Among a handful of television celebrities that have become cultural icons due to their on-screen work, Ted Danson is a more popular name in this category. He has been one of television’s greatest and continues to create his legacy to this very day. In his career of over four decades, he has played many unforgettable roles.
Edward Bridge (Ted) Danson III is an American actor and producer best known for his role as Sam Malone in Cheers, an NCB sitcom and as Dr. John Becker in Becker, a CBS sitcom. He had been part of several TV series and has made each role of his, a memorable one.
Personal Details
- Celebrity Name: Ted Danson
- Full Name: Edward Bridge Danson III
- Gender: Male
- Birth Date: December 29, 1947
- Birth Place: San Diego, California, U.S.
- Age: 73 years
- Height:88 m
- Weight: 78 kg
- Nationality: American
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Status: Married
- Wife: Randy Danson (m. 1970–1975), Casey Coates (m. 1977–1993), Mary Steenburgen (m. 1995)
- Children: Kate Danson, Alexis Danson
- Profession: Actor and Producer
- Net Worth: $80 million
Early Life
Hailing from San Diego, California, Edward Bridge Danson III was born to Jessica and Edward Bridge Danson on December 29, 1947. Since his father was an archaeologist and director of the Museum of Northern Arizona, he spent most of his childhood years in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Damson went to a Connecticut prep school, Kent School. After high school, he went to Stanford University where his interest in acting and drama began. In pursuit of a better acting program, he got himself transferred to Carnegie Mellon University. In 1972, Ted received a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts.
Personal Life
Ted Danson’s life has certainly been full of color and was not short of controversies. Ted has been a husband, divorcee, father, adoptive father, stepfather, political contributor, activist, and whatnot. Damson has been married three times and divorced twice. Ted and his first wife, actress Randy Danson were married in 1970 and got divorced in 1975.
In 1977, he got married for the second time to producer Cassandra “Casey” Coates. In 1979, the couple was blessed with a daughter, Kate Danson and later they adopted a second daughter named, Alexis Danson. His affair with Whоорі Gоldbеrg, an actress, author, and TV host led the couple’s divorce in 1993. This divorce made to Hollywood’s costliest divorce list as it cost Danson $30 million reportedly.
Ted Danson married actress Mary Nell Steenburgen on October 7, 1995, whom he met on the Pontiac Moon movie set. He became the stepfather to Mary’s kids Charlie and Lilly from her previous marriage with Malcolm McDowell.
Career
After graduating from college, Ted Danson got his first role in TV on the daytime show Somerset in 1975 as Tom Conway and then followed with another role in TV soap. Meanwhile, Danson appeared in a few commercials as well.
He knew the importance of good exposure and commercial work and so he took any acting opportunity that came his way. During the 70s and 80s, Danson starred in television shows such as The Amazing Spider-Man, Magnum P.I., and Laverne and Shirley among others. Such appearances gave Ted the required traction, experience, exposure, and prepare him for more serious projects for the future.
Danson’s career breakthrough came in 1982 after he was offered the role of Sam Malone for the sitcom Cheers. To even this day, this is Danson’s most popular role for which he is still recognized. Going out with a boom in 1993, Cheers went on and completed 11 seasons. Even after Cheers, Ted reiterates the role of Sam Malone in other television shows.
Ted’s main acting roles since “Cheers” were in comedy series named Ink, legal thriller series Damages, Becker, Gulliver’s Travel, Curb Your Enthusiasm, crime drama CSI and CSI: Cyber, and comedy-mystery Bored to Death. From the year 2015 onwards, Ted has starred in many other TV shows such as Fargo, Mr. Mayor, and The Good Place.
Throughout his career, Danson also acted in many films. Ted was well-recognized for his role in Three Men and a Baby in 1987 along with Steve Guttenberg and Tom Selleck. Some of his other films were Loch Ness, Saving Private Ryan, A Fine Mess, Just between Friends, and The Onion Field.
In addition to being a TV and movie star, Ted is also a published author. He had been an environmentalist even as a child and, his passion grows on to adulthood. In 2011, his first book was published, Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them.
Awards and Achievements
Ted Danson has loads of awards in his sack. He received his Golden Globe Award in 1985 for ‘Something about Amelia’ in the category of ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV’.
He has won a total of 7 awards for the “Cheers” which includes 2 Emmy wins and 2 Golden Globe wins. Danson received a star in 1999 on the Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard. Damson won Critics’ Choice Television Awards for “The Good Place” in the ‘Best Actor in a Comedy Series’ category.
Some of his widely-acclaimed work includes:
- Dad
- Gulliver’s Travels
- Becker
- Living with the Dead
- Our Fathers
- Help Me Help You
- Knights of the South Bronx
- Damages
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
Ted Danson’s Total Net Worth
Image Source: chicagotribune.com
At present, Ted Danson has his net worth of $80 million.
Danson achieved his worth from his career in acting mostly and that has contributed to his political and environmental pursuits. It is incredible how he began his career back in 1975 and still going commendably strong.
This 73-year old actor has achieved so much for him and created his legacy that most of the actors cannot try to attain. He is and will forever be one Hollywood icon. Ted Danson will always be remembered for the magnificent roles he has given life to in his entire career.