Ted Danson Biography Quotes 20 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Ted Danson, born Edward Bridge Danson III on December 29, 1947, in San Diego, California, grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona, in a family that prized learning and the natural world. His father, Edward Bridge Danson Jr., was an archaeologist and museum director whose work in the American Southwest shaped the household's curiosity and sense of place; his mother, Jessica, kept the family grounded and engaged in community life. Tall, athletic, and thoughtful, Danson attended the Kent School in Connecticut, where he first found his footing on stage. After starting college at Stanford University and discovering a serious interest in acting, he transferred to Carnegie Mellon University's College of Fine Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama.

Early Career
Danson began in the profession the way many working actors do: with stage roles, commercials, and a steady procession of television guest spots. He became widely recognizable in national advertising, which opened doors to more substantive opportunities. Film work followed, notably his turn in Body Heat (1981), where he brought offbeat charm to a supporting role, and a memorable appearance in Creepshow (1982). These parts showcased his versatility and timing, hinting at the screen presence that would soon make him one of television's most familiar faces.

Breakthrough with Cheers
In 1982, Danson was cast as Sam Malone, the ex-ballplayer and Boston barkeep at the center of Cheers. Created by Glen Charles, Les Charles, and James Burrows, the series became a cultural landmark over its 11-season run. Danson's layered performance balanced swagger with vulnerability, and his chemistry with Shelley Long, and later Kirstie Alley, fueled storylines that kept the show's heart beating. The ensemble around him, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson, and Nicholas Colasanto, helped turn the bar into an enduring TV community. Cheers earned Danson both Emmy and Golden Globe awards and culminated in one of the most-watched finales in television history.

Film Work and 1980s–1990s Visibility
Parallel to Cheers, Danson built a significant film profile. Three Men and a Baby (1987), opposite Tom Selleck and Steve Guttenberg and directed by Leonard Nimoy, was a box-office phenomenon and led to the sequel Three Men and a Little Lady (1990). He showed a romantic lead's warmth in Cousins (1989) with Isabella Rossellini and acted alongside Mary Steenburgen in Pontiac Moon (1994), a collaboration that would change his personal life. Not every project was a hit, but the breadth of roles established him as a bankable star who could toggle between comedy and drama.

Television After Cheers
Post-Cheers, Danson resisted typecasting. He reunited on screen with Mary Steenburgen in the newsroom comedy Ink and then led the successful sitcom Becker (1998, 2004), playing a Bronx physician whose irascibility masked empathy; the show's core players, including Hattie Winston, Shawnee Smith, Alex Desert, Terry Farrell, and later Nancy Travis, gave it a lived-in rhythm. Danson's dramatic range drew praise in Damages, where he sparred with Glenn Close and Rose Byrne, and he delivered a wry, generous turn in Bored to Death with Jason Schwartzman and Zach Galifianakis. He brought gravitas to Fargo, appearing with Patrick Wilson, Kirsten Dunst, and Jean Smart, and stepped into mainstream procedural territory on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: Cyber as D.B. Russell. From 2016 to 2020 he starred in The Good Place as Michael, earning renewed awards recognition while playing opposite Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, D'Arcy Carden, and Manny Jacinto. He also appeared as a heightened version of himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm, often alongside Steenburgen, and later headlined Mr. Mayor with Holly Hunter, from creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock.

Personal Life
Danson's personal journey has been closely intertwined with the people around him. He married actress Randy Danson early in his career. In 1977 he married producer and environmental designer Casey Coates; during the birth of their first daughter, Kate, Coates suffered a stroke, and Danson became her caregiver for an extended period. They later adopted a second daughter, Alexis. The couple eventually divorced. His relationship with Whoopi Goldberg, his co-star in Made in America, drew intense public attention in the early 1990s and included a widely criticized Friars Club roast appearance that he later expressed regret over. In 1995 he married Mary Steenburgen, whom he had met while filming Pontiac Moon. Through that marriage he became stepfather to her children, Lilly McDowell and director Charlie McDowell. Their partnership, often visible in joint projects and public appearances, has remained one of the industry's most enduring and admired.

Activism and Public Work
Beyond acting, Danson has been a prominent advocate for ocean conservation. In 1987 he co-founded the American Oceans Campaign, which later merged into Oceana, a leading international organization focused on marine protection; he has served as a board member and spokesperson, working with scientists, policy makers, and fellow activists to address overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss. His book, Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them, written with Michael D'Orso, distilled complex environmental issues for a broad audience and reflected his sustained commitment to civic engagement.

Recognition and Legacy
Over decades of work, Danson has earned multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, markers of a career that has spanned sitcom peaks, procedural reinventions, and ambitious prestige dramas. Colleagues praise his professionalism and generosity on set, qualities noted by collaborators from Cheers to The Good Place. Audiences know him for his gift with timing, his willingness to complicate likability, and his aptitude for anchoring ensembles without overpowering them. From the barstools of Boston to the afterlife's bureaucracy, and from network hits to cable experiments, Ted Danson has sustained relevance by choosing varied roles, surrounding himself with strong creative partners, and investing in causes beyond the screen. His body of work, and the relationships that shaped it, from Mary Steenburgen and their blended family to long-standing collaborators like James Burrows and the Cheers ensemble, form the portrait of an artist who found a lasting way to combine wit, heart, and purpose.

Our collection contains 20 quotes who is written by Ted, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Motivational - Wisdom - Justice - Meaning of Life.

Other people realated to Ted: Leslie Nielsen (Actor), Harry Anderson (Actor), Steve Guttenberg (Actor), Jason Schwartzman (Actor), Tom Selleck (Actor), Macaulay Culkin (Actor), Richard Benjamin (Actor), Bebe Neuwirth (Actress), Larry David (Actor), Marg Helgenberger (Actress)