Frasier is packed with guest stars over its eleven-season run. However, Dr. Crane was visited by some truly surprising personalities. The beloved sitcom had notable guest appearances on Frasier’s radio show and occasional appearances from major characters of Cheers. This list highlights the most unexpected guest stars.

Patrick Stewart

Patrick Stewart is renowned for his iconic portrayals of Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor X in the X-Men movies. Both roles require authority and a serious tone. However, Stewart was allowed to go full-tilt comedic in the eleventh season of Frasier in the episode titled “The Doctor is Out.”

After it’s implied that Dr. Crane is gay on his radio program, Stewart’s esteemed theater director, Alistair Burke, begins to court Frasier. Hijinks ensue when Frasier is too intoxicated by status to tell Burke he’s straight. Of course, Kelsey Grammer would go on to star alongside Stewart in the X-Men franchise as Beast aka Dr. Hank McCoy.

Linda Hamilton

Linda Hamilton is well-known for playing Sarah Conner in the Terminator films. However, she guest starred in the season four episode, “Odd Man Out”. Hamilton plays Laura, a woman who accidentally leaves multiple messages on Frasier’s answering machine. This prompts Dr. Crane to rush to the airport to meet her, hoping for a potential romance.

Dr. Phil

Dr. Phil, an iconic figure in daytime TV, flexes his acting skills in the Frasier episode “The Devil & Dr. Phil.” Frasier’s agent Bebe reveals she’s also the agent for Dr. Phil, leading to professional jealousy. This episode portrays a clash between mental health experts, primarily centered around a poker game debt. While Kelsey Grammer does the heavy lifting here, Dr. Phil McGraw mostly manages to hold his own.

John Glenn

Astronaut and politician John Glenn, the third American to venture into space and the first to orbit the Earth, also guest starred as himself in Frasier. In season eight’s “Docu.Drama,” he takes on the role of the narrator for Roz’s space-themed documentary. In this episode, Glenn showcases his good-natured spirit by admitting, in a comical and unrestrained outburst, to knowing extraterrestrial life.

The Most Surprising of ‘Frasier’s Guest Stars… Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton is an icon for donning the cowl in Tim Burton’s Batman films and for his turn as the “ghost with the most” in Beetlejuice. Keaton absolutely murders in his role in the season nine episode, “Wheels of Fortune”. He portrays Blaine Sternin, the main character’s former brother-in-law and Lilith Sternin’s brother.

Frasier is unimpressed when Sternin, now wheelchair-bound, unexpectedly visits. This supposedly reformed man, who claims devotion to God, seeks financial support for a revival ministry. Keaton is hilarious in the role, shifting from sympathetic to manic zealot on a dime.