The end of Frasier back in 2004 hasn't exactly stopped Jane Leeves who played Daphne on the
show from working consistently in Hollywood.
From her animated film and voice work to the next generation of television comedies, here's
what she's been up to over the years.
Leeves is arguably best known for her role on Frasier as Daphne Moon, a physical therapist
who truly believes she has psychic powers.
“Oh wait a minute…
I’m getting something on you.”
“She’s psychic.
We’ve decided to find it charming.”
Leeves became a household name during her time on the series, picking up Emmy and Golden
Globe nominations throughout the show's run.
Offscreen, Frasier turned Leeves into the highest-paid British actress at the time;
while onscreen, viewers became extraordinarily invested in Daphne's romantic relationship
with Niles Crane, Frasier's brother.
This relationship is developed while she lives in the Cranes' apartment as a caretaker to
their father Martin, despite the fact that Niles is married when they first meet.
Though some critics weren't as enamored with the relationship, it helped sell Leeves as
a romantic lead and when the show ended in 2004, the finale was well-received, leaving
Leeves and the rest of the main cast in a prime position to pursue whichever projects
they wanted to tackle next.
Having become a TV star, Leeves opted for a relatively modest slate of film and television
work following her Frasier breakthrough.
Using her distinctive voice and now-famous British accent, Leeves lent her voice to a
number of animated films, beginning with the stop-motion film James & the Giant Peach in
1996.
Based on Roald Dahl's famous children's novel, Peach featured Leeves as Mrs. Ladybug, one
of James' insect friends, alongside big names like Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss, and
David Thewlis.
Her next animated role was a return to television in the Penguins of Madagascar series, where
she played Lulu the chimp for two episodes in both 2009 and 2011.
She followed this up with recurring and varied voice work on Phineas & Ferb, where she appeared
as Wanda Acronym, one of the leaders of the Organization Without a Cool Acronym; she's
in charge of a secret agent that also happens to be someone's pet chihuahua.
It’s kind of a weird show.
During Frasier's run, Leeves booked a role in 1999's Music of the Heart, a feature film
based on the true story of Roberta Guaspari a crusader for music education within New
York City's public schools, who pioneered music as a source of inspiration and stability
for at-risk youth.
Directed by Wes Craven, the film was nominated for a small handful of Academy Awards and
was well-received by critics.
In 2002, Leeves made her Broadway debut, taking over for Molly Ringwald in the long-running
show Cabaret.
She also appeared in the 2003 film The Event, a low-budget indie that premiered at Sundance
to standing ovations.
Thanks to their success on Frasier, Leeves and her fellow female lead Peri Gilpin decided
to take charge of their own Hollywood fates and start their own production company.
The two subsequently founded Bristol Cities, which Leeves later confessed was named after
a dirty Cockney rhyme.
The company's most notable project was intended to be the American remake of the popular and
beloved British series The Vicar of Dibley, which the two produced in 2007.
The original, which ran for four years in the 1990s on BBC One, focused on a small fictional
English village called Dibley and its female vicar.
With star Kirstie Alley and producer Richard Curtis on board, it seemed a surefire success
but Fox sadly ended up passing on the pilot.
The 2000s saw Leeves maintain a steady presence on television, beginning with a two-episode
arc on Desperate Housewives as a therapist who helps Lynette and Tom with their relationship
problems.
Much more recently, she's also appeared on Fox's medical drama The Resident, becoming
a series regular for the second season as orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kitt Voss.
However, her biggest post-Frasier gig has undoubtedly been her leading role on Hot in
Cleveland as Joy Scroggs, a forty-something former "eyebrow artist to the stars."
The series, which aired on TV Land for 128 episodes between 2010 and 2015, also starred
Leeves’ Frasier co-star Wendie Malick, and told the story of four best friends from Los
Angeles who end up making a new life in Cleveland.
Former Frasier stars Peri Gilpin and John Mahoney also guest starred on the show, which
was well-received, earning SAG and Primetime Emmy nominations, and wins, throughout its
run.
In 1996, Leeves married a television executive named Marshall Coben, and when she became
pregnant with their first child, Isabella, during her time on Frasier, the writers adapted
quickly, writing her pregnancy into a plot that found the character gaining weight thanks
to her stressful relationship with Niles.
The couple's second child, Finn, was born in 2003.
Leeves' pregnancy being a part of Frasier isn't the only impact that the show had on
her family life.
Peri Gilpin and Leeves have been close friends for a number of years, and not only was Gilpin
present at the birth of Leeves' daughter, but she's also Isabella's godmother, and Leeves
is godmother to Gilpin's daughter, Stella.
The two former co-workers even live next door to each other.
When Leeves' son Finn was born, she named John Mahoney and David Hyde Pierce as his
godfathers.
“Turn him over if he starts fussing, will you dad?”
“No.”
“I’m role playing dad.”
“Try playing the role of a sane person.”
Clearly, the relationships on Frasier went far beyond the set itself, and began relationships
between the cast members that would go on to become the foundations for a real-life
family.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite movies are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.