Frasier star Kelsey Grammer will receive more than $1.6-million (U.S.) per episode in a deal that makes him the highest-salaried actor in TV history, Daily Variety reported yesterday.
The deal, which is being finalized, would keep Grammer on the show as pompous Seattle psychologist Dr. Frasier Crane through 2004. It would pay him for 48 episodes in the Emmy-winning NBC sitcom's 10th and 11th seasons, the trade paper said, citing unidentified industry insiders.
The paper said Grammer's salary also could increase through an advance on his share of revenue from syndication of the show, which begins its ninth season this fall.
The highest-paid performers on TV now are the cast members of NBC's Friends. The six stars each take home a reported $20-million a year, including $750,000 per episode and shares of the show's syndication profits.
Jerry Seinfeld of Seinfeld, Tim Allen of Home Improvement and Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt of Mad About You all earned more than $1-million per episode in the final seasons of those shows. AP