A publicist for actor David Hyde Pierce this week confirmed that Pierce is gay and in a long term relationship with Brian Hargrove, a writer/producer/director in Hollywood. Speculation had long swirled around the actor who found fame playing Niles Crane for twelve years on the long running sitcom Frasier. Pierce had frequently been asked about his private life, but always declined to discuss it. In an interview in the fall of 1993, a reporter for Emmy Magazine asked Pierce about the issue and was told, "Basically, I don't talk about my personal life." That was the stance he continued to adhere to over the years. However, in a recent interview with the Associated Press about his newfound success on Broadway, Hyde did briefly address the topic as he explained that he had first come to Los Angeles in the early 1990's "when his partner, actor-writer-producer Brian Hargrove, wanted to write for television." The mention of Hargrove didn't appear until sixteen paragraphs into the interview. No other details of the men's relationship was given. AfterElton.com journalist Michael Jensen explains the circumstances of this week's ‘outing': “Given that Pierce had long been so reluctant to discuss his private life, we wanted to confirm that Hargrove was in fact Pierce's life partner and that the two men didn't simply have a business relationship. That led to the phone conversation with the star's publicist for Curtains, in which Pierce is currently starring. “The publicist did confirm that Pierce and Hargrove are a couple.” For many in the New York and Los Angeles acting communities, the news was not a surprise as Pierce had reportedly long lived an openly gay life, including hosting parties in their L.A. home. It was Pierce's resemblance to Cheers' star Kelsey Grammer that landed him the role of ‘Frasier' brother Niles Crane. In fact, the role was specifically created for Pierce who was nominated for the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor a record eleven years in a row. Pierce collected the trophy four times in 1995, 1998, 1999, and in 2004. While Pierce was not out publicly, he did donate time and money to a variety of AIDS organisations as well as other causes including Habitat for Humanity, the National Mental Health Association, and various Alzheimer's organisations, a disease from which both his father and grandfather suffered. Ref: AfterElton.com (m)