Ted Danson is a famous American actor, producer and activist who has starred in many films and television shows.
His best-known roles are Sam Malone in Cheers, Jack Holden in Three Guys and a Baby, Dr. John Becker in Becker, and Michael in The Good Place.
He is also the co-founder of Oceana, an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the world’s oceans.
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- Full name: Edward Bridger Denson III
- Nickname: Ted
- Date of Birth: December 29, 1947
- Age: 75
- Gender: Male
- Birthplace: San Diego, California, USA
- Country: United States
- Occupation: Actor, producer, activist
- Height: 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters)
- Parents: Edward Bridger Denson II (father), Jessica McMaster (mother)
- Siblings: Jan Ann Haury (sister)
- Spouses: Mary Steenburgen (married 1995), Kathy Coates (married 1977, divorced 1993), Randy Danson (married 1970, divorced 1975)
- Children: Kate Danson, Alexis Danson (biological daughter), Charlie McDowell, Lily McDowell (stepchildren)
- Marital status: Married
- Net worth: $80 million
Early life and education
Edward Bridge Danson III, also known as Ted Danson, was born on December 29, 1947 in San Diego, California. His father, Edward Bridge Danson II, is an archaeologist and museum director, and his mother, Jessica McMaster, is an English teacher. In 2023, Ted will be 75 years old.
He has an older sister, Jan Ann Haury, who is an archaeologist. He grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona, where his father worked at the Northern Arizona Museum.
He attended the Kent School, a boarding school in Connecticut, where he was a star basketball player.
He then attended Stanford University to study drama but later transferred to Carnegie Mellon University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in theater arts in 1972.
Personal life
Ted Danson has been married three times and has two biological daughters and two stepchildren. His first marriage was to actress Randy Danson in 1970, but they divorced in 1975.
He married producer Casey Coates as his second wife in 1977. In 1979, when their first daughter, Kate, was born, she suffered a stroke.
Danson invested a great deal of time and money in her care, but they separated in 1992 and divorced in 1993. During this time, he also had a high-profile relationship with his American Made co-star, actress Whoopi Goldberg.
His third and current marriage is to actress Mary Steenburgen, whom he met on the set of the 1993 film Pontiac Moon.
They married in 1995 and have been together ever since. They have two stepchildren from Steenburgen’s previous marriage to actor Malcolm McDowell: Charlie and Lily. Danson also has a daughter, Alexis, whom he and Coates adopted in 1984.
Danson and Stenberg currently reside in Los Angeles, California, and have a house in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. They are actively involved in various environmental and social causes, such as Oceana, Heifer International, and the Clinton Foundation.
Profession
Ted Danson began his acting career in the early 1970s, appearing in various commercials, soap operas, and television movies.
He made his screen debut in The Onion Fields in 1979, playing a detective who is kidnapped and killed by two criminals. He then had small roles in films such as Body Heat, The Woman’s Room and The Ghost Show.
He shot to fame in 1982 when he played former baseball player and bartender Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom Cheers.
The show was a huge success, running for 11 seasons and making Danson one of the most popular and highest-paid television actors of the 1980s and 1990s.
He won two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for the role and was nominated for several other awards.
During this time, he also starred in several comedy films such as “Three Guys and a Baby”, “Three Guys and a Little Lady”, “The Cousins” and “American Made”.
After Cheers ended in 1993, Danson continued to work in film and television, but with less success. He starred in the short-lived sitcoms Ink and It’s a Wonderful Life, and had supporting roles in films such as Dad’s Revenge, Saving Private Ryan, and Mumford.
He also appeared in television movies and miniseries such as Gulliver’s Travels, Grateful Nation and Living with the Dead.
In 1998, he returned to television comedy with the CBS sitcom Becker, playing a cantankerous, sarcastic doctor who runs a small clinic in the Bronx. The show ran for six seasons, earning Danson another Emmy nomination.
He also starred in the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing a fictional version of himself, and had a recurring role on the NBC sitcom Frasier, reprising his role as Sam Malone.
In the 2000s and 2010s, Danson turned to more dramatic roles, particularly in crime dramas. In 2011, he joined the CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as DB Russell, the new supervisor of the forensic team. He remained on the show until 2015, then moved on to star in its spin-off, CSI: Cyber, for the show’s second and final season.
He also starred in the FX series Damages, playing a corrupt billionaire sued by a ruthless lawyer, and in the HBO series Bored to Death, playing a bored magazine editor who hires a private investigator.
He received critical acclaim and multiple award nominations for both roles. In 2016, he starred in the NBC fantasy comedy The Good Place as Michael, a demon who devises a false afterlife to torment four people.
The show was a huge success, running for four seasons and earning Danson another Emmy nomination and a Critics’ Choice Award.
He also guest-starred in the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as a therapist who falls in love with Kimmy’s mother.
In 2020, Danson starred in the NBC sitcom The Mayor, playing a retired businessman who becomes the mayor of Los Angeles.
He also stars in the HBO Max comedy series The Flight Attendant, playing the title character’s father, and will appear in the upcoming Hulu series The Orville, playing a spaceship captain in the 25th century.
net worth
Ted Danson has an estimated net worth of $80 million. Most of his wealth comes from his long and successful acting career, especially his Cheers, Becker, CSI, and Good place.
He also has several endorsement deals and investments, such as owning the restaurant chain Ted’s Montana Grill, which he co-founded in 2002 with media mogul Ted Turner.
dispute
Ted Danson has faced some controversies in both his personal and professional life. In 1993, he was involved in an affair with actress Whoopi Goldberg, his co-star in the film American Made.
The affair led to his divorce from his second wife, Kathy Coates, and also caused backlash from some fans and critics.
He also received negative publicity when he wore blackface and used racial slurs in jokes during a 1993 taunt against Goldberg at the Friars Club.
He later apologized for his behavior and said he meant no harm. He was also criticized for his role in the 1996 film Loch NessIn it he plays an American scientist searching for mythical creatures in Scotland.
Some Scottish nationalists accused him of disrespecting their culture and history, and some environmentalists accused him of destroying the lake’s natural habitat.
Social Media
- Instagram account: @teddanson
- Twitter: @TedDanson
Filmography
- cheers
- Three Men and a Baby
- Three men and a little woman
- Becker
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Damages
