Most people know David Hyde Pierce for precisely one thing: his role as Frasier Crane’s younger brother, the fastidious and snobby Niles Crane on the hit TV sitcom Frasier. I’m sure that very few would guess that he made his screen debut in the film The Terminator or remember him from The Fisher King, Nixon, or Sleepless in Seattle. But how could you? Not after he played such a memorable and iconic roll for which he won four Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
The autographed photo above is one that I actually purchased from a dealer at some point. I never really thought I’d get the chance in the foreseeable future to meet any of the three gentlemen pictured, but in New York City, anything can happen. Actually it was quite easy.
On Thursday, May 30, 2013, my friend Bob and I saw the play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the John Golden Theatre. Pierce shared the starring role with Sigourney Weaver, and both were fabulous. I had heard beforehand that the cast comes out after the show to meet the audience, which delighted me. This was the last show that we saw that week, and the actors were by-far on the whole the most friendly.
David Hyde Pierce was no exception, and after signing my program, gave me an emphatic and haughty “Yes you can” (which was quite reminiscent of his character Niles, without being obnoxious in the slightest) when I asked if I could get a photo with him. As a sitcom buff, this was quite a thrill for me, and I appreciate his kindness to every fan that showed up to wait for him.
Celebrity encounters in New York City will conclude in the next posting…
Return to Thursday in New York City here…
Wow, another great celebrity encounter in NYC! I hope you got a photo with his co-star in this production.
Dave Chasteen
April 18th, 2014