Ted Danson Ted Danson was born Edward Bridge Danson III in San Diego, California on December 29, 1947. He was then raised just outside Flagstaff, Arizona. Defying the empty-headed actor stereotype, Danson attended Stanford University. After two years, he realized he was actually interested in drama and wanted to pursue it as a career. He ended up transferring to Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Even at the beginning of Danson’s career he worked with the best in Hollywood. He was hired as Tom Stoppard’s understudy in the Off Broadway production of The Real Inspector Hound. Stoppard is best known for writing Shakespeare in Love and directing/writing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. In 1978, Danson moved to Los Angeles where he studied at the Actor’s Institute. In addition to studying, Danson also taught classes there. From 1979 through 1982, Danson’s career was dominated by television. He made numerous and varied one-episode appearances in everything from The Amazing Spider-Man (1979) to Laverne & Shirley (1980). After gaining some notoriety from his television work, Danson scored a fairly large role in the 1981 crime-drama-thriller Body Heat with William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. This stylish, Hitchcock-reminiscent film may have been the catalyst Danson needed to truly jumpstart his career.
In 1982 Danson auditioned for the part of bartender Sam Malone in a new sitcom called Cheers. Like any actor entering into a new project, he hoped and prayed it would be a well-received and lucrative endeavor. Danson had no idea. Cheers went on to run for an impressive twelve seasons. Danson would be nominated nine times for an Emmy as Best Actor in a Comedy. He won twice, once in 1990 and another in 1993. Additionally, Danson won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy two consecutive years, 1989 and 1990. This sitcom not only made Danson a household name, it made him an A-list celebrity. Some of his costars included Shelley Long, Kirstie Alley, Rhea Perlman, Woody Harrelson and Kelsey Grammer, all of whom capitalized on the momentum from Cheers to have extremely successful acting careers. Riding high off the success of Cheers, Danson continued to find work in quality productions. In 1984 he received another Emmy nomination and another Golden Globe win for Best Actor in Something About Amelia. The made-for-TV film dealt with the volatile subject of sexual abuse within a family, and Danson’s work as a seemingly normal father was chilling. The film also starred Glenn Close. For Danson, as for any actor, films were always the most desirable roles. And it’s completely understandable. The exposure and the money are simply so much greater than television. In 1987, Danson landed a role in the hit comedy Three Men and a Baby starring opposite Tom Selleck and Steve Guttenberg. The film spurred a 1990 sequel Three Men and a Little Lady. Other film roles included Cousins (1989), Dad (1989), Jerry and Tom (1998) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).
After what seemed to be a dry spell in Danson’s career, he suddenly found rejuvenation once again through television. In 1998, his television series Becker began and had a successful run until 2004. Danson is currently in post-production for the film Nobel Son starring Alan Rickman. Danson has been married three times. His first wife was Randy Danson from 1970-1975. His second wife was Casey Coates from 1977-1993, and the couple had two children together. Danson is currently married to fellow actress Mary Steenburgen and has been since 1995. The couple have no children of their own, but Steenburgen has two from a previous marriage to Malcolm McDowell. |
