- Born
- Birth nameEdward Bridge Danson III
- Height6′ 2½″ (1.89 m)
- Ted Danson is well known for his role as Sam Malone in the television series Cheers (1982). During the show's 11-year run, he was nominated nine times for an Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and won twice, in 1990 and 1993. The role also earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 1989 and 1990. He and his wife, actress Mary Steenburgen, starred in and were executive producers of the CBS comedy series Ink (1996).
Edward Bridge "Ted" Danson III was born in San Diego, California, to Jessica Harriet (MacMaster) and Edward Bridge Danson, Jr., who was an archaeologist and museum director. He has English, Scottish, and German ancestry. He was raised just outside Flagstaff, Ariz. Danson attended Stanford University, where he became interested in drama during his second year. In 1972, he transferred to Carnegie-Mellon University (formerly Carnegie Tech) in Pittsburgh. After graduation, he was hired as an understudy in Tom Stoppard's Off Broadway production of "The Real Inspector Hound." Danson moved to Los Angeles in 1978 and studied with Dan Fauci at the Actor's Institute, where he also taught classes. Danson lives with his family in Los Angeles. He is a founding member of the American Oceans Campaign (AOC), an organization established to alert Americans to the life-threatening hazards created by oil spills, offshore development, toxic wastes, sewage pollution and other ocean abuses.
In 1984, Danson received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in the television movie Something About Amelia (1984), in which he starred opposite Glenn Close. He also starred opposite Lee Remick in The Women's Room (1980). In 1986, he made his debut as a television producer with When the Bough Breaks (1986), in which he also starred. He later starred in the mini-series Gulliver's Travels (1996) and Thanks of a Grateful Nation (1998). Danson's numerous feature film credits include The Onion Field (1979), in which he made his debut as Officer Ian Campbell, Body Heat (1981), Three Men and a Baby (1987), Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), Cousins (1989), Dad (1989), Made in America (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Mumford (1999), and Jerry and Tom (1998).- IMDb Mini Biography By: Grace Z
- SpousesMary Steenburgen(October 7, 1995 - present) (2 children)Cassandra Coates(July 30, 1977 - June 3, 1993) (divorced, 2 children)Randy Danson(August 8, 1970 - 1977) (divorced)
- ChildrenAlexis Danson
- ParentsEdward Bridge DansonJess Danson
- RelativesJan Haury (Danson)(Sibling)
- Grey hair and glasses (in latter career)
- Towering height
- Said in a television interview that his daughter was on the set during the scene from Creepshow (1982) where his character returns from the dead encased in rotted flesh and seaweed. He purposely tried avoiding his young daughter out of a fear of scaring her. Finally, despite his best efforts, she went up to him, looked at him and simply said, "Oh, Hi Dad".
- Danson played Sam Malone on three different series: Cheers (1982), The Simpsons (1989) and Frasier (1993). He was one of the three actors who appeared in all 271 episodes of Cheers (1982). He chose to leave Cheers (1982), after 11 seasons as he was tired of playing Malone and the producers chose to end the series. He played the role for the last time on the spin-off series Frasier (1993).
- He was a teenage environmental activist in Arizona where he was involved in cutting down billboards that were considered blight.
- Graduated from Kent School in Kent, Connecticut (1966), the same high school Peter Farrelly, Sebastian Siegel, Treat Williams and Seth MacFarlane attended.
- As an ocean activist with Hardy Jones, (BlueVoice.Org) The Dolphin Defender (PBS Nature), he started Oceana.org and is on the Board of Directors.
- If I had my way everyone would be in a 12-step program.
- Smoking is a great prop. It's a great prop in life.
- Acting is pretending that you're not pretending when you're actually pretending.
- I am the king of the faux pas. I call everybody by their wrong name, and I congratulate women who are not pregnant. I've done so many awful things by mistake, and usually it's things that make me look totally foolish.
- (On Nancy Travis) If she can pretend she finds me attractive after a tuna fish sandwich, then she's my kind of girl.
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) - $250,000 per episode (2013-2014)
- Getting Even with Dad (1994) - $4,000,000
- Cheers (1982) - $12,000,000 (1993)
- Cheers (1982) - $450,000 per episode (1993 season)
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