Eric Lutes

Lutes first gained national attention with in 1994 with diverse guest appearances in three established sitcoms: on NBC's "Frasier" he was the gay station manager who mistakenly believes Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) wants to date him; on the Christmas episode of ABC's "Ellen," he was the terminally nice boyfriend who wants to marry Ellen (Ellen DeGeneres); and on NBC's "Mad About You," he tried to pick up the married Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt).

His shoulder-length chestnut hair and handsome features made Lutes a candidate for leading man roles, but his early work was mostly in commercials and on stage. He appeared in the direct-to-video "Psychos in Love" (1987) and had a supporting role in the independent film "Distant Justice" (1992), which was unreleased in the USA.

Lutes finally achieved leading man status featured opposite Lea Thompson in the NBC sitcom "Caroline in the City" (1995-99).