‘Frasier’: Jane Leeves and David Hyde Pierce Believed These Actors Could Have Played Maris Crane
Frasier, like its predecessor, Cheers, had an unseen character. Dr. Niles Cranes’ first wife, Maris Crane, was talked about often but never seen. The show’s co-creators never meant for it to happen that way. Initially, they planned to cast Maris eventually, but the grandiose descriptions of the character made it impossible to find an actor who would have been a good fit. As the seasons wore on, the writers leaned into the gag. The descriptions of Maris Crane became more and more ridiculous. By the end of the series, her appearance was otherwordly. During the earliest seasons, before the writers ran with the joke, actors David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves had ideas about who could play the role.
David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves both had actor recommendations for the role of Maris Crane
While the co-creators allowed Maris to become so mythical that it would have been impossible to cast her, early on in the series, both David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves had thoughts on who could potentially portray Maris if the team ever did decide to show her. According to Yahoo! TV, Pierce thought Valerie Mahaffey would be good in the role.
Mahaffey, a character actor, is easily recognizable as George Costanza’s one-episode girlfriend, Patrice, on Seinfeld. Patrice was an accountant who George broke up with because he found her pretentious. His breaking point was her pronunciation of papier-maché. While Mahaffey was never cast in the role of Maris, she did appear on Frasier. She played Peggy in the season 11 episode, “Maris Returns.”
Hyde’s eventual on-screen wife, Jane Leeves, thought a different actor would be a good fit. According to the publication, Leeves, who famously played Martin Crane’s eccentric caregiver and Niles’ third wife, Daphne Moon, thought Eleanor Bron would be a good fit. Bron, a British stage actor, also appeared in television and film production. She famously appeared in Doctor Who and the 1969 movie Women in Love.
In the end, not casting the role elevated ‘Frasier’
While it started as a practical joke, not casting Maris Crane was a good move. The decision allowed the writers to have a lot of fun describing the character. The gag also allowed the audience really engage with the series. Fans are still discussing Maris Crane today, nearly 20 years after the series went off the air. The way the unseen character connected Frasier subtly to Cheers wasn’t a bad thing, either.
In 2017, Reddit users generated a few picks for who they thought could have fit the bill to play Maris Crane. Some fans believe Tilda Swinton, best known for her role in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, would have made a great Maris Crane. Other fan suggestions include Anna Wintour, Christine Baranski, and Lara Flynn Boyle. Baranski appeared in Frasier as Dr. Nora Fairchild.
