbert & Sullivan Society's production of H.M.S. Pinafore. He also directed the Gilbert & Sullivan Society's operetta Princess Ida. Among other productions Pierce appeared in at Yale were Waiting for Godot, Saint Joan, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Pierce's first big television break came in the early 1990s with Norman Lear's political comedy, The Powers That Be, in which Pierce played Theodore, a Congressman. Despite positive reviews from critics, the show was canceled after a brief run.
In part due to his close physical resemblance to Kelsey Grammer, the producers of the Cheers spin-off Frasier created the role of Niles Crane (Frasier Crane's younger brother) for him. Although prior to Frasier going into production, Pierce had petitioned the Screen Actors Guild to change his billing to David Pierce, the name he had used on the stage, the use of his middle name in the show's credits helped reinforce the actor's and the character's "snooty" image. For his work on Frasier, Pierce was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Emmy a record eleven consecutive years, winning in 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2004.
Pierce is known for his distinctive voice and, like his Frasier co-star, Kelsey Grammer, is often called upon to provide voice work. His notable roles include the narrator of the movie The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human in 1999, walking stick insect Slim in A Bug's Life, Doctor Delbert Doppler in Disney's film Treasure Planet, and the amphibian Abe Sapien in Hellboy. Pierce refused credit for his Hellboy role because he felt it was the performance of Doug Jones, and not his own voice, which ultimately brought the character of Abe Sapien to life. He was the voice for Drix, a cold pill, in the animated comedy Osmosis Jones.
| Year | Image | Character | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 
|
Dr. Delbert Doppler | Treasure Planet |
| 2000 | 
|
Bird | The Tangerine Bear: Home in Time for Christmas! |
| 1998 | 
|
Slim | A Bug's Life |