Who Almost Played Maris On Frasier?

Although it began as a "Cheers" spinoff in 1993, "Frasier" was able to distinguish itself from its boozy Boston roots, leaning into farcical plotlines and winning a staggering 37 Emmy Awards in the process. Still, the "Cheers" DNA peeked through from time to time, particularly via the same recurring bit: a major character's wife was never seen. In "Cheers," it was Norm's (George) wife Vera, who never made an on-screen appearance. In "Frasier," it was Niles' (David Hyde Pierce) wife Maris.

Indeed, Maris' absence was originally intended to be a winking callback to "Cheers," according to "Frasier" co-creator David Lee. "Let's do that for a few episodes, and then surprise — we're actually going to see her, so we weren't ripping off that 'Cheers' thing after all," he recalled to Yahoo TV. With that plan in mind, agents began to reach out inquiring about the part. One actor who expressed interest was Julia Duffy, whose agent got in touch with the creators during Season 1.

Between 1983 and 1990, Duffy played Stephanie Vanderkellen on "Newhart," for which she received seven Emmy Award nominations. She followed up "Newhart" with roles in "Baby Talk" and "Designing Women" and was seeking her next sitcom role when "Frasier" joined the fray. However, the creators had a change of heart. Maris' descriptions had gotten so increasingly absurd that they nixed the role altogether. "But by that point, we felt it was better if she was left unseen," co-creator Peter Casey told Vanity Fair. "It was much funnier adding new and outrageous descriptions."

When Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) first mentions his sister-in-law in the pilot, he compares her to the sun, "except without the warmth." After that, her descriptions only got more absurd, pointing to her tiny frame and weak constitution, as well as her affection for firearms and plastic surgery. In the oral history of "Frasier" for Vanity Fair, the show's writers enjoyed rattling off some of their favorite descriptions. "She couldn't straddle anything larger than a border collie," Anne Flett-Giordano recalled. Joe Keenan chimed in, "She left no tracks when she ran through the snow."

Though unseen, Maris was a prominent presence on "Frasier" until she and Niles got divorced. Even though Julia Duffy didn't get the role, the "Frasier" cast members envisioned different actors to make Maris feel more real. "I had done a show with Valerie Mahaffey ... and she is a wonderful, beautiful, terrific actress who in many ways, physically, might have been right," David Hyde Pierce said in the same Yahoo TV piece. Janes Leeves, meanwhile, visualized the British actor Eleanor Bron.

It was especially important for Pierce to have a vivid picture of Maris in his mind, as their marriage — no matter how flawed it was — hinged on his one-sided affection. "No matter how ludicrous our descriptions got, David made Niles's feelings about the marriage very real," Keenan continued in the same Vanity Fair piece. "He knew that if Niles didn't love Maris, there'd be no reason for us to care when she divorced him, or for Niles to feel conflicted and hide his love for Daphne."