Top 10 Stars You Forgot Were on Frasier

For some, Jane Lynch was a new face when she showed up as cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on “Glee” in 2009. But Lynch had been acting on the small and big screen for two decades already, appearing in a large number of television shows - including an episode of “Frasier” in 1996. In the season four episode, “A Lilith Thanksgiving” Lynch plays Cynthia - a pretentious, uptight mother whose son attends the private school Frasier and Lilith are desperately trying to get Frederick into. She might not be as badass as Sylvester, but Cynthia does still like to tell it like she “C’s” it!

Although Dan Castellaneta is on one of the longest running and most popular television shows of all time, it’s still easy to miss him when he makes guest appearances on other shows. Because, well, he isn’t actually yellow, with a few strands of hair and 4 fingers. But while he’s spent over 30 years as the voice of Homer Simpson, Castellaneta has also done some live-action acting as well. Like when he played a patient on “Frasier” in an episode that had Dr. Crane considering seeing patients in person again. And he wasn’t Frasier’s only “famous” patient that episode. The hilarious Sarah Silverman also sat on the couch across from the good doctor in that one.

Actress Laurie Metcalf played Frasier Crane’s first wife Nannette Guzman in the show’s final season. However, if this list was “stars you forgot were on ‘Cheers’” then we would actually be talking about Emma Thompson as Guzman, as it was she who played the character on that show in 1992. But for whatever reason, when Guzman’s character was brought back for the spin-off in 2004, Thompson didn’t return to reprise her role. And so, that’s when Metcalf - best known at the time for playing Jackie on “Roseanne”- became Nanny G.

From Phoebe and Monica's ex roommate who’s now living in England on “Friends” to a Polish businesswoman on “2 Broke Girls”, comedic actress Jennifer Coolidge has played many different characters and had many different accents throughout her career. Including the time she played Frederica - a no nonsense German physical therapist filling in for Daphne on a season eight episode of “Frasier.” Frederica is confident in what she does and she sure doesn’t take no for an answer. Now that we think of it, she’s kind of like Stifler's Mom… but different.

There have been studies showing that men are attracted to women who look like their mother. And even a great psychiatric mind like Frasier Crane wasn’t immune to this psychological fact of human nature - as we saw in the season 7 premiere, when he starts dating Mia Preston, a woman who looks exactly like his mother. This is a fact everyone around him picks up on before he does. Rita Wilson plays Mia here. When Frasier's mother makes an appearance in season nine as he’s trying to figure out how come his relationships don’t work out, Hester Crane is played by - of course - Rita Wilson.

It’s very possible you remember the season 10 episode of “Frasier” enititled“Kissing Cousin”, in which Roz’s younger cousin comes to visit, but don’t remember that said cousin was played by Zooey Deschanel. Because not only was 2002 only about four years into Deschanel’s acting career, but she also wasn’t sporting the dark hair and bangs we’ve all come to associate with this talented actress. However, she did still have the blonde locks the following year in the hit christmas comedy “Elf.” How many of us remember she was in that movie?

Actress Laura Linney appeared in more episodes of the show than anyone else on our list and played a significant role in the finale season and series finale as well. Linney played Charlotte, a matchmaker who Frasier falls hard for, even after discovering that she had scammed him out of $10,000. Linney appeared in 5 episodes that final season, including one in which she and Frasier break up rather than pursue their relationship long-distance. But, as “Frasier” fans remember, the series ends with Frasier forgoing a television opportunity in San Francisco in order to go to Chicago in an attempt to make things work with Charlotte.

Yes, it’s true: Batman was on an episode of “Frasier.” However, rather than playing a superhero on the show, Michael Keaton played Lillith’s half-brother Blaine Sternin. He was an unscrupulous con artist who’d conned Frasier in the past, but appeared to have changed his ways following a car accident that left him using a wheelchair. Appearances can be deceiving, though. Just as Bruce Wayne was able to keep his alter-ego a secret from the folks in Gotham City, so too was Blaine eventually able to convince Frasier of his good intentions while successfully accomplishing his more nefarious goals.

According to his IMDB page, Bill Gates has only made three appearances on television shows: “Silicon Valley”, “The Big Bang Theory” and his acting debut in 2001, on the 200th episode of “Frasier.” Gates played himself, appearing as a guest on the doctor’s 2000th show ostensibly to congratulate him and do an interview. However, once he arrives, Frasier’s audience bombards the station with calls for the Microsoft chairman. Within minutes, Frasier has been pushed aside and Gates has taken over the show - even using the doctor’s “I’m Listening” catchphrase to greet the callers.

It seems like every sitcom in the ‘90s and early 2000s had to have one episode in which a straight character is comically suspected of being gay. In the case of “Frasier,” that happened in season 11 when Frasier went to a gay bar to find out what is the sexual orientation of Roz’s boyfriend. This makes everyone believe Frasier himself is attracted to men and leads to the doctor accepting the flirtations from an opera director. The latter is played by Patrick Stewart, and Frasier goes along with things for longer than he should because Alistair Burke has the ‘in’ with the high society that the titular character so craves to be a part of.

Who was your favorite Frasier guest star? Put down your tossed salad and scrambled eggs and leave us a comment below. We’re listening.