# Jane Leeves
**Jane Leeves** is an English actress best known for playing [Daphne Moon](https://www.edgepedia.org/daphne-moon), the live-in physical therapist on the NBC sitcom *Frasier* (1993–2004), and Joy Scroggs on [TV Land](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-land)'s *Hot in Cleveland* (2010–2015). Born in the United Kingdom in 1961, she began her career as a dancer before moving into television and film in the United States.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/41213/jane-leeves) • [2](https://www.janeleeves.net/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jane Elizabeth Leeves[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jane-leeves/3000189011/) |
| Signature role | Daphne Moon on *Frasier*, NBC, 1993–2004, eleven seasons and 264 episodes[2](https://www.janeleeves.net/) |
| Second sitcom lead | Joy Scroggs on *Hot in Cleveland*, TV Land, 2010–2015[2](https://www.janeleeves.net/) |
| Drama role | Dr. Kitt Voss on *The Resident*, 2018–2023, 75 episodes[2](https://www.janeleeves.net/) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/41213/jane-leeves) |
| Emmy recognition | Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, 1998, for *Frasier*[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jane-leeves) |
| Memoir | *Daphne & Me: My Life on Frasier (And a Bit More)*, co-written with her daughter Isabella Kathryn Coben, published October 20, 2026[5](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/memoir-by-actor-jane-leeves-coming-this-fall/) |
## Early career
Leeves started in British television as a dancer on *The Benny Hill Show*, then moved to the United States to pursue acting.[5](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/memoir-by-actor-jane-leeves-coming-this-fall/) A former ballet dancer, she studied acting, obtained an agent, and landed her first film role in [William Friedkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-friedkin)'s *To Live and Die in L.A.*[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-07-ca-32601-story.html) Money was short in those years; she sometimes survived on leftover food from dinner scenes in her acting classes and roomed with the fellow aspiring actress [Faith Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/faith-ford).[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jane-leeves/) She appeared in music videos, including [David Lee Roth](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-lee-roth)'s 1985 "California Girls," and took television roles in *Throb*, *Murphy Brown*, and *Seinfeld*, where her guest character Marla, Jerry's chaste girlfriend, appeared in five episodes and became one of that show's memorable recurring parts.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jane-leeves/) • [5](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/memoir-by-actor-jane-leeves-coming-this-fall/)
## Frasier (1993–2004)
Leeves was cast in 1993 as Daphne Moon, the eccentric British live-in physical therapist and caretaker hired to look after Martin Crane, the father of psychiatrist [Frasier Crane](https://www.edgepedia.org/frasier-crane) on the *Cheers* spinoff *Frasier*.[5](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/memoir-by-actor-jane-leeves-coming-this-fall/) • [8](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Encyclopedias/Archive-Encyclopedia-of-Television/Encyclopedia-of-Television-Vol-2.pdf) She later recounted on [Valerie Bertinelli](https://www.edgepedia.org/valerie-bertinelli)'s *Still Hot in Cleveland* podcast that [Kelsey Grammer](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelsey-grammer) initially "didn't want an English girl" on the show, and that her audition changed his mind.[9](https://www.aol.com/articles/jane-leeves-says-kelsey-grammer-210659000.html)
**The role and its arc.** Daphne began as a down-to-earth foil to Frasier and his equally pretentious brother Niles, and as the series progressed her character grew, including a romance with Niles that became one of television's long-running will-they-won't-they storylines.[2](https://www.janeleeves.net/) The show ran eleven seasons and 264 episodes and, by the account in Leeves's memoir promotion, collected a record-breaking thirty-seven Emmys over its run.[2](https://www.janeleeves.net/) Leeves herself received a 1998 Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role, along with a 1995 Golden Globe nomination.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jane-leeves) • [10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005137/awards/)
The part also shaped her personal life. She met her husband, former Paramount executive Marshall Coben, through her work, and one of her children has [David Hyde Pierce](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-hyde-pierce), her on-screen love interest, as godfather; castmate [Peri Gilpin](https://www.edgepedia.org/peri-gilpin) is godmother to her children as well.[2](https://www.janeleeves.net/) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/41213/jane-leeves)
## Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015)
After *Frasier*, Leeves focused more on her family but worked steadily, and in 2010 she joined Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick, and [Betty White](https://www.edgepedia.org/betty-white) in TV Land's original sitcom *Hot in Cleveland*.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jane-leeves/) • [11](https://www.cleveland.com/tv/2010/01/valerie_bertinelli_jane_leeves.html) The premise followed three middle-aged Los Angeles women whose plane makes an emergency landing in Cleveland, where they discover they are considered attractive in a way they no longer were in LA, and they decide to stay; White played the caretaker of the house they share.[12](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/emmy-winner-valerie-bertinelli-still-ped-off-her-show-was-canceled/) Leeves played Joy Scroggs, a role described in press coverage as far more cynical than the gentle Daphne Moon.[13](https://www.janeleeves.net/articles/hot-in-cleveland-qa-with-jane-leeves/)
The show was filmed in front of a live studio audience and was executive produced by Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner of Hazy Mills Productions, with Suzanne Martin, a *Frasier* and *Ellen* veteran, serving as executive producer, show runner, and writer.[14](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/a0806279-52d8-4cb3-a669-01f12c96bdf2) Its summer season premiere drew 2.4 million total viewers.[14](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/a0806279-52d8-4cb3-a669-01f12c96bdf2) The series ran from 2010 to 2015. Bertinelli said in 2026 that the show was canceled a year too early and launched the retrospective podcast *Still Hot in Cleveland*, on which Leeves has appeared as a guest.[12](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/emmy-winner-valerie-bertinelli-still-ped-off-her-show-was-canceled/) • [2](https://www.janeleeves.net/)
## The Resident and later work
Leeves's most substantial post-sitcom role came on the medical drama *[The Resident](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-resident-tv-series)*, where she played Dr. Kitt Voss for 75 episodes from 2018 to 2023.[2](https://www.janeleeves.net/) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/41213/jane-leeves) She has also done voice work, including a guest role as Polly in the *Love, Death & Robots* episode "For He Can Creep" (2025) and the Queen of England in two episodes of *Mickey Mouse: Mixed-Up Adventures* (2017).[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/41213/jane-leeves) In 2026 she made a guest appearance in *The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins*, the [Tracy Morgan](https://www.edgepedia.org/tracy-morgan) and [Daniel Radcliffe](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-radcliffe) sports mockumentary on NBC.[15](https://www.memorabletv.com/news/live-kelly-mark-anna-camp-jane-leeves/)
## Daphne & Me
In October 2026 Leeves published her memoir, *Daphne & Me: My Life on Frasier (And a Bit More)*, co-written with her daughter, the actor and writer Isabella Kathryn Coben, and published by William Morrow.[5](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/memoir-by-actor-jane-leeves-coming-this-fall/) The book recounts her eleven seasons on *Frasier*, her move from East Grinstead in England to Los Angeles, and the behind-the-scenes life of the show, including how the cast and crew grieved together after September 11, 2001.[2](https://www.janeleeves.net/) • [16](https://shows.acast.com/moms-dont-have-time-to-read-books/episodes/jane-leeves-daphne-me) She promoted it with a five-city United States book tour beginning at Town Hall Seattle on October 18, 2026, with UK dates to follow.[2](https://www.janeleeves.net/)
## Recognition
Leeves's awards record centers on *Frasier*: the 1998 Emmy nomination, the 1995 Golden Globe nomination, and a 1995 Q Award win for Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series, with further ensemble and supporting-actress nominations through the late 1990s.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jane-leeves) • [10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005137/awards/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jane-leeves/3000189011/)
## References
1. [Jane Leeves, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/41213/jane-leeves)
2. [Daily Jane Leeves](https://www.janeleeves.net/)
3. [Jane Leeves, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jane-leeves/3000189011/)
4. [Jane Leeves, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jane-leeves)
5. [Memoir by Actor Jane Leeves Coming This Fall, Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/memoir-by-actor-jane-leeves-coming-this-fall/)
6. [Quirky Roles Suit Her Just Fine, Los Angeles Times (1993)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-07-ca-32601-story.html)
7. [Jane Leeves, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jane-leeves/)
8. [Encyclopedia of Television, Vol. 2](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Encyclopedias/Archive-Encyclopedia-of-Television/Encyclopedia-of-Television-Vol-2.pdf)
9. [Jane Leeves says Kelsey Grammer 'didn't want an English girl' on Frasier, AOL](https://www.aol.com/articles/jane-leeves-says-kelsey-grammer-210659000.html)
10. [Jane Leeves Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005137/awards/)
11. [Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick will be 'Hot in Cleveland', cleveland.com](https://www.cleveland.com/tv/2010/01/valerie_bertinelli_jane_leeves.html)
12. [Valerie Bertinelli Says 'Hot in Cleveland' Was Canceled Too Soon, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/emmy-winner-valerie-bertinelli-still-ped-off-her-show-was-canceled/)
13. ['Hot in Cleveland': Q&A with Jane Leeves, Daily Jane Leeves](https://www.janeleeves.net/articles/hot-in-cleveland-qa-with-jane-leeves/)
14. [TV Land 'Hot in Cleveland' Premiere Night press release, Paramount](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/a0806279-52d8-4cb3-a669-01f12c96bdf2)
15. [Live with Kelly and Mark: Anna Camp, Jane Leeves, MemorableTV](https://www.memorabletv.com/news/live-kelly-mark-anna-camp-jane-leeves/)
16. [Jane Leeves: A Look Behind the Scenes of Hit Sitcom Frasier, Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books podcast](https://shows.acast.com/moms-dont-have-time-to-read-books/episodes/jane-leeves-daphne-me)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames L to M*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license