Ted Danson
Actor who played Sam Malone on Cheers.
Last updated
Edward Bridge Danson III, an American actor, was born on December 29, 1947.[1] The role of Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom Cheers is the one for which Danson was cast.[2]
Key facts and history
The series ran for 11 seasons and its finale was watched by 80 million people.[2] After Cheers, Danson starred as the lead on the CBS sitcom Becker from 1998 to 2004.[3] He later played D.B. Russell on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation from 2011 to 2015.[3][4] Flagstaff, Arizona was the primary location where Danson grew up, and his ancestry includes English and Scottish roots.[5]
Actress Mary Steenburgen became Danson's wife on October 7, 1995.[6]
What the cited sources add
The same article notes that Danson would continue his supporting role on Bored to Death while joining CSI.[7] A 2021 Distractify article states that Danson's first wife was Randall "Randy" Gosch, and that his second wife, Cassandra "Casey" Coates, suffered a stroke while giving birth to their daughter Kate in December 1979.[8] An excerpt from the Arizona Daily Sun notes that Danson's father, Ned, could become suddenly angry despite usually being charming.[9] According to a 2011 The Express-Times piece, Danson took over the role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation from Laurence Fishburne, and other actors considered for the part included Robin Williams and John Lithgow.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Ted Danson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kaur, "Ted Danson, a 2025 Golden Globes honoree, grew up in Arizona. Here's where", The Arizona Republic, December 3, 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ted Danson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "All-time 100 TV shows" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ted Danson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rice, "Laurence Fishburne replaced on CSI by Ted Danson", July 12, 2011; McEvoy, "Ted Danson to join the cast of 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'", The Express-Times, July 13, 2011 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ted Danson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rice, "Laurence Fishburne replaced on CSI by Ted Danson", July 12, 2011; McEvoy, "Ted Danson to join the cast of 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'", The Express-Times, July 13, 2011; "Ted Danson moves to 'CSI'", July 12, 2011 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ted Danson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Downey, "Opinion: Ted Danson Helps Us Laugh While Rejecting Ageism in 'A Man On The Inside'", Times of San Diego, 2024-12-11; Cartwright, "Ted Danson "faked" his way into Stanford—"I'm not very bright"", Newsweek, 2024-09-11; "Jessica Danson", Arizona Daily Sun, 2006-01-12; Obituaries: Edward Bridge Danson (1916–2000) by Raymond H. Thompson in American Anthropologist, Vol. 103, Issue 4, Dec 2001, pp. 1136–1138; Obituaries: Edward Bridge Danson (1916–2000) by Raymond H. Thompson in American Anthropologist, Vol. 103, Issue 4, Dec 2001, pp. 113 en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ted Danson" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mattern, "Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen's Marriage Will Make You Believe in Long Lasting Love", Country Living (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- McEvoy, "Ted Danson to join the cast of 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'", The Express-Times, July 13, 2011. facts only, no text reused. lehighvalleylive.com
- Raphael, "Does Ted Danson have children? His stepson is engaged to Lily Collins", www.distractify.com, January 28, 2021. facts only, no text reused. distractify.com
- "Excerpt: The mysterious billboard incident", Arizona Daily Sun, November 6, 2011. facts only, no text reused. azdailysun.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ted Danson (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Modern Leading Men & Women
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Ted Danson (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced