At The Height of 'Frasier's' Popularity, Guess Who Was Considered the Real Star?!?

[Brian Damage]

When Frasier first started topping the Nielsen ratings every week, which cast member received the most fan mail? You guessed it – Eddie the dog. Jane Leeves, who played Daphne on the show, once wryly observed that when Entertainment Weekly used Frasier as a lead story in 1993, Eddie was the only cast member to appear on the cover. Eddie was portrayed by a Jack Russell Terrier named Moose, who’d originally been adopted by a family that wasn’t aware of the breed’s rambunctious nature. Moose had relentless energy – he dug holes in the back yard, chased anything in his path, chewed furniture and even climbed trees to escape his enclosure. His family gave him up to a rescue organization, which is where professional trainer Mathilde de Cagny discovered him. She decided he would be a good working dog because of his boundless energy and desire to always be doing something. Moose turned out to be an apt pupil, and learned to follow commands immediately. During the doggie auditions for the show, the producers were looking for a pooch that could stare endlessly at Kelsey Grammer (a running joke on the series), and Moose performed flawlessly, staring at Mathilde’s outstretched index finger offstage until he was “released.”

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[Schmoopie]

That actually doesn't surprise me to be honest. The really funny thing is that long before I ever even watched Frasier (or even knew who Niles Crane was! ) I knew about Eddie. I'm not really sure how; could have been from the commercials since I was a huge Seinfeld addict and watched NBC all the time.