The Philly Legend Behind ‘Frazier’ Star Peri Gilpin

If you are old enough to remember the late Philadelphia radio and TV personality Jim O'Brien, you undoubtedly remember that Jim died in a skydiving accident in 1983.

If so, then you probably know that his daughter is actress Peri Gilpin, best known for her role as Roz on the TV show "Frasier."

I often wondered about the lives of this father and daughter, so I looked into the backstory. Here's what I found.

Jim O'Brien's Time in Philadelphia Radio & TV

Jim began his time in Philly in 1970 as one of the one of 560 AM WFIL Radio Boss Jocks, and eventually took over the station's morning drive show.

O'Brien, born James Oldham in Galveston, Texas, in 1939, had previously worked radio jobs in Denver and Los Angeles.

According to broadcstpioneers.com, Jim started on Channel 6 as a weekend sportscaster in 1971 or 1972.

When WFIL Radio and WFIL-TV (Channel 6)  were sold in the early 1970s,  WFIL-TV became WPVI-TV, and Jim O'Brien started as their main weathercaster on the 6 pm and 11 pm newscasts.

After leaving the TV station for a time, O'Brien returned to the station when it became Action News and worked as the weatherman, then the anchor of the 5:30 pm newscast.

O'Brien, who became enormously popular on Channel 6, also hosted a morning TV game show called "Dialing for Dollars" among other station responsibilities.

Peri Gilpin's Childhood

According to Wikipedia, Gilpin was born in 1961 in Waco, Texas, to Baylor University students Jim O'Brien and Sandra Jo Hauck.

After the birth of her sister, Patti Jo, in 1965, her parents divorced, and Sandra moved with her two daughters to Houston.

In 1968, Sandra married her childhood friend Wes Gilpin; Peri and her sister took his surname. In 1969, the Gilpins moved to Dallas, where Peri grew up.

Peri took acting classes while growing up and then enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in drama. However, she was expelled from the acting program at the end of her sophomore year.

She spent the next several years studying and acting in London and summer stock theater in Massachusetts.

In 1993, she appeared in one episode of TV's "Cheers" and, the next year, won the role of Roz Doyle in the 'Cheers" spin-off "Frazier", beating out 300 other actresses, including Lisa Kudrow.

She remained in the "Frasier" cast until the show ended in 2004 and then returned for the two seasons of the "Frasier" reboot.

Jim O'Brien's Death

Jim O’Brien loved riding his motorcycle and enjoyed skydiving.

According to broadcstpioneers.com, O'Brien, an experienced jumper with 813 jumps to his credit, died on Sunday, September 25, 1983, in a skydiving accident in Montgomery County, PA.

Jim and a friend were jumping from 8500 feet, and both chutes opened normally during their second jump of the day.

They started a maneuver called a “corkscrew,” which allowed them to get to the ground faster.

The two got tangled. Jim decided to cut his ropes and open his reserve chute. However, he was too close to the ground, and his chute did not have time to completely open.

Jim O'Brien died at 43 years old.