Kelsey Grammer Dons Herod's Crown
"Killing Jesus," premiering this month on the National Geographic Channel, is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. In the television dramatization, the described "great king and warrior" Herod the Great is portrayed by Emmy Award-winning actor Kelsey Grammer — long admired by fans for his television persona Dr. Frasier Crane.
Grammer ("Cheers," "Frasier") was noted as saying during a press event by the Los Angeles Times that Herod "wasn't necessarily evil — he was just a guy who had to do some despicable things to maintain a balance of power."