
Age: 67
male
David Hyde Pierce is an American actor, director, and producer best known for his portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier from 1993 to 2004. For his role on Frasier, Pierce won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, making him the only performer to have won four consecutive Emmys in that category. He also received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Lieutenant Frank Cioffi in the Broadway musical Curtains (2007). Pierce was born David Pierce on April 3, 1959, in Saratoga Springs, New York. He is the youngest of four children. His father, James Joseph Pierce, was a salesman, and his mother, Laura Marie Hughes, was a homemaker. Pierce attended Saratoga Springs High School, where he was a member of the drama club. After graduating from high school, Pierce attended Yale School of Drama, where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1984. Pierce began his acting career in the theater. He appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions, including The Threepenny Opera, The Playboys, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 1989, he made his Broadway debut in the play The Heidi Chronicles. Pierce's breakthrough role came in 1993, when he was cast as Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier. The show was a spin-off of the popular sitcom Cheers, and it starred Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane, a psychiatrist who moves to Seattle to join his brother Niles, also a psychiatrist, in practice. Pierce's portrayal of Niles Crane was both hilarious and nuanced, and he quickly became a fan favorite. For his work on the show, Pierce won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, making him the only performer to have won four consecutive Emmys in that category. After Frasier ended its run in 2004, Pierce continued to work in television and film. He has starred in a number of television series, including The Good Wife, The Good Fight, and Veep. He has also appeared in a number of films, including Wet Hot American Summer, Down with Love, and A Bug's Life. In addition to his acting work, Pierce is also a director and producer. He has directed episodes of the television series Frasier, The Good Wife, and Veep. He has also produced a number of television projects, including The Good Fight and The Undoing. Pierce is married to Brian Hargrove, a film producer. They have been together since 2002 and were married in 2008.

David Hyde Pierce

Carnival Barker
for Carnival Barker in Despicable Me
Suggested by johncarradine2002

A supervillain named Gru has his pride injured when an unknown villain steals the Great Pyramid of Giza. With the assistance of his sidekick Dr. Nefario and his Minions, Gru resolves to one-up his mysterious rival by shrinking and stealing the Moon. Knowing this is extremely costly, Gru seeks a loan from the Bank of Evil. Mr. Perkins - the bank president - is impressed by the plan, but he will approve the loan only if Gru can obtain the necessary shrink ray first. Upon learning that an up-and-coming villain known as Vector was responsible for the Pyramid theft, Gru starts a rivalry with him. Gru and the Minions steal the shrink ray from a secret base in East Asia, but Vector intercepts them and steals it for himself. Gru attempts to break into Vector's impregnable fortress to recover the shrink ray, only to be defeated by numerous kinds of traps. As nothing seems to work, he notices three orphan girls, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, who are able to easily enter the base because they are selling cookies. Gru disguises himself and adopts the girls, planning to use them to infiltrate Vector's base. However, Gru has trouble nurturing them properly due to their stubbornness, their ballet classes and his own ineptitude as a parent. Eventually, Gru and the girls arrive at Vector's base, and Gru successfully steals the shrink ray. The girls then suggest a day at a theme park. Gru agrees, believing he can abandon the girls there, but instead he has fun with them. Later, Gru contacts Perkins via video chat, stating that he finally has the shrink ray. Margo, Edith, and Agnes interrupt the meeting, and Perkins announces that he has lost confidence in Gru and will no longer fund his operations. As Gru tells the Minions he can no longer pay them for their services, the girls offer the contents of their piggy bank. Inspired, Gru sells parts of his lair and the items he stole over the years to construct a spacecraft. Gru plans to steal the Moon when it is nearest to the Earth, but this is ironically the same day as the girls' ballet recital. As Gru becomes puzzled, Dr. Nefario arranges for the girls to be returned to the orphanage, thinking the recital may ruin the plan. At the same time, Perkins informs his son - Vector - of Gru's possession of the shrink ray and the adoption of the three girls, encouraging Vector to take action. Gru successfully shrinks and steals the Moon. He rushes back to Earth to attend the recital, only to find a ransom note from Vector, who has kidnapped the girls. After arriving at Vector's base, Gru surrenders the Moon. However, Vector reneges on the deal, flying off with the girls and the Moon. Meanwhile, Dr. Nefario has discovered that the effects of the shrink ray are temporary. The bigger the object is, the faster it recovers its original size. Gru, Dr. Nefario, and the Minions execute a daring mid-air rescue of the girls, just before the Moon explodes Vector's spaceship and launches itself back into orbit, along with Vector on it. Sometime later, Gru has returned the Great Pyramid and re-adopted the girls, writing them a bedtime storybook based on his own experience. The film ends with the girls performing their ballet recital for Gru, his mother Marlena, Dr. Nefario, and the Minions.
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