Kelsey Grammer learns of his ancestors' tortured past on 'WDYTYA'

On "Who Do You Think You Are" actor Kelsey Grammar learned of his ancestors' tortured past. It turns out his great grandmother and her daughter were completely abandoned by his great grandfather ... and both great grandparents were alcoholics. The 59-year-old actor was sad for his great grandmother, adding that his great grandfather sounded like a jerk.

Grammer read, "principle cause of death... cirrhosis of the liver. So, it looks like Genevieve was an alcoholic, oh wow..."

He explained, "To find out that Genevieve had died basically of alcoholism is uh, something that resonates with me. I've certainly had my own experiences with that issue ... it's a sad end."

Kelsey also found out that his great grandfather was discharged from the marines for excessive use of intoxicants and his character was marked as "bad."

The actor embraced his experience on the show and even live-tweeted with fans who were excited to see him learn about his family history. The actor said the reason he did the show was to discover a side of his grandmother's past that was never known to him.

As The Oregonian notes, the new genealogy series takes celebrities on a journey to learn about their family history.

To catch more episodes of "Who Do You Think You Are" you can tune in Wednesdays at 9/8c on TLC.