<Tr> <Th> Nationality </Th> <Td> American </Td> </Tr> <P> Frasier Winslow Crane is a fictional character on the American television sitcoms Cheers and Frasier, portrayed by Kelsey Grammer . Grammer received award recognitions for portraying this character in these two shows, in addition to a 1992 one - time appearance in Wings . </P> <P> The character debuts in the Cheers third - season premiere, "Rebound (Part 1)" (1984), as Diane Chambers's love interest, part of the Sam and Diane story arc . Intended to appear for only a few episodes, Grammer's performance for the role was praised by producers, prompting them to expand his role and to increase his prominence . Later in Cheers, Frasier is married to Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth) with a son, Frederick, and resides in Boston . After Cheers ended, the character moved to his spin - off series Frasier, the span of his overall television appearances therefore totaling twenty years . In the spin - off, Frasier moves back to his birthplace Seattle after his divorce from Lilith, who retained custody of Frederick in Boston, and is reunited with a newly created family: his estranged father Martin and brother Niles . In the series finale, Martin's and Niles's newfound marital bliss convinces Frasier to depart for Chicago to pursue a promising romance of his own . </P> <P> Frasier Crane, an alumnus of Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, and Oxford University, debuts in the two - part episode "Rebound" (1984), the premiere of Cheers season three (1984--85), as a psychiatrist to help bartender Sam Malone recover from a brief return to alcoholism and also cope with his breakup from Diane Chambers . Also Diane's fiancé throughout the third season, he and Diane are supposed to wed in Italy in "Rescue Me" (1985), the finale of season three . However, in "Birth, Death, Love, and Rice" (1985), the premiere of season four (1985--86), Frasier enters the bar and tells Sam that he was jilted by Diane at the altar in Europe . A despondent Frasier loses his license and his job . Later in season four, he begins to regularly attend Cheers for drinks and finds himself depending more and more on alcohol . In "The Triangle" (1986), Sam feigns symptoms of depression, planned by Diane, to help Frasier recover from alcoholism and regain his own self - confidence . This leads Frasier to conclude that Sam's symptoms indicate his love for Diane . However, upon arrival Frasier sees Sam and Diane arguing in the bar office, Sam admits the whole plan . Furious, Frasier declares himself to be sober, refuses to be a part of their relationship, and vows to practice psychiatry again . </P>

When did kelsey grammer join the cast of cheers