Niles Crane

Dr. Niles Crane
Frasier character
David Hyde Pierce as Dr. Niles Crane
First appearance	"The Good Son" (episode 1.01)
Last appearance	"Goodnight, Seattle (Part 2)" (episode 11.24)
Portrayed by	David Hyde Pierce
Information
Nickname(s)	N.C./Nancy, Nilesy, Niley, Nile E. Coyote, The Coyote, Tiger, Piles, Nails
Occupation	Psychiatrist
Family	Martin Crane (father) Hester Crane (mother; deceased) Frasier Crane (older brother) Veronica "Ronee" Lawrence (stepmother) Frederick Crane (nephew)
Spouse(s)	Maris Crane (m. 1986; div. 1999) Melinda "Mel" Karnofsky (m. and div. 2000) Daphne Moon (m. 2002–present)
Children	David Crane (son, with Daphne)

Niles Crane is a fictional character on the American sitcom Frasier, a spin-off of the popular show Cheers. He was portrayed by David Hyde Pierce. Niles is the younger brother of Dr. Frasier Crane, the son of Det. Martin Crane and Dr. Hester Crane, husband of Daphne Moon, ex-husband of Maris Crane and Dr. Melinda Karnofsky, former brother-in-law to Nanette Guzman and Dr. Lilith Sternin, and uncle to Frederick Crane.

Pierce was hired because Frasier producers saw his headshot and commented on how much he looked like a young Kelsey Grammer. Unlike Frasier, part of whose background comes from Cheers, Niles' background is established over the course of Frasier.

Pierce described Niles as "what Frasier would be if he had never gone to Boston and never been exposed to the people at Cheers."

Niles was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1957, to Hester Crane, a psychiatrist, and Martin Crane, a police officer. Like his older brother Frasier, Niles was named for one of his mother's lab rats. Also like Frasier, Niles was an unusually sensitive child and a frequent target for bullies. As a result, he was quite close to his older brother, and at the same time fiercely competitive with him. Like Frasier, Niles prefers fine arts, music, and intellectual pursuits to physical activities like sports. He is also an established philanthropist.