Grammer was born Feb. 21, 1955, in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and reared in New Jersey and Florida. Encouragement from his high school teachers convinced him to pursue an acting career, and after two years at the esteemed Julliard School, Grammer began to find work in regional theater productions and ultimately made the jump to Broadway.
Before landing the role of Frasier -- for which he bagged three Emmys and four Golden Globes -- Grammer made guest appearances on such TV shows as "Kate & Allie" and was a regular on the daytime soap "Another World." His film credits include top billing in the comedy Down Periscope (1995) and voice work in Toy Story 2 (1999).