20 celebrities you forgot appeared on 'Frasier'

Broadway icon best known for her work in musicals like Evita and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Patti LuPone guest-starred on an episode of Frasier in the middle of its run. LuPone played Zora Crane, Frasier’s aunt, who has a fractured relationship with the Crane family. 

Long before Brian Cox was playing a billionaire on Succession, he was a guest star on an episode of Frasier. Cox played Harry Moon in an episode later in the series, and he earned an Emmy nomination for his work on the series. 

Wolfgang Puck actually made two appearances on Frasier, but he was only seen in one episode. The first time he lent his talents to the show, he played a man named Tom who called into Frasier’s show. Puck appeared as himself for the second time in the episode where Niles and Daphne got engaged. 

The longer the series went on, the more unbelievable guests Frasier had come to set. In one of the later seasons, Michael Keaton joined for an episode, playing Fraiser’s ex-wife Lilith’s brother, Blaine. 

Only eagle-eyed fans of Frasier will remember that Zooey Deschanel appeared on an episode of the sitcom. The New Girl star had a small role in an episode in 2002, a year before the hit Christmas movie Elf premiered and nearly a decade before her own sitcom premiered. 

Sometimes, famous guest stars play themselves on sitcoms, and other times, they play great characters that make for memorable episodes. Sir Patrick Stewart played Alistar Burke when he was on Frasier, a conductor interested in Frasier romantically and does his best to woo the psychiatrist. 

Having America’s most famous psychologist appear on an episode of Frasier was a stroke of genius by the showrunners. Dr. Phil guest-starred as himself in an episode in the penultimate season, with the backstory that the two are old friends with a longstanding issue to work out. 

Halle Berry showed up in the middle of Frasier’s run, playing a character named Betsy. Berry’s role might’ve gone unnoticed, though, as Betsy was a caller on Frasier’s show. Berry reportedly asked to have a guest spot on the sitcom. 

Mary Tyler Moore was in one of the very first episodes of Frasier. A sitcom star herself, Moore voiced a caller to Frasier’s show, a woman named Marjorie. Moore was on the episode with other stars like Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé.

Lots of celebrity guests on Frasier didn’t show their faces. Instead, they just acted as callers in Frasier’s show. One such celebrity was Carrie Fisher, who played a caller named Phyllis, who had horrible insomnia. In that same episode, Matthew Broderick played a caller. 

James Earl Jones wasn’t just heard on Frasier — he was seen. The iconic actor played Norman Royster, a fan of Frasier’s who also happens to be blind. The two share a hilarious scene, proving Jones is capable of any acting challenge. 

Jay Leno played a hilarious caller named Don in the show's first season. While his call-in was hysterical, it would've been equally great if Leno had made a guest appearance as himself on Frasier. 

Billy Crystal was also heard and not seen when he played a character on Frasier. Crystal voiced a caller named Jack, but his voice was unmistakable, so his work didn’t go totally unnoticed. Ed Harris voiced a caller in the episode, too. 

Kieran Culkin was a teenager when he had a guest spot on Frasier, just a few years after wrapping his appearances in the first two Home Alone films. Culkin also played a guest caller, a kid named Jimmy who was fed up with his (who he described as stupid) parents.

Hilary Duff voiced a character on Frasier at the height of her Lizzie McGuire fame. In the episode, she plays the daughter of Stanley Tucci and Penny Marshall, all three of whom call into Frasier’s show to air complaints about their family members. 

Larry King was no caller on Frasier. He played himself in the episode he appeared in. King was in the episode “My Fair Frasier,” marking one of the many, many times the eponymous talk show host played himself in an episode of television. 

Laura Linney was more than just a caller or a guest star on Frasier. The Oscar-nominated actor had a recurring role. Linney played the matchmaker Charlotte Connor for six episodes in the final season, and she ended up with Frasier at the end of the series. 

Frasier really was able to get anyone it wanted for guest callers. Yo-Yo Ma voiced a troubled individual seeking help from Frasier via his radio show. Ma's episode was stacked with celebrity voices: Gillian Anderson, Bonnie Raitt, and Pia Zadora were all on the episode, too. 

Tommy Hilfiger's acting career has been short and sweet. The designer only has four credits to his name. The first is Frasier. Hilfiger voiced a caller on the show in the same episode as Mary Tyler Moore. 

Christine Baranski played someone who took calls on Frasier. She played the character Dr. Nora Fairchild, a fellow psychiatrist who hosts a radio show of her own after Frasier’s spot. The guest spot doesn’t go as well as anticipated, though.