Edward (Ted) Bridge Danson III was born December 29, 1947 in San Diego, California, but he was raised outside of Flagstaff, Arizona where his father, a professor
and archaeologist, taught at Northern Arizona University. Danson's parents sent
him back east to prep school, where he attended the Kent School for Boys in Connecticut. There, the lanky teen excelled at basketball, even entertaining the idea of
playing professionally some day. Danson attended Stanford University before
transferring to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he received his
B.A.
After college, Danson moved to New York City where he pursued roles on and
off-Broadway. Tall, dark, and handsome, the young actor was meant for TV, and
he got his start in commercials and soap operas. His first TV gig was on
daytime soap, Somerset. Danson worked steadily throughout the 70s,
making appearances on shows including The Amazing Spider-Man and B.J.
and The Bear. His first film role was in The Onion Field. Following
his big screen debut, Danson took a hiatus from film roles to care for his
first wife, Casey Coates-Danson, who had suffered a stroke during childbirth.
He continued his TV work, making appearances on Laverne & Shirley and Family in 1980, and Benson and Magnum P.I. in 1981. He
returned to movies in 1981 in the steamy noir film Body Heat.
In 1982 Danson’s appearance on an episode of Taxi -- combined with an
audition for a pilot entitled The Best of the West -- so impressed
director James Burrows that he kept the young actor in mind for a new a sitcom
he was developing that was set in a Boston bar. Danson landed the role of bar
owner Sam Malone, a cocky ex-jock and recovering alcoholic. He would play Sam
for 11 seasons (1982-1993), winning two Emmys and a Golden Globe for his work
on the show. Danson's popularity on the sitcom led to roles in the movies Just
Between Friends, the mega-hit Three Men and a Baby, and Cousins.
Made-for-TV movies of note include the controversial Something About Amelia -- for which he won a Golden Globe -- and When The Bough Breaks, in
which he starred and was the producer. Danson co-starred in Made in America with then-girlfriend Whoopi Goldberg. The duo caused something of a furor when
Danson showed up in black face at a Friar's Club roast for Goldberg.
Since Cheers' cancellation in 1993, Danson has continued to appear on TV and in
films. He starred in NBC mini-series Gulliver's Travels and appeared in
the Steven Spielberg blockbuster Saving Private Ryan. In 1994 Danson met
his wife, actress Mary Steenburgen, on the set of Pontiac Moon, which he
produced. The two went on to co-star in and produce the short-lived TV series Ink.
Danson returned to sitcoms in 1998 as surly Dr. John Becker on the CBS sitcom Becker,
and he stars in the ABC sitcom Help Me Help You. He frequently appears
as himself on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. Danson and his family reside
in Los Angeles.
