Ted Danson Bio

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Edward Bridge "Ted" Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor best known for his role as central character, "Sam Malone," in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as, "Dr. John Becker" on the series Becker. He is currently a regular on Larry David's HBO sitcom, Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close in legal drama Damages. He will next be appearing on a new HBO comedy series, Bored to Death, playing a supporting role, George.

Ted Danson: Early life

Danson was born in San Diego, California, the son of Jessica Danson (née MacMaster) and Edward Bridge Danson Jr., an archaeologist and museum director. Danson is of Scottish and English ancestry. He was raised near Flagstaff, Arizona.

In 1961, he enrolled in the prestigious Kent School where he was a basketball star. He became interested in drama while attending Stanford University. He transferred to the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama, in 1972.

Ted Danson: Career

Ted Danson - Television

Early career

Danson began his television career as a contract player on daytime soap opera, Somerset. He played the role of "Tom Conway" from 1975 to 1976. He was also in a number of commercials, most recognizably as the "Aramis man".

He made a number of guest appearances in episodic television in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including spots on Laverne and Shirley, B.J. and the Bear, Family, Benson, Taxi, Magnum, P.I., and Tucker's Witch.

Career Breakthrough: Cheers

Danson at the 42nd Emmy Awards, September 1990

In 1982, Danson was cast in his most recognizable role, as ex-baseball player and bartender Sam Malone on the hit sitcom Cheers. The show ran from 1982 to 1993, with Danson receiving 11 consecutive Emmy nominations and nine Golden Globes, with only two wins on the Emmys and the Golden Globe Award. In 2002, TV Guide named Cheers the 18th Greatest Show of All Time. It was also included in Time Magazine's 100 Greatest Shows of All Time.

Danson appeared in guest-starring roles on other sitcoms, such as Frasier, The Simpsons and St. Elsewhere as Sam Malone.

Later career

Although he was best known for his work in comedy, he also appeared in an acclaimed drama, Something About Amelia, about a family devastated by the repercussions of incest, which co-starred his current co-star on Damages, Glenn Close. He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie and was nominated for an Emmy Award In 1996, three years after Cheers concluded, Danson starred in the short-lived CBS sitcom Ink with his real-life wife Mary Steenburgen. In the same year, they starred as Lemuel Gulliver and his wife in an acclaimed television miniseries of Gulliver's Travels.

Danson went on to star in the successful CBS sitcom Becker, which ran from 1998-2004. Danson also plays himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm. He reprised his role of "Sam Malone" in a second season episode of Frasier and voiced him in The Simpsons episode "Fear of Flying".

Danson returned to series television in the fall of 2006, playing a psychiatrist in the ABC sitcom Help Me Help You, which was canceled at midseason due to low ratings.

In 2007, Danson began the FX Network drama Damages as a corrupt billionaire, Arthur Frobisher. The role earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, but lost to co-star Željko Ivanek. In the second season, Danson became a regular character instead as one of the principal cast. Nevertheless, Danson received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

On the year 1999, Danson was presented a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Danson will next appear on a new HBO comedy series, Bored to Death, playing George.

Ted Danson - Film

Danson has also been featured in numerous films. His most notable film appearances were in Three Men and a Baby with Tom Selleck and Steve Guttenberg, its sequel Three Men and a Little Lady, and Cousins with Isabella Rossellini. He also appeared in The Onion Field (his first film, as the bagpiper), Body Heat, Just Between Friends, A Fine Mess, Made in America, Getting Even with Dad, and Saving Private Ryan.

Ted Danson: Image

Danson's image, along with that of Scott Bakula, was used as a selectable character in Alien Breed II: The Horror Continues, a science fiction shoot 'em up released for the Amiga home computer system in 1993. Whether or not this use was authorized is unknown.

Ted Danson: Personal life

Danson and his first wife, Randy Gosch, were married from 1970 to 1975. Danson's second wife was Casey Coates; the couple were married in 1977. In 1979, while giving birth to their first child, Coates suffered a stroke, and Danson spent several years caring for her and helping her recuperate. The couple later adopted a daughter. His 1993 divorce from her was one of Hollywood's costliest, costing Danson a massive $25 million.

He later married actress Mary Steenburgen, on October 7, 1995. He is stepfather to her daughter, Lilly, and son, Charles, with actor Malcolm McDowell.

On the September 27, 2007 episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Danson revealed that he follows a mostly vegan diet, although he does occasionally eat fish.

Ted Danson - Controversy

In 1993, while he was still legally married to Coates, Danson became romantically involved with Whoopi Goldberg, his co-star in the film Made in America. Danson experienced substantial negative press attention after his appearance in blackface at a Friar's Club comedy roast in Goldberg's honor, as some guests were said to be angered by the monologue he delivered. Whoopi Goldberg admitted to writing the skit with him.

Ted Danson - Environmentalism

Danson is a longtime environmental advocate and he has donated over $500,000 of his own money to environmental causes.

Danson's interest in environmental concerns was ignited when he was twelve years old and Bill Breed, then a curator at the Museum of Northern Arizona, introduced Danson and friend Marc Gaede to a game he referred to as "billboarding". Armed with an axe and saw, Breed, Gaede, and Danson ended up destroying over 500 outdoor advertising signs, and illegal birdhouses.

Danson's interest in environmentalism continued over the years, and he began to be concerned with the state of the world's oceans. In the 1980s, he was a contributing founder of the American Oceans Campaigns, now referred to as Oceana, and Danson is still a board member. In the late 1980s, he issued a statement that the world had ten years to "save the oceans", a proclamation that has earned him substantial criticism from those who do not believe global warming to be scientifically credible.

Ted Danson - Political Activism

Danson is a friend of former United States President Bill Clinton, who attended Danson's wedding to Mary Steenburgen. Danson has donated more than $85,000 to Democratic candidates, including Al Gore, John Edwards, Barbara Boxer, Bill Clinton, Al Franken, and John Kerry. He has also donated to the Democratic Party of Arkansas and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Danson and Steenburgen campaigned for Sen. Hillary Clinton during her 2008 Presidential campaign.