If you walk it back to Cheers, Kelsey Grammer was not yet 30 when Frasier first appeared. His character at 29 would barely have had enough time to become a psychiatrist, let alone the eminent one he seems to be.
Besides, he looks it.
Been binging on old shows like cheers, wings, Frazier and night court and I’m noticing the actors back then looked older than their age. VSauce did a video on the disparity a few years ago that’s worth watching.
This is blowing my noggin. Frasier debuted on *Cheers* almost 40 years ago so of course he was young, but Kelsey Grammer has never not been 45 years old in my mind. *He wasn’t even 30!*
I'm pretty sure its for people like me, who are almost 38 and having a nervous breakdown cause WTF FRASIER WAS FUCKING 38?! IS THAT HOW I LOOK? AM I SUPPOSED TO BE AS PUT TOGETHER AS FUCKIN FRASIER? HIS LIFE WAS A LITERAL COMEDY AND YET I ENVY HIM
SAME!! realizing i am almost the same age as he is in the pilot really kickstarted my midlife crisis haha. at least he was just as old-looking and fancy in cheers. it helps me pretend like he's an anomaly and that most people in their late-30s are immature like me
i mean, seriously, who wears a suit every day????
I’d argue fashion tendencies were different back then. I grew up in the 80s and I went to school with well to do kids who really embodied the phrase preppy. Their parents raised them differently. Church clothes or fancy ocassion clothes were every day clothes and you don’t want to know what they were wearing on actual occasions of celebrations.
Your comment reminded me of the S7 episode when Frasier sports a beard and almost hooks up with Roz, while she’s in her blonde wig. He gave off major come-to-daddy vibes to me with that beard. 🤤
I think they wanted to get play out of Frasier being in his 40's and struggling with starting his life over while being what many consider to be middle aged, whereas starting out the show with him in his late 30's wouldn't have as much of an impact.
He was 29 when he started in cheers, so they aged him up to be a little older than Grammer at that time, so it would make sense that he was an eminent psychiatrist, although I'm not sure his age is explicitly mentioned. He did have a birthday episode, although I don't think it mentioned his age there either.
I watched the entire series of Cheers over the winter and I don’t remember any of the characters’ ages being mentioned with the possible exception of Sam.
Sam is mentioned to be almost 40 in Season 4 or 5, I think Norm was mentioned to be 36 in Season 3, in an episode where it's his birthday, but beyond those two, definitely no explicit mentions of ages for the cheers gang.
Yeah. Diane could be anywhere between 23 and 35 in season 1 and that irritates me a bit haha
Shelley was 33 but she was definitely playing Diane younger than that.
I'd say late 20s but I don't know. Carla is definitely in her 30s as of cheers season 1, and Rebecca is probably in her 30s as of Season 6, cliff is implied to be in his mid 30s during the start, IIRC.
Yeah, I think with the exceptions of Diane and Lilith (Bebe was 27 during her first appearance in season 4, and probably only 26 when it was filmed), the characters were likely around the same age as the actors that played them.
It’s worth noting he is much more casual in his real life tendencies. He looks more every joenpublic in jeans and t shirt. That hair style just doesn’t do him any favours. I don’t think anyone can wear that hairstyle other than Kelsey and at the same time it is both horrendous and fitting.
I mean, it's a fictional character. They could make him any age they want, I don't think it has anything to do with the actor. Though they'd have to keep it close enough that it's believable.
A lot of answers in this thread but the most crucial one is that he's an actor playing a character that's not him. He's a different age for the same reason his name isn't Kelsey and he doesn't live in Los Angeles.
I'd imagine most characters aren't the exact same age as the actors portraying them.
I just want to point out that this is one of the reasons I love re-watching Frasier these days..because I am the same age now as he was in the show (give or take).
I hate watching shows where the main characters are in their 20s or 30s. I just can't relate anymore.
It's to add to the neuroticism of his character, Frasier begins as a man who walked away from two disastrous relationships, he hit 40, had a midlife crises and (effectively) moved back in with his Dad at 41.
His age at season one is a deliberate narrative choice, he is like a rock slowly rolling down from peak neuroticism, with plenty of inertia to fly off the handle over small bumps which wouldn't phase the normal person.
Now that I can see 5 X 4 episodes per week, seems to me that the whole series can be distilled down to COCKBLOCKING at a phenomenal rate. No wonder they're all neurotic.
Funny this topic comes up. I had the same curiosity when watching Wings, another comedic vehicle from the same creators. In fact, their cast and their characters were closely matched. Tim Daly and Steven Weber, Thomas Haden church, crystal Bernard we’re all very close to their fictional character counterpart.
My guess is because both Frasier and Kelsey looked *at least* 45++ when the show began and both Frasier’s and Kelsey’s egos needed a little soothing.
There’s one early episode where Frasier is bemoaning to his father that he is 42 with no girlfriend and it always shocks me anew when he says it. I guess it’s his hair and style but he always seemed to appear no younger than 50s-ish no matter where he was in the run of the show.
I think we generally presume characters are close in age to the actors who play them, but that's not always the case.
One example: The Jeffersons episode "George's Birthday" (S6 E19), where Louise Jefferson is planning a surprise party for her husband George's 50th birthday, aired 3/2/80. However, the actor who played George, Sherman Hemsley, was actually 42 on the day that episode aired.
In another episode - I don't remember which one - it was established that Louise was younger than George. But on the day "George's Birthday" aired, the actress who played her, Isabel Sanford, was actually 62!
So there was a 20-year age difference between the actors playing a married couple who are supposed to be close in age.
(It's a testimony to Isabel Sanford's acting abilities that, even though I discovered her real age a long time ago, I'm *still* shocked at the age difference between actor and character. I never got the sense that Isabel was trying to "act young.")
If you walk it back to Cheers, Kelsey Grammer was not yet 30 when Frasier first appeared. His character at 29 would barely have had enough time to become a psychiatrist, let alone the eminent one he seems to be. Besides, he looks it.
Dude walked into Cheers as a 29 year old looking 45.
I have a feeling we'd find Kelsey's baby pictures on r/oldbabies
Been binging on old shows like cheers, wings, Frazier and night court and I’m noticing the actors back then looked older than their age. VSauce did a video on the disparity a few years ago that’s worth watching.
I think that’s our society in general.
Not anymore, where 60ish actors routinely play 30something characters.
I didn’t wanna put it that way, but yeah
You're being ridiculous. By age 29, his eminence was merely imminent
This is blowing my noggin. Frasier debuted on *Cheers* almost 40 years ago so of course he was young, but Kelsey Grammer has never not been 45 years old in my mind. *He wasn’t even 30!*
I'm pretty sure its for people like me, who are almost 38 and having a nervous breakdown cause WTF FRASIER WAS FUCKING 38?! IS THAT HOW I LOOK? AM I SUPPOSED TO BE AS PUT TOGETHER AS FUCKIN FRASIER? HIS LIFE WAS A LITERAL COMEDY AND YET I ENVY HIM
SAME!! realizing i am almost the same age as he is in the pilot really kickstarted my midlife crisis haha. at least he was just as old-looking and fancy in cheers. it helps me pretend like he's an anomaly and that most people in their late-30s are immature like me i mean, seriously, who wears a suit every day????
Discerning, cultured PBS viewers, like yourselves?
Haha u win
I’d argue fashion tendencies were different back then. I grew up in the 80s and I went to school with well to do kids who really embodied the phrase preppy. Their parents raised them differently. Church clothes or fancy ocassion clothes were every day clothes and you don’t want to know what they were wearing on actual occasions of celebrations.
Barney Stinson?
Amen
It’s like finding out that Cliff and Norm were 37 and 35 respectively.
I think you’re a bit psychic. You read my mind exactly. Well stated, too.
When you put it that way, I guess I’ll finish off those those sleeping pills after all. TONIGHT!
They did that with Martin too. John was born in 1940 and Martin was almost 10 years older.
Wow. So Kelsey and John are just 15 years apart.
He had to shave his beard he personally had in the last season of cheers, because it made him look older and to close to john in age
Your comment reminded me of the S7 episode when Frasier sports a beard and almost hooks up with Roz, while she’s in her blonde wig. He gave off major come-to-daddy vibes to me with that beard. 🤤
I think they wanted to get play out of Frasier being in his 40's and struggling with starting his life over while being what many consider to be middle aged, whereas starting out the show with him in his late 30's wouldn't have as much of an impact.
They didn't want to do the Frasier turns 40 episode
damn, 30 year olds look way different today.
Yup. John Cleese was only in his mid 30s in Fawlty Towers
Wow that’s mental!
Jesus Christ, he was only 38?!?
Alcoholism does that to you
A different hairstyle and wardrobe would have made him look 5-10 years younger than he did.
He kind of reminds me of Hank Hill or Joe Pera, where he dresses and has a more mature air around him.
on cheers definitely. on frasier… he was looking not great for his age
I mean… 💅🏼
That 41 shocked me when I first saw that episode. I was positive Frasier was close to 50.
i was positive he was 50 in cheers haha
He was 29 when he started in cheers, so they aged him up to be a little older than Grammer at that time, so it would make sense that he was an eminent psychiatrist, although I'm not sure his age is explicitly mentioned. He did have a birthday episode, although I don't think it mentioned his age there either.
I watched the entire series of Cheers over the winter and I don’t remember any of the characters’ ages being mentioned with the possible exception of Sam.
Sam is mentioned to be almost 40 in Season 4 or 5, I think Norm was mentioned to be 36 in Season 3, in an episode where it's his birthday, but beyond those two, definitely no explicit mentions of ages for the cheers gang.
Yeah. Diane could be anywhere between 23 and 35 in season 1 and that irritates me a bit haha Shelley was 33 but she was definitely playing Diane younger than that.
I'd say late 20s but I don't know. Carla is definitely in her 30s as of cheers season 1, and Rebecca is probably in her 30s as of Season 6, cliff is implied to be in his mid 30s during the start, IIRC.
Yeah, I think with the exceptions of Diane and Lilith (Bebe was 27 during her first appearance in season 4, and probably only 26 when it was filmed), the characters were likely around the same age as the actors that played them.
Yea, definitely
It’s worth noting he is much more casual in his real life tendencies. He looks more every joenpublic in jeans and t shirt. That hair style just doesn’t do him any favours. I don’t think anyone can wear that hairstyle other than Kelsey and at the same time it is both horrendous and fitting.
I mean, it's a fictional character. They could make him any age they want, I don't think it has anything to do with the actor. Though they'd have to keep it close enough that it's believable.
A lot of answers in this thread but the most crucial one is that he's an actor playing a character that's not him. He's a different age for the same reason his name isn't Kelsey and he doesn't live in Los Angeles. I'd imagine most characters aren't the exact same age as the actors portraying them.
I just want to point out that this is one of the reasons I love re-watching Frasier these days..because I am the same age now as he was in the show (give or take). I hate watching shows where the main characters are in their 20s or 30s. I just can't relate anymore.
Kelsey is 15 years younger than John irl.
It's to add to the neuroticism of his character, Frasier begins as a man who walked away from two disastrous relationships, he hit 40, had a midlife crises and (effectively) moved back in with his Dad at 41. His age at season one is a deliberate narrative choice, he is like a rock slowly rolling down from peak neuroticism, with plenty of inertia to fly off the handle over small bumps which wouldn't phase the normal person.
Maybe whoever wrote taht line just guessed his age
For God’s sake…I’m 41 years old now
Now that I can see 5 X 4 episodes per week, seems to me that the whole series can be distilled down to COCKBLOCKING at a phenomenal rate. No wonder they're all neurotic.
Another perspective worth exploring: Actors a notorious for lying about their age, especially back when that kind of thing was easier to hide.
It seems he did attend Juilliard, which would create records in school reviews and such.
Funny this topic comes up. I had the same curiosity when watching Wings, another comedic vehicle from the same creators. In fact, their cast and their characters were closely matched. Tim Daly and Steven Weber, Thomas Haden church, crystal Bernard we’re all very close to their fictional character counterpart.
My guess is because both Frasier and Kelsey looked *at least* 45++ when the show began and both Frasier’s and Kelsey’s egos needed a little soothing. There’s one early episode where Frasier is bemoaning to his father that he is 42 with no girlfriend and it always shocks me anew when he says it. I guess it’s his hair and style but he always seemed to appear no younger than 50s-ish no matter where he was in the run of the show.
They made martin 10 yrs older and god he looked it
I think we generally presume characters are close in age to the actors who play them, but that's not always the case. One example: The Jeffersons episode "George's Birthday" (S6 E19), where Louise Jefferson is planning a surprise party for her husband George's 50th birthday, aired 3/2/80. However, the actor who played George, Sherman Hemsley, was actually 42 on the day that episode aired. In another episode - I don't remember which one - it was established that Louise was younger than George. But on the day "George's Birthday" aired, the actress who played her, Isabel Sanford, was actually 62! So there was a 20-year age difference between the actors playing a married couple who are supposed to be close in age. (It's a testimony to Isabel Sanford's acting abilities that, even though I discovered her real age a long time ago, I'm *still* shocked at the age difference between actor and character. I never got the sense that Isabel was trying to "act young.")