What happened to the cast of “Cheers”? Find out what the beloved sitcom's stars are doing today
What happened to the cast of “Cheers”? Find out what the beloved sitcom's stars are doing today
Randall Colburn, Ilana GordonFri, May 1, 2026 at 1:30 PM UTC
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(Clockwise from upper left): Shelley Long as Diane Chambers, Ted Danson as Sam Malone, Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd, John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin, Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli, and George Wendt as Norm on 'Cheers'Credit: NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection
Raise a glass to Cheers, the 11-season sitcom about a Boston bar "where everybody knows your name." Patronized by eccentric characters that feel like family members, people came to Cheers to drink, talk, and fall in love.
Cheers' success — at least for the first five seasons — is largely attributed to the electricity sparking between the show's leads, Ted Danson as womanizer/bartender Sam Malone and Shelley Long as grad student/barmaid Diane Chambers. That chemistry was almost thwarted by Danson, who admits that he was sure casting Long would "ruin the show."
While speaking with Helen Hunt in 2025 on Where Everybody Knows Your Name, his podcast with Woody Harrelson (sometimes), Danson said "I looked at Shelley Long when we were auditioning for Cheers, I went, 'No, no, no. Do not hire her." Danson quickly realized the error of his ways and now admits, "She made the show. She came out hitting a home run, day one."
Cheers shut down the bar and went off the air in 1993, but the show is still considered one of the best workplace comedies and sitcoms of all time. Keep reading to see where the Cheers cast is now.
Ted Danson (Sam Malone)
Ted Danson on 'Cheers', Ted Danson at the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards held at Barker Hangar on Jan. 4, 2026, in Santa Monica, CalifCredit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; JC Olivera/WWD via Getty
Ted Danson starred as pitcher-turned-bartender Sam Malone on all 11 seasons of Cheers. His slick, nimble, and philandering Sam proved irresistible to audiences, and Danson eventually became the highest-paid actor on TV. His portrayal earned him two Emmys and two Golden Globes.
Danson floundered in his post-Cheers years with middling films (1993’s Made In America, 1994’s Pontiac Moon and Getting Even With Dad) and TV projects (Ink) that failed to land with audiences. Danson's luck changed in 1998 with a lead role on Becker, a successful six-season CBS sitcom about a grumpy doctor.
The actor remained a TV fixture throughout the 21st century. He sneered as an immoral billionaire on FX's Damages, bantered with Jason Schwartzman and Zach Galifianakis on HBO's Bored to Death, and contemplated the meaning of life on NBC's The Good Place. For his turns on Damages and The Good Place, he was nominated for six more Emmys. In 2025, he was honored with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.
Danson also got to lampoon himself alongside IRL pal Larry David on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, appearing in some of the comedy's best episodes. He's currently starring in Netflix's comedy series A Man on the Inside, which scored him yet another Golden Globe nomination. He received the Carol Burnett award from the Golden Globe Foundation in 2025 for his contributions to the television industry.
Danson is married to actress Mary Steenburgen, whom he met on the set of Pontiac Moon. In 2025, Steenburgen played Danson's love interest, Mona, on season 2 of A Man on the Inside. In October of that same year, the couple celebrated 30 years of marriage. Danson has two daughters with his ex-wife, Casey Coates.
Shelley Long (Diane Chambers)
Shelley Long as Diane Chambers on 'Cheers'; Shelley Long visits Hallmark's 'Home & Family' at Universal Studios Hollywood on Nov. 3, 2017, in Universal City, CalifCredit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; David Livingston/Getty
The romantic tension between Sam and waitress Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) was key to Cheers' appeal during its early seasons. ”People love mismatches — and nobody was more mismatched than Sam and Diane," co-creator and executive producer Glen Charles told EW in 1997.
For her charm and comedic timing on the series, Long won an Emmy and two Golden Globes.
"We said often that we're not sure that Cheers would have survived without Shelley in that first season because she was so strong and so confident and knew exactly who the character was and who she was,” co-creator and executive producer Les Charles told Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson on their podcast in 2025 when a guest with his brother, Glen. “And I think all of the rest of you were finding your way a little bit.”
Long famously left the series during its fifth season to focus on a film career and her budding family. This forced the writers to end Sam and Diane's engagement and fret over the series' future.
"There were some critics that said when Shelley walks out the door, that's the end of Cheers," Glen added on the podcast.
Long's post-Cheers career was a mixed bag. Outrageous Fortune (1987) was a hit, but films like Troop Beverly Hills (1989) and Don't Tell Her It's Me (1990) were critical and commercial flops (though the former has since become a cult favorite).
The actor found success playing iconic matriarch Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and its 1996 sequel, and also guest-starred on popular series like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, 8 Simple Rules, and Modern Family. She appeared as Diane on three episodes of Frasier, scoring an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in 1996.
Long has one child, Juliana Tyson Kissick, with ex-husband Bruce Tyson.
Rhea Perlman (Carla Tortelli)
Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli on 'Cheers'; Rhea Perlman at the Hollywood Legion on May 1, 2025Credit: Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Jesse Grant/Peacock via Getty
On Cheers, Rhea Perlman played Carla Lozupone Tortelli LeBec, the brassy waitress who knows the customer is not always right. Across 11 seasons, Perlman landed 10 Emmy nominations, winning four times, and earned seven Golden Globe nods.
Following Cheers, Perlman led her own CBS series, Pearl, about a middle-aged widow returning to college. Despite critical acclaim, Pearl only lasted 22 episodes. She chased it with several TV films (1998’s Houdini, 2000’s Secret Cutting) and guested on some of the biggest shows of the era, including Mad About You, Becker, and Ally McBeal.
Over the last few decades, Perlman reunited with Cheers costar Kirstie Alley as a main cast member on Kirstie and she recurred on The Mindy Project. She also branched out into voice work, lending her pipes to series like Star Wars: The Bad Batch and the 2016 animated film Sing. She also reprised Carla for appearances on The Simpsons and Frasier.
She played a pivotal role in the seismically popular Barbie (2023) and appeared on Peacock's Poker Face, Apple TV's The Studio, and in Lena Dunham's Netflix miniseries, Too Much.
Perlman has been married to actor Danny DeVito since 1982, though the couple separated in 2012 and then again in 2017 on cordial terms, with no intention to divorce. They share three children and two grandchildren.
George Wendt (Norm Peterson)
George Wendt as Norm Peterson on 'Cheers'; George Wendt attends Wizard World Comic Con Chicago at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on Aug. 23, 2019, in Rosemont, Ill.Credit: Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Daniel Boczarski/Getty
Norm! George Wendt played suds-slugging Cheers regular Norm on all 11 seasons, a role that earned the Chicago-born-and-bred actor six consecutive Emmy nominations.
Speaking with EW in 2020, Cheers writer David Isaacs said the creative team loved writing for Norm because of how hard it was script jokes for his entrance. This challenge led to what Isaacs described as one of his favorite lines ever on the series, written by his writing partner, Ken Levine. "We said, 'Okay, let's try, What are you up to?' And Ken just said, 'My ideal weight if I was 11 feet tall.' I said, 'You just broke the bank. We'll never top that.'"
Wendt remained wildly prolific following Cheers, lending his laconic charm to dozens of films (Man of the House, 1997’s Spice World, 2017’s Sandy Wexler, 2019’s VFW) and series (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Becker, George Lopez). He briefly led his own CBS sitcom, The George Wendt Show, which lasted for one season.
The actor embraced his enduring legacy as Norm, reprising the character on Cheers spinoffs The Tortellis and Frasier, as well as on The Simpsons, Family Guy, Wings, and St. Elsewhere. He also paid homage to the character on the Boston-set season of Top Chef.
Wendt had three children with his longtime wife, Bernadette Birkett, whom he married in 1978. He was also uncle to Saturday Night Live alum/Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis. Wendt died on May 20, 2025, at age 76. According to his agent, the actor passed peacefully at his home.
John Ratzenberger (Cliff Clavin)
John Ratzenberger on 'Cheers'; John Ratzenberger attends Apple Original Films' 'Luck' premiere event at Regency Village Theatre on July 30, 2022 in Los Angeles, CalifCredit: Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Jon Kopaloff/WireImage
John Ratzenberger's Cliff Clavin served as a constant companion to George Wendt's Norm across all 11 seasons. A font of useless knowledge, Ratzenberger's amiable mailman scored the actor two Emmy nominations.
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Ratzenberger dusted off Cliff for episodes of The Tortellis, Wings, The Simpsons, and Frasier, as well as several Disney specials.
An accomplished voice actor, Ratzenberger lent his talents to more than 20 Pixar movies, beginning in 1995 with his turn as Hamm the piggy bank in the ongoing Toy Story franchise. He also voices parts in multiple Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles, Cars, and Inside Out projects, as well as WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), and Coco (2017), among others.
He was married to Georgia Stiny for 20 years and the couple has two children. They divorced in 2004, and Ratzenberger went on to wed Julie Blichfeldt in 2012.
Woody Harrelson (Woody Boyd)
Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd on ‘Cheers’; Woody Harrelson at the 'Now You See Me: Now You Don’t' world premiere held at The Lighthouse Pier 61 on Nov. 10, 2025, in New York, N.YCredit: Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty; Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty
Debuting in season 4, Woody Harrelson's dim and sweet bartender Woody Boyd helped fill the gap left by the late Nicholas Colasanto, who played "Coach" Ernie Pantusso. Harrelson earned five Emmy nominations for his work on Cheers, winning in 1989. He'd later be nominated in the guest category after reprising the role on a 1999 episode of Frasier.
Following Cheers, Harrelson quickly shed the simple-minded affects of Woody with searing, occasionally controversial turns in Indecent Proposal (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), and The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), the latter of which landed him his first Academy Award nomination.
Over the next 30 years, Harrelson has effortlessly slipped between broad comedy, high-stakes drama, complex thrillers, and genre experiments. He's appeared in numerous franchises, from Marvel (Venom: Let There Be Carnage) and Star Wars (Solo: A Star Wars Story) to Planet of the Apes (War for the Planet of the Apes) to the ongoing Now You See Me films. In The Hunger Games series (2012–2015), he starred as Second Quarter Quell victor–turned–reluctant District 12 mentor Haymitch Abernathy.
He was nominated for two more Academy Awards for The Messenger (2009) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), as well as numerous Emmys and Golden Globes for his work on projects like Game Change, True Detective, and White House Plumbers.
Harrelson met his wife, Laura Louie, in 1987. They married in 2008 and share three daughters, the last of whom was born in 2006.
Kelsey Grammer (Frasier Crane)
Kelsey Grammer on 'Cheers', Kelsey Grammer attends the 'Frasier' SAG screening event on Sept. 9, 2024, in West Hollywood, CalifCredit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Randy Shropshire/Getty
As the erudite Frasier Crane, Kelsey Grammer is perhaps the most enduring figure from the Cheers extended universe, having built his own successful series around the character with Frasier and its two-season revival on Paramount+.
Frasier debuted as a guest player in Cheers' season 3 premiere as a love interest for Diane, but stuck around due to the character's popularity, eventually becoming a main cast member in season 5.
For his turns as Frasier, Grammer was nominated for 13 Emmy Awards, winning four times, and eight Golden Globes, winning twice. He also won an Emmy for his sublime voice work as Sideshow Bob on The Simpsons and received another Golden Globe in 2012 for his performance as a scheming Chicago mayor on Starz's Boss.
The golden-voiced actor hopped between lauded West End theater productions, big-budget franchise film work in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Expendables 3 (2014), and Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), and self-skewering roles on 30 Rock, Entourage, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
He reprised his X-Men character — Dr. Hank McCoy, a.k.a. Beast — in the post-credits scene of The Marvels (2023) and will play the character again in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to release in December 2026.
Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith Sternin)
Bebe Neuwirth on 'Cheers', Bebe Neuwirth attends the Dance Hall of Fame Ceremony at the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center on Dec. 3, 2025, in Los Angeles, CalifCredit: CBS via Getty; Amanda Edwards/Getty
Bebe Neuwirth entered Cheers in season 4 as Fraiser's love interest, the icy, educated Lilith. She and Frasier eventually married and had a child, though they divorced by the beginning of the Frasier spinoff. Still, Neuwirth's Lilith remained a consistent presence on Frasier and appeared on its 2023 revival. She won two Emmys for the role.
A veteran of the stage, Neuwirth is a two-time Tony winner for her performances in Sweet Charity (1986) and Chicago (1997). On film, she bounced between voice work (1996’s All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, 2000’s An Extremely Goofy Movie) and live-action roles in enduring hits like Jumanji (1995), The Faculty (1998), and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003).
She remains a fixture on TV, having appeared in several network procedurals (Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Blue Bloods, The Good Fight).
Neuwirth helped lead the cast of HBO Max's Julia (2022–2023) and earned another Tony nomination for her work on the 2024 Broadway revival of Cabaret. She stars opposite Alan Cumming and Gaten Matarazzo in the 2026 Audible Original, Underdogs: A Musical.
Kirstie Alley (Rebecca Howe)
Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe on 'Cheers'; Kirstie Alley arrives at the premiere of Quiver Distribution's 'The Fanatic' at the Egyptian Theatre on Aug. 22, 2019, in Hollywood, CalifCredit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Steve Granitz/WireImage
As Rebecca Howe, Kirstie Alley had the unenviable task of filling the romantic void left by Shelley Long's absence. But Alley's whip-smart, hard-edged Rebecca won over fans upon arriving in season 6, and the show remained a ratings and awards winner. She won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance.
Alley's winning presence onscreen translated to big-screen success in the Look Who's Talking trilogy (1989–1993) and cult devotion in Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999). She also led her own three-season sitcom, Veronica's Closet, for which she received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
Throughout the 2000s, she bounced all over the small screen, starring in series such as TV Land's Kirstie and Fox's Scream Queens, as well as her own A&E reality show, Kirstie Alley's Big Life. Alley also appeared on Dancing With the Stars, Celebrity Big Brother, and The Masked Singer.
Alley died in 2022 at age 71 after a brief battle with colon cancer, leading several of her Cheers costars to share tributes to the actress.
"I was on a plane today and did something I rarely do. I watched an old episode of Cheers. It was the episode where Tom Berenger proposes to Kirstie, who keeps saying no, even though she desperately wants to say yes," Danson said in a statement to EW.
He continued, "Her ability to play a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown was both moving and hysterically funny. She made me laugh 30 years ago when she shot that scene, and she made me laugh today just as hard. As I got off the plane, I heard that Kirstie had died. I am so sad and so grateful for all the times she made me laugh. I send my love to her children. As they well know, their mother had a heart of gold. I will miss her."
Nicholas Colasanto ("Coach" Ernie Pantusso)
Nicholas Colasanto as Coach on 'Cheers'Credit: Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Nicholas Colasanto was a veteran actor and director, having helmed dozens of episodes of shows, including Bonanza and Hawaii Five-O. He helped lead the first three seasons of Cheers as "Coach" Ernie Pantusso, who, like Ted Danson's Sam, was a former ballplayer tending bar.
Sadly, Colasanto died of a heart attack in February 1985 as Cheers was wrapping its third season. In the fourth season premiere, Coach was mourned by the cast and replaced by Woody Harrelson's Woody Boyd, who we learned was a pen pal of Coach's.
Co-creator James Burrows described Colasanto as a father figure for the cast, per an EW report from 1994. "He was the older, more experienced one of all of us. Nick was Coach."
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