What happened to the cast of Cheers? From tragic death to bitter divorces
ICONIC sitcom Cheers ended its 11 run in 1993, but what have the cast been up to since?
Recent reports suggest the beloved show could be set for a UK remake.
From career success to tragic deaths, here is a look at what the cast of Cheers got up to.
Ted Danson
Ted, now 76, played the lead character Sam Malone in all 11 series of Cheers.
Sam was a womanising former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox – and maintained his celebrity status within his bar.
Throughout his time on Cheers, the actor earned 11 Emmy consecutive nominations and two wins.
After Cheers ended in 1993, Ted starred in other shows including Becker, The Good Place, Damages and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
In 1995, he married actress Mary Steenburgen, having met two years earlier on the set of Pontiac Moon.
Kelsey Grammer
The now 69-year-old Kelsey Grammer starred as Dr. Frasier Crane beginning in the third series.
Introduced as a love interest for Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), the character ultimately married Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth).
After Cheers, Kelsey continued playing Frasier in his own spin-off from 1993 to 2004.
During his time on the spin-off, the actor raked in 10 Emmy nominations and four wins.
The show was revived last year with Kelsey reprising his role and joined by Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst.
Since 1990, he has voiced recurring villain Sideshow Bob in The Simpsons, also earning an Emmy for that role.
Meanwhile, he starred as superhero Hank McCoy/Beast in the 2000s-era X-Men films.
In his personal life, Kelsey married Kayte Walsh in 2011.
Shelley Long
Shelley, now 75, played female lead Diane Chambers in the first five seasons.
A graduate student, Diane was hired at Cheers in the show’s very first episode after being dumped by her fiancé.
She went on to secure five Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning once.
Following her time on Cheers, Shelley appeared in several shows and movies.
In addition to a one-episode Cheers return, she also reprised the role of Diane in three Frasier episodes.
From 2009 to 2018, she had a recurring role as DeDe Pritchett in smash hit comedy Modern Family.
She also made appearances in the likes of Family Guy, 8 Simple Rules, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Boston Legal.
Shelley has been twice married and subsequently twice divorced.
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley joined Cheers in season six, playing the role of newcomer Rebecca Howe.
Essentially replacing Diane’s role in the series, the actress won an Emmy and Golden Globe in 1991.
In December 2022, Kirstie died at the age of 71. She had been diagnosed with stage four colon cancer that May, following a doctor’s visit.
After Cheers, she played the title role in Veronica’s Closet from 1997 to 2000.
She also starred in the second season of Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens, in the role of Nurse Ingrid M. Hoffel.
Her final television appearance was as a contestant in The Masked Singer US, as “Baby Mammoth.”
Kirstie had been twice married and twice divorced.
Rhea Perlman
Rhea Perlman, 76, played head waitress Carla Tortelli, one of only three characters to appear in every episode.
Much like her castmates, Cheers brought the actress much acclaim with four Emmy wins from ten nominations.
Rhea also achieved a record six Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series.
In a real-life sitcom power couple, Rhea was married to Taxi’s Danny DeVito from 1982 until their separation in 2017.
Their daughter, Lucy DeVito, went on to become an actress.
The two notably appeared together in Matilda, playing the title character’s cruel parents.
Rhea’s other credits have included roles in Pearl, Becker (guest star and reuniting with Ted Danson), Robot Chicken and Kirstie (starring Kirstie Alley).
In 2023, she appeared as Ruth Handler in Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
Nicholas Colasanto
Played by Nicholas Colasanto, Ernie “Coach” Pantusso was a key character in the show’s early seasons.
Coach was Sam’s former baseball coach, who went on to become his employee at Cheers.
Nicholas Colasanto died in 1985, of a heart attack, which led to Coach being written out.
In a tribute to Nicholas, a picture of Geronimo that had been hanging in his dressing room was relocated to a wall in the Cheers set.
During the show’s final scenes, Ted Danson (as Sam) approaches the picture and straightens it.
Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson, 63, arrived on Cheers in season four, filling the void left by Coach.
In fact, his character (who was named Woody Boyd) was introduced as a pen-pal of Coach.
During his time in the sitcom, Woody won an Emmy for Oustanding Supporting Actor, among five nominations.
He has also gone on to have arguably the highest-profile career since Cheers, going on to earn three Academy Award nominations.
His many film appearances include The Messenger, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, No Country For Old Men, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Zombieland.
Woody also returned to television, with roles in True Detective, Game Change and White House Plumbers.
The star has three children, while he has been married twice and divorced twice.
George Wendt
George Wendt, 75, held a starring role as Norm Peterson throughout the entirety of Cheers.
Norm, an accountant and Cheers regular, is particularly memorable for the bar patrons yelling his name whenever he arrived.
For his performance, George earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy.
After Cheers, he went on to lead The George Wendt Show but this ended after only eight episodes aired.
His later TV appearances include a Norm reprisal in Frasier – as well as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Seinfeld, Family Guy and The Goldbergs.
In an interesting piece of trivia, George is the maternal uncle of actor Jason Sudeikis, who plays Ted Lasso.
He is married to Bernadette Birkett, with whom he has three children.
John Ratzenberger
John Ratzenberger, 77, portrayed mail carrier and bar know-it-all Cliff Clavin.
Originally a recurring character in season one, Cliff became a regular from season two until the show’s end.
For his portrayal, John earned two Emmy nominations throughout the show.
In the decades since, he has been a regular voice actor for Pixar, most notably playing Hamm the Piggy Bank in Toy Story.
John has also lent his voice to Monsters Inc, Cars, The Incredibles and Inside Out among others.
He has gone on to guest star in several TV series including That ’70s Show, Melissa & Joey, Mom and reprises his Monsters Inc role as the Abominable Snowman in Monsters At Work.
Meanwhile, John has been married to Julie Blichfeldt as of 2012.
Bebe Neuwirth
Bebe Neuwirth, 65, starred on Cheers as Dr Lilith Sternin,
She went on to win two Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Bebe first joined the cast in season four and made frequent appearances until become a regular in season 10.
During her stint, Lilith and Fraiser date, live together, marry and ultimately have a son, Frederick.
She also reprised the role in both iterations of the Frasier show.
Best 80s sitcoms
We take a look at some of the best sitcoms to air on TV in the 80s.
The Simpsons
This satirical depiction of life in the US was developed by Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon. It first launched in 1989 and has been going ever since as viewers tune in to see the antics of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of the Springfield residents. With over 35 series making it onto the television airwaves, it has become one of the most famous and long-running television shows in history.
Only Fools And Horses
Widely accepted as one of the best British sitcoms of all time, Only Fools and Horses has made viewers laugh for decades. Seven series of the show were made for the BBC One from 1981 for ten years. Set in working-class Peckham, it starred Sir David Jason in his most famous role as the infamous market trader Derek “Del Boy” Trotter. Nicholas Lyndhurst starred as his younger half-brother, Rodney Trotter. In 2004, it was voted as Britain’s Best Sitcom in a BBC poll.
Full House
The US sitcom Full House was created in 1987 with Bob Saget starring father-of-three Danny Tanner. After his wife died, he called in the help of his brother-in-law Jesse (John Stamos) and best friend Joey (Dave Coulier) to move in and help raise his young daughters, DJ (Candace Cameron Bure), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and Michelle (Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen). After eight series, the show came to an end before Netflix revived the franchise for a spin-off, Fuller House.
Golden Girls
Seven series aired from 1985 until 1992. It followed Four women – who were previously married – moved in together in a shared apartment in Miami. Together, they faced various struggles and encounter comical situations in their daily lives. Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty starred in roles that short them to superstardom.
Cheers
1982 was the year that saw the inception of Cheers. An eclectic group of people from all different paths of life meet at a bar Cheers. The boston boozer sees the group share their experiences as they work and drank at the establishment. It starred the likes of Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman. Huge names such as Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson and Kirstie Alley also starred in the hit series.
Growing Pains
Dr. Jason Seaver (Alan Thicke) is a psychiatrist who works from home so his wife, Maggie (Joanna Kerns), can resume her career as a journalist. They share three children, Mike (Kirk Cameron), Carol (Tracey Gold), and Ben (Jeremy Miller). This was before their precocious daughter Chrissy (Ashley Johnson) was born. The programme tackled topical issues such as drugs, suicide, peer pressure and alcohol.
By the time of the original Frasier series, however, the pair have divorced.
After her Cheers stint, Bebe appeared in the original Jumanji film opposite Robin Williams, playing the children’s aunt.
Her other TV appearances include Madam Secretary, Blue Bloods, Julia and Law & Order: Trial by Jury.
In 2009, she married writer and producer Chris Calkins.