Ted Danson

Ted Danson
Danson in 2018
Born
Edward Bridge Danson III

(1947-12-29) December 29, 1947
EducationStanford University
Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
OccupationActor
Years active1975–present
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Randall Gosch
    (m. 1970; div. 1975)
  • Cassandra Coates
    (m. 1977; div. 1993)
  • Mary Steenburgen
    (m. 1995)
Children2
RelativesCharlie McDowell (stepson)
Lily Collins (step-daughter-in-law)

Edward Bridge Danson III (born December 29, 1947)[1] is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom Cheers (1982–1993), for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. He was further Emmy-nominated for the FX legal drama Damages (2007–2010) and the NBC comedy The Good Place (2016–2020). He was the recipient of the 2025 Carol Burnett Award. Ted along with his wife Mary Steenburgen was awarded with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2025 at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Danson made his film debut in 1978 in the crime drama The Onion Field. His breakout film role was in the comedies Three Men and a Baby (1987) and Three Men and a Little Lady (1990). He also acted in Body Heat (1981), Creepshow (1982), Dad (1989) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).

Danson's other leading roles on television include the CBS sitcom Becker (1998–2004) and the CBS dramas CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2011–2015) and CSI: Cyber (2015–2016).[2][3] In 2015, he starred in the second season of FX's anthology series Fargo. He has played roles in the HBO comedies Bored to Death (2009–2011) and Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000–2024), the NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor (2021–2022), and the Netflix comedy A Man on the Inside (2024–present).

Danson has been married to actress Mary Steenburgen since 1995. He is also known for his longtime activism in ocean conservation and wrote Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them (2011) with journalist Michael D'Orso.

  1. ^ Kaur, Dina (December 3, 2024). "Ted Danson, a 2025 Golden Globes honoree, grew up in Arizona. Here's where". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rice0712 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference McEvoy0713 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).