Born:
April 03, 1959
in
New York
Best Known For:
Playing Niles in Frasier.
Early-life:
David Hyde Pierce was born on April 3, 1959, in Saratoga Springs, New York. His father ran an insurance agency, and David says he had a "run-of-the-mill, middle-class" upbringing. The youngest of four children, David started taking piano lessons at the age of eight and yearned to become a concert pianist. He also did well academically and attended the prestigious Yale University, where he decided he would rather be an actor rather than a musician. In 1981, David graduated with a degree in English and Theatre Arts and moved to New York to continue acting studies, supporting himself by working as a tie salesman.
Career:
David worked steadily on the stage throughout the 1980s and made his film debut in Bright Lights, Big City in 1988. He was later offered a role in Little Man Tate by former Yale classmate Jodie Foster, who remembered him from a student play. In 1992, he was in short-lived sitcom The Powers That Be and caught the eye of Frasier's creators, who noticed his resemblance to Kelsey Grammer and wrote the role of Niles especially for him. His performance in the long-running sitcom earned him four Emmy awards and a reported salary of $1million per episode for the last few seasons. Frasier came to an end in 2003 and David has since been seen in the film Down With Love and in various stage productions on Broadway and the West End. He won a Tony Award in 2007 for his performance in Kander and Ebb musical Curtains.
Quote:
"My life is an open book, just don't expect me to read it to you."
Trivia:
He has been a long-time supporter of the Alzheimer's Association.