Frasier: 10 Guests Stars You Forgot Were On The Show
2. Laurie Metcalf
Cheers fans may remember Frasier Crane's first wife Nannette Guzman being played by Emma Thompson, but by 2004 the British actress was a Hollywood superstar, and perhaps too busy to return to her role as Frasier's first wife. Instead Frasier's ex is played by Laurie Metcalf.
Best known now for playing Sheldon's mother Mary Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, Metcalf stars in one of the best episodes of the final season named Caught In The Act.
Performing as children's entertainer Nanny G, Nannette is stuck in a marriage of convenience without the passion. A moral dilemma for Frasier leads to a backstage meeting before a Nanny G concert. Her seduction leads to a naked Frasier starring in her performance, when her prop bed is suddenly hoisted on stage.
As a bonus fact, Leonard Hoftstader's mother from The Big Bang Theory also has a Frasier bit-part as one of many short-lived shows on KACL. Christine Baranski stars in the Season 6, Episode 20 episode Dr. Nora. Baranski received an Emmy nomination for the role.