Cheers cast then and now after George Wendt dies aged 76
The popular US sitcom propelled several actors, including Woody Harrelson, Ted Danson and Kelsey Grammer, to fame
It became one of the most popular sitcoms of all time based on the antics of the regulars of a Boston bar.
Cheers, which ran from 1983 to 1993, propelled stars such as Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammar and Woody Harrelson to fame.
Now, with the news that one of the shows biggest stars - George Wendt - has died aged 76, we take a look at where the cast is now and what has happened to them since the show ended 32 years ago.
The cause of death of the TV icon has not yet been made public. The actor's family released in a statement: 'George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him.
"He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.'
George Wendt as Norm Peterson
Wendt played the beloved Norm on the hit NBC show and earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for the role. The uncle of Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis appeared in every episode and would enter the bar to regulars calling out his character's first name.
The actor, from Chicago, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, which coincided with the 32nd anniversary of the Cheers series finale.
After finishing the series, he went on to work on The George Wendt Show, SNL, Modern Men, Clipped and some TV voice work, and films including The Independents, Forever Young and even Spice World.
He also appeared on Broadway, with roles in Art, Hairspray, Elf and Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Wendt competed on The Masked Singer in 2023 and reunited with his Cheers co-stars at the 2023 Emmys to present the award for outstanding directing for a comedy series.
Ted Danson as Sam Malone
Danson played a former baseball star and the not too bright owner of the Cheers bar. He went on to star alongside Tom Selleck and Steve Gutenberg in the film Three Men and a Baby and its sequel Three Men and a Little Lady.
He also starred in a variety of TV series including Ink, Becker, Bored to Death, CSI, A Good Place, Curb Your Enthusiasm and most recently in the Netflix series A Man on the Inside.
He is married to actress Mary Steenburgen and has two daughters, Kate and Alexis, from his previous marriage to Casey Coates.
Shelley Long as Diane Chambers
Long's graduate student character Diane Chambers stumbled into Cheers after a breakup and took a job as a waitress, soon becoming a love interest for Danson's Sam.
She earned five Emmy nominations and one win for Cheers, and went on to series including Good Advice and Modern Family, as well as stepping into the role of Carol Brady in the updated Brady Bunch movies.
Married twice; she has one daughter, actress Juliana, with ex Bruce Tyson.
Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd
Harrelson's character joined Cheers in season four as a not-so-bright bartender.
The Texan earned six Emmy nominations and a win for the role.
Harrelson has since had dozens of film roles starring in The People vs. Larry Flynt, Anger Management, The Messenger, No Country for Old Men, The Hunger Games, Triangle of Sadness and Natural Born Killers.
He also excelled in the first season of True Detective in 2014 opposite Matthew McConaughey.
He has been married to Laura Louie since 2008, with whom he has three daughters, Deni, Zoe and Makani.
Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane
Psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane arrived at Cheers in 1984, initially as a love interest to Long's Diane.
He earned two Emmy nominations for the role as the pompous shrink, before he moved on to the popular spinoff series Frasier, for which he scored 10 Emmy nominations and four wins.
The Virgin Islands native has starred in TV series including Back to You, Hank, Boss and even The Simpsons for which he also won an Emmy as the voice of Sideshow Bob.
He is back on TV in a new series of Frasier, which is a bit clunky.
Married four times, he has seven children.
Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli
Rhea's tough as nails character became Sam's cocktail waitress sidekick.
The New York-born actress went on to enjoy roles in TV series such Pearl, Ally McBeal and Hung as well as having a role in the 2023 film Barbie.
Prior to Cheers she starred on Taxi, where she met husband Danny DeVito.
They wed on a lunch break in 1982 and together they have three children, Lucy, Grace and Jake.
Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe
Alley got her big break in 1987 as Rebecca Howe on Cheers, joining in season 6 following Long's exit.
In 1991, she took home the Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy for her role.
She later found success in both movies and TV including 1989's Look Who's Talking and 1999 cult classic Drop Dead Gorgeous. Alley also competed on the 2011 season of Dancing with the Stars.
With her husband she welcomed two children through adoption.
She and Stevenson split in 1997. Alley died of colon cancer in 2022, aged 71.
Bebe Neuwirth as Dr. Lilith Sternin
Bebe's big TV break was as Frasier's deadpan wife Dr. Lilith Sternin on Cheers.
Before that, she was a classically trained dancer who had made it big on Broadway and won a Tony award for Sweet Charity.
She won back-to-back Emmys for the role of Lilith, and followed on-screen husband Grammer to Frasier and appearing in the Paramount+ revival.
Since Cheers she has appeared in Deadline and Madam Secretary, and in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.
She also returned to the stage in Damn Yankees, Fosse, Funny Girl, The Addams Family and Chicago.
She has been married twice, marrying director Chris Calkins in 2009.
John Ratzenberger as Cliff Calvin
Know it all postie, Cliff Calvin was a bar regular, spewing trivia whether the other patrons wanted to hear it or not.
He was busy in movies prior to Cheers, with roles in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, Ragtime and Gandhi.
He earned two Emmy nominations for the role.
Aside from Cheers, he is perhaps best known for having voiced a character in every single Pixar movie.
He also appeared on other TV series, including 8 Simple Rules and Legit.
Ratzenberger has been married to Julie Blichfeldt since 2012 and has two children from his first marriage to Georgia Stiny.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
St Denis Medical, review: yet another workplace mockumentary, flatlining on originality
Original ideas are thin on the ground in TV, but a mockumentary workplace comedy set in a US hospital? You've definitely seen this one before, spread across different shows. St Denis Medical (BBC One) is The Office meets Scrubs with a dash of St Elsewhere and Parks and Recreation, while unfortunately not being as good as any of them. It's not so bad, though, even if the BBC has bought it in from NBC and dumped it in a graveyard slot. They're hoping you'll pick it up on iPlayer, where the half-hour episodes are available as a boxset. The setting is a small, regional hospital in Oregon. Turns out they have the same problems over there as we have over here: low morale, chaotic A&E departments, intransigent receptionists who would have to see your internal organs fall out before they let you see a doctor. Then there's the endless admin. A consultant is asked how he spends a typical day, and replies: 'Well, I just examined a patient with a heart murmur. That took about two minutes. Now I'm going to spend 40 minutes filling out electronic health records.' That's Dr Leonard (David Alan Grier), a twinkly hospital veteran and the most likeable character here. Some of the others owe a hefty debt to The Office. If David Brent was running a hospital, can't you imagine him saying, as Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) does here: 'I was an oncologist for 20 years but, now that I'm a hospital administrator, I'm battling different kinds of cancers – like cynicism, pessimism, people questioning my judgment. Those attitudes are the real cancers.'? She performs dance routines as employees wince, and asks them: 'What's the most infectious thing in a hospital?' When they suggest various diseases, she says: 'No, you guys, the most infectious thing in a hospital is a smile. ' Then there's Alex (Fargo's Allison Tolman), a supervising nurse in A&E. She's the one with whom we are supposed to sympathise because she's brimming with goodness and devoted to the job, patiently dealing with difficult patients, difficult colleagues and difficult bosses. Alex gives the show a sentimental side that can verge on the cloying. Her perennially sarcastic colleague, Serena (Kahyun Kim), is more fun. Writer Justin Spitzer previously worked on the US version of The Office, as well as Scrubs and workplace comedy Superstore, and has stayed well within his comfort zone. He's done a competent job, but it all feels too safe. Dr Leonard has been given a quirk, but it's simply that he has a very sweet tooth; the trauma surgeon swaggers around as if he's God's gift, when it would have been more interesting to steer away from that stereotype. The mockumentary touches – all those glances at the camera – feel hackneyed now. Shows like this have been so done to death that we've come full circle, and it's the traditional, canned laughter sitcoms that are starting to look edgy.
NBC News
7 hours ago
- NBC News
'Jane' gives tearful testimony about 'hotel nights' at Diddy's direction
A former girlfriend of Diddy's going by the pseudonym 'Jane' wept on the witness stand today as she described drug-induced sexual encounters with male escorts while she traveled the world with the music mogul. The marathon sex sessions, described by her as 'hotel nights' and similar to 'freak offs,' were organized at Diddy's direction, could last multiple days, and involved drugs and baby oil, she said. Through tears, she testified that she didn't know why she couldn't outright tell Diddy to stop and that he would give her 'multiple doses' of ecstasy per night to keep her awake. On her birthday in Miami in 2023, she testified, she had sex with multiple men as Diddy watched. Jane previously testified that Diddy was paying her rent and reiterated today that he continues to. She is one of four accusers referred to in the government's indictment that alleges Diddy ran his business empire as a criminal enterprise and exploited the women through his financial support. 'It's true that at any moment he could just do that if he wanted to,' Jane testified, 'cut me off.' 🔎 The view from inside By Adam Reiss and Jing Feng Diddy sat with his hands clasped in front of him as Jane testified, while attorneys for both the prosecution and defense appeared riveted by her on the stand. Diddy's demeanor is in the spotlight after Judge Arun Subramanian yesterday scolded his defense team for allowing him to make facial expressions toward the jury. Subramanian said it was 'absolutely unacceptable' and warned that if it happens again, he may remove Diddy from the courtroom. In other news: An attorney for Jane complained to Subramanian that media outlets are trying to expose her identity. The attorney accused the outlets of livestreaming and posting related articles, and asked the court to 'stop these attempts to violate the court's order' not to name her. The judge said he would consider issuing a media gag order if someone is found to have violated the rules. Next week: Jane is expected to return for more questioning by the prosecution before the defense begins its cross-examination. PSA: Every night during Diddy's trial, NBC's 'Dateline' will drop special episodes of the 'True Crime Weekly' podcast to get you up to speed. 'Dateline' correspondent Andrea Canning chats with NBC News' Chloe Melas and special guests — right in front of the courthouse. Listen here. 🎧
The Independent
14 hours ago
- The Independent
Renée Elise Goldsberry talks new album, whether 'Hamilton' return is an option and EGOT aspirations
Renée Elise Goldsberry is most inspired by artists bold enough to take a career leap, even when there's no guarantee of a safe landing. Over the years, Goldsberry spent her celebrated career surrounded by fearless risk-takers. Now, the Tony and Grammy winner, best known for her breakout role in the Broadway musical ' Hamilton,' is taking a bold move of her own. She's stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist: Her debut album, 'Who I Really Am,' was released Friday. 'I'm surrounded by friends that do really crazy, brave, 'I could fail miserably' things,' said Goldsberry, whose role as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton won her a Tony in 2016 for best featured actress in a musical. In that same year, she earned a Grammy for best musical theater album. 'They jump off cliffs, they start to fly, we get to see it and it's so inspiring that you put out an album,' she said. Goldsberry has made her presence felt in other Broadway projects including 'Rent' and 'The Color Purple.' She's had standout work on 'Girls5Eva' and 'The Good Wife ' and was on the daytime soap 'One Life to Live.' With 'Who I Really Am,' Goldsberry is carving her own musical path. The album is a 13-track project filled with soul, funk, blues and gospel vibes featuring a reimagined version of her iconic 'Hamilton' song 'Satisfied,' which was originally penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda. In a recent interview, Goldsberry talks to The Associated Press about finding her identity through the album, whether returning to 'Hamilton' is an option and aspirations for an EGOT, a term for the rare person who's won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award during their career. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. ___ AP: You wrote 11 songs on the album. While creating this project, what did you discover more about yourself? GOLDSBERRY: I need to give myself license to be more than one thing. I think that's always been the case with recorded music for me. I've been writing since I was a kid. The challenge for me has always been feeling like you have to be extremely specific about a box when you're a recording artist. It has to all sound like one mood, one vibe. I had to give myself permission to not try to fit into a box that exists, or even a box that's specific. I gave myself license to express myself in all the ways it naturally comes out. AP: You started the album process in 2020. What was your initial thoughts on re-recording 'Satisfied'? GOLDSBERRY: Somebody said to me 'You could probably get a record deal and do an album if you re-record 'Satisfied.'' I said 'Absolutely no.' I'm absolutely not doing that. It already exists. It's perfect. The show is perfect. AP: What shifted your thinking? GOLDSBERRY: In the process of recording all the music, we rented a studio in Nashville. It's where Dolly Parton recorded 'Jolene.' It felt like all this history was there. We had all these great musicians there. We booked the studio for a week or two and we finished early, and they were going to let everybody go home. And I was like 'We might as well record this version of 'Satisfied' that I do in my concert, because we're sitting here.' And these cats are amazing. We started playing. They started playing, and our minds exploded. The control booth. Our brains exploded. It was so good. Then I started singing it. I said to us 'This belongs.' AP: Your 'Girls5Eva' co-star Sara Bareilles wrote the song 'Smiling.' How was it reuniting with her? GOLDSBERRY: I think she is one of the greatest singer-songwriters that has ever existed and might ever exist. I had the privilege of being in a concert with her. I opened for her at the Hollywood Bowl a couple of months ago. She was doing something new. I love artists and I'm one of them in this moment. But I love artists that do new things that might not work, bravely. She had orchestrated all of her music. She had a huge symphony orchestrated show. All the music that she had written. AP: What happened next? GOLDSBERRY: We got to see her jump off a cliff for the first time. It was one of the greatest things I ever saw in my life. I could start crying right now. It was so great. It's so brave. I'm surrounded by people like that, and it's so inspiring. They're all doing crazy things. All of them. Leslie Odom Jr. decided to go back to 'Hamilton.' Like that's insane. AP: Would you ever return to 'Hamilton'? GOLDSBERRY: That's what Leslie taught us: Never say never. AP: You're halfway to EGOT status. Is that something you feel like it's achievable? GOLDSBERRY: I'm not going to lie, I've thought of different ways I could slip in the back door, you know what I mean? Like I have a documentary called 'Satisfied' (which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year) about the journey in my life when I was part of the original company of 'Hamilton' and also trying to raise my young family. We were like, 'What original song can we put in this movie to contend for slipping in the Oscar category. ... It's possible. But I'm less interested in the results of a journey than the journey itself.
