Dr. Niles Crane

Niles Crane is Frasier's younger brother, a psychiatrist even more fastidious and status-conscious than Frasier himself. He is married, tightly wound, allergic to germs and inelegance alike, and hopelessly, secretly smitten with Daphne, the family's physical therapist. He wants refinement, approval, and to be taken seriously — usually all at once, usually failing.

David Hyde Pierce turns fussiness into physical comedy of astonishing precision — a raised eyebrow, a recoiling wince at a paper napkin, a held breath before disaster. The writing gives him a competitive streak with Frasier and an unspoken longing for Daphne that could easily curdle into schtick, but Pierce keeps it tender underneath all that starch.