Who is Ted Danson? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Edward Bridge Danson III

Age: 75 Years, 75 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Mary Steenburgen (m. 1995), Casey Coates (m. 1977–1993), Randy Danson (m. 1970–1975)

father: Edward Bridge Danson Jr.

mother: Jess Danson

children: Alexis Danson, Kate Danson

Actors American Men

Height: 6'2" (188 cm), 6'2" Males

Ancestry: British American

U.S. State: California

City: San Diego, California

More Facts

education: Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University

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Childhood & Early Life

Ted Danson was born to Edward Bridge Danson, archaeologist and museum director, and Jess Danson in California, USA.

He attended the Kent School, Connecticut and later attended Stanford University where he developed a passion for drama.

In 1972, he graduated from Carnegie Mellon University , Pennsylvania, with a Fine Arts degree in drama.

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Career

In 1975, he began his career on television with the NBC daytime soap opera, ‘Somerset’, where he played the role of a contract player. He also appeared in a number of commercials as ‘Aramis Man’.

In 1979, he made his debut in films as a cop in the movie ‘The Onion Field’, an American drama film directed by Harold Becker. The following year, he bagged one of his major roles on the NBC sitcom, ‘Cheers’, where he played the part of ‘Sam Malone’, a former basketball player and bartender.

Till the early 80s he made a number of guest appearances on shows like ‘Laverne and Shirley’, ‘B.J and the Bear’, ‘Family’, ‘Benson’, ‘Taxi’, ‘Magnum P.I’ and ‘Tucker's Witch’.

In 1981, he was cast in the movie ‘Body Heat’, a neo-noir film directed and written by Lawrence Kasdan. He played the role of ‘Peter Lowenstein, a prosecutor.

He starred in the television movie ‘Something About Amelia’, in 1984. This was a story about a family devastated by incest, directed by Randa Haines.

In 1987, he starred in the American box office hit, ‘Three Men and a Baby’; a movie directed by Leonard Nimoy.

In 1996, he starred in the short-lived CBS comedy sitcom ‘Ink’, the show was cancelled after one season. The same year he also appeared in ‘Gulliver's Travels’, a TV show.

In 1998, he was cast in the title role as ‘John Becker’ in the CBS sitcom ‘Becker’, which ran successfully until 2004.

In 2005, he starred as ‘Mr Richard Manson’ in the TV film ‘Knights of the South Bronx’, which earned him immense critical acclaim and a Screen Actors Guild Award-nomination.

In 2006, he appeared in the American sit-com, ‘Help Me Help You’, an unsuccessful show that ran for only one season. The following year, he received an Emmy nomination for his role as a corrupt billionaire, ‘Arthur Frobisher’, in the FX Network drama, ‘Damages’.

In 2011, he appeared in the music video ‘make Some Noise’, by the Beastie Boys. The same year, he also starred in the HBO series, ‘Bored to Death’.

Currently, he stars in the CBS drama ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’.

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Major Works

His 1987 film, ‘Three Men and a Baby’, was a huge American box office hit and earned a whopping $ 167.78 million. The movie also won the ‘People’s Choice award’ for Best Comedy Motion Picture. The film was remade in Indian languages including Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi.

He starred in ‘Cheers’, the highly acclaimed television show in United States that earned the top ten rating for 8 of its 11 seasons. The show was placed at the number one position for two seasons and it was ranked no. 18 on TV Guides’, ‘50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time’.

Awards & Achievements

In 1985, he received the Golden Globe Award in the category, ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV’ for ‘Something about Amelia’.

In 1990 and 1991, he won the Golden Globe Award for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical’ for ‘Cheers’. He also bagged two Prime Time Emmy Awards, in 1990 and 1993 for ‘Cheers’, in the category, ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series’.

In 1999, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.

Personal Life & Legacy

In 1970, he married actress Randall ‘Randy’ Gosch and the couple got divorced in 1975.

In 1975, he married Cassandra Coates, a producer. She suffered from a stroke in 1979 during childbirth, but survived. The couple also adopted Alexis, their second daughter. In 1993, their marriage ended in divorce due to a speculation of an affair between Danson and Whoopi Goldberg.

He is currently married to actress Mary Steenburgen; the couple tied the knot in 1995.

Trivia

He has donated over $85,000 to Democratic candidates and also campaigned for Hilary Clinton during the 2008 Presidential campaign.

As a keen environmentalist, he co-authored the book ‘Our Endangered Oceans And What We Can Do To Save Them’, which was published in 2011.

1991	Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical	Cheers (1982)
1990	Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical	Cheers (1982)
1985	Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Something About Amelia (1984)

1993	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series	Cheers (1982)
1990	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series	Cheers (1982)

Ted Danson Biography