At age 63, Kelsey Grammer is a proud father to three children under the age of six — and he has zero complaints.
“It’s fantastic, the energy is magnificent,” the actor recently told Closer Weekly. “I’m as young as they are. [And my wife Kayte Walsh] has a pristine and extraordinary ability to love. She loves being pregnant and being a mom.”
And as a father of seven, Grammer doesn’t mind slowing his career down in Hollywood to spend more time with his growing family.
“When you reach a certain age, you don’t worry about your career the same way,” he said. “[Earlier in life], your kids get a little lost in the shuffle, and you end up regretting it.”
Life for Grammer is joyful after enduring years of personal tragedy. His father was murdered by intruders when he was a teenager and two of his brothers died in a scuba-diving accident.
And in 1975, his 18-year-old younger sister Karen was raped, beaten and stabbed to death after a botched robbery. It was Grammer who had to identify his sister’s body and then inform his mother. He eventually became addicted to drugs and alcohol to cope with his painful past.
“I have never gotten over it,” Grammer told Vanity Fair in 2015. “It very nearly destroyed me.”
Grammer added that while he has “learned to forgive,” he has testified in parole hearings to keep Karen’s killers behind bars.
The star told Closer Weekly it was his famous role of Dr. Frasier Crane on “Cheers” and its spinoff “Frasier” that proved to be therapeutic.
“We really were a family,” he explained about his co-stars. “For 20 years, I was going to the same studio, so it was like going to graduate school at a favorite college.”
But these days, Grammer is finding happiness right from the comfort of home.
“My youngest son James is walking and talking and eating all the time,” he said. “And my 4-year-old Gabriel is starting to figure out stuff. They discover things every day. It’s wonderful.”
Still, don’t expect Grammer to retire from Hollywood anytime soon. Back in 2017, he told Fox News that embarking on new projects, both in film and on television, is still exciting.
“Well, you know, I’ve had some luck with a couple,” he said. “I’ve had less luck with others. Writer’s strikes, networks have their own ideas — that sort of thing has happened a few times. I just like working, you know? I like trying new stuff. That’s what keeps me going, really. I like to work. And I need to work. I’ve got a big family. But other than that, it’s what I do it. So it feels great.”
And while Grammer is always looking for his next great role, he still doesn’t mind getting recognized by fans for his days on “Frasier.” The comedy aired from 1993 until 2004.
“Listen, I would be a fool if I took umbrage with that,” he explained. “He was a wonderful character. Frasier Craine is a wonderful character. He was fun to play, brought me great success, brought me great financial reward and honestly, an enormous amount of satisfaction in having helped so many people.
“The number of people that come up to me are never aggressive or unhappy. They’re always smiling and thankful and grateful for the work. And then of course, there are others who paid more attention to the show and had a little more understanding on some of the drama. So, it’s just a career. I’ve been at it for a long time. And it would be indecorous of me to take issue with the fact that I’m recognized for ‘Frasier.’ It’s a great character.”