Who Plays Tom Duran In Frasier's 'The Matchmaker' Episode?

When Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) was still knocking back suds on "Cheers," he was unlucky in love — even, on one occasion, being jilted at the altar. Those romantic misadventures continued on "Frasier," where for 11 seasons, he was one of Seattle's most eligible bachelors. From time to time, he was also known to play Cupid.

In the Season 2 episode "The Matchmaker," Daphne's (Jane Leeves) love life is in such a sorry state that she's taken to chain smoking in the middle of the night. Sensing his friend's despair, Frasier vows to find a man for Daphne. The next day, Frasier meets his new boss, the charming Anglophile Tom Duran, played by Eric Lutes. Frasier invites Tom over for dinner, hoping to set him up with Daphne. Unbeknownst to Frasier, Tom is gay, and he misinterprets the invite as a date between the two of them.

Miscommunication is the bedrock of a great farce, and "The Matchmaker" is exactly that. The episode flips gay stereotypes on their head, with Frasier's love of men's fashion and opera used as calling cards for his mistaken homosexuality. Moreover, Lutes does a great job playing the — pardon the pun — "straight man" who can't understand why Frasier invited his father and a strange woman to their date. "The Matchmaker" won a number of awards, including a GLAAD Media Award. After his appearance on "Frasier," Lutes went on to star on "Caroline in the City."

Before Eric Lutes made his "Frasier" debut in 1994, he had only made a handful of on-screen appearances, including a few episodes of "All My Children." But Lutes quickly proved he had sitcom chops. In 1995, he began portraying Del Cassidy on "Caroline in the City." The NBC comedy starred Lea Thompson as Caroline Duffy, a successful Manhattan-based cartoonist. Del is Caroline's on-again-off-again boyfriend, and, for a brief time, her fiancé. The series also stars Malcolm Gets as Caroline's colorist and Amy Pietz as her best friend who lives across the hall. The series aired until 1999, when it was canceled after four seasons. Lutes appeared on 97 episodes of "Caroline in the City," making it his longest-running role.

Since "Caroline in the City" ended, Lutes has remained a prolific character actor, appearing on TV shows like "Without a Trace," "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," and "How to Get Away with Murder." For some fans, however, he's best known for his collaborations with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. In 1999, Lutes played the twins' dad Jerry in the family soccer movie "Switching Goals." He made his second Olsen twin collaboration on the sitcom "So Little Time," once again playing their father. The series aired for one season from 2001 to 2002.