Cheers
NBC (ended 1993)
Cast & Crew
EDIT
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Rhea Perlman
Carla Lozupone Tortelli LeBec
Fans familiar with diminutive American actress Rhea Perlman only through her Emmy-winning characterization of wasp-tongued waitress Carla Tortelli on the TV sitcom Cheers are usually taken aback to discover that Perlman is as shy and soft-spoken as Carla was pushy and abrasive. A working actress since the 1960s, Perlman played Carla from 1983 until Cheers; swan song ten years later. Most of her outside projects during that period, notably the 1984 TV movie The Ratings Game and a 1986 episode of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories, were done in conjunction with her longtime companion, Danny DeVito, who also played her boyfriend on the late 70s comedy series Taxi. Kindred spirits, Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito eventually marched down the matrimonial aisle as a loudspeaker played a recording of Carl Alfalfa Switzer singing "I'm in the Mood for Love."moreless -
George Wendt
Hilary Norman "Norm" Peterson
George Wendt was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He attended a strict Jesuit prep school and then dropped out of Notre Dame University after a few uneventful years. He worked with the Windy City's famed Second City comedy troupe from 1974-1980. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the hit televison series, "Cheers" (1982). He is married to actress Bernadette Birkett, who provided the rare offscreen voice of Vera, Norm's unseen wife, Vera. The couple have two sons and a daughter. They met while working at the Second City in Chicago.moreless -
Ted Danson
Sam "Mayday" Malone
He was born Edward Bridge Danson III in San Diego, California, the son of an archaeologist. He was raised outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. In 1961 he was sent to Kent School where he was a basketball star. He became interested in drama while attending Stanford University. He transferred to the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), where he received his Bachelor's degree. Danson was married to Casey Coates from 1977 to 1993. He is currently married to actress Mary Steenburgen whom he wed on October 7, 1995. He is stepfather to her daughter and son. Danson, while still married to his first wife, was involved with Whoopi Goldberg. Whoopi broke off the romance soon after he appeared at a Friar's Club roast in blackface and proposed to her. However, credible reports state that Whoopi acknowledges that she wrote some of Ted's blackface skit, so this was most likely not the cause of their separation. Before Danson was a famous actor, he was known to dabble in the monkeywrenching sport of billboard toppling with childhood friend Marc Gaede along the highway between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. Ted Danson is well known for his role as Sam Malone in the television series Cheers. During the show's 12-year run, he was nominated nine times for an Emmy Award as Best Actor in a Comedy Series and won twice, in 1990 and 1993. The role also earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 1989 and 1990. He and his wife, actress Mary Steenburgen, starred in and were executive producers of the CBS comedy series Ink. In 1984, Danson received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in the television movie Something About Amelia , in which he starred opposite Glenn Close. He also starred opposite Lee Remick in The Women's Room . In 1986, he made his debut as a television producer with When the Bough Breaks , in which he also starred. He later starred in the mini-series Gulliver's Travels and Thanks of a Grateful Nation . Danson's numerous feature film credits include The Onion Field , in which he made his debut as Officer Ian Campbell, Body Heat , Three Men and a Baby , 3 Men and a Little Lady , Cousins , Dad , Made in America , Saving Private Ryan , Mumford , and Jerry and Tom . Danson was raised just outside Flagstaff, Ariz. He attended Stanford University, where he became interested in drama during his second year. In 1972, he transferred to Carnegie-Mellon University (formerly Carnegie Tech) in Pittsburgh. After graduation, he was hired as an understudy in Tom Stoppard's Off Broadway production of "The Real Inspector Hound." Danson moved to Los Angeles in 1978 and studied with Dan Fauci at the Actor's Institute, where he also taught classes. Danson lives with his family in Los Angeles. He is a founding member of the American Oceans Campaign (AOC), an organization established to alert Americans to the life-threatening hazards created by oil spills, offshore development, toxic wastes, sewage pollution and other ocean abuses.moreless -
Bebe Neuwirth
Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane (1986-1993)
New Jersey native Bebe Neuwirth is a dancer by trade, having been trained in the craft since the age of five. On 1976 she graduated from Princeton High School in Princeton, NJ. Then, in 1976 she went to the The Juilliard School and got a Major in dance. Married Paul Dorman in 1984 and then got divorce. She won two Tony awards, one for her role as Nicki in the 1987 revival of Sweet Charity in and for her role as Velma Kelly in the 1997 Ann Reinking revival of Chicago, and has been nominated for many other awards. She is 5'4" tall. Perhaps best known as the stern intellectual psychologist Lilith from the TV series Cheers. Bebe is a trained dancer. She made her Broadway debut understudying the lead role of Cassie, in A Chorus Line. She then took over the other female lead Sheila (which she reprised in Los Angeles.) This was followed by a stint in Bob Fosse's Dancin'. Followed by a chorus role in a revival of Little Me starring James Coco. She was selected by Fosse for the key role of Nickie (and was Debbie Allen's understudy) in the 1986 revival of Sweet Charity. This garnered her her first Tony award. After the end of Cheers, she returned to Broadway to star in the revival of Damn Yankees. (She should have won another Tony for this but wasn't even nominated! Her performance of What Lola Wants was incredible.) While in Los Angeles, she and Anne Reinking teamed up to do a revival of Chicago in Long Beach. This production eventually evolved to the Broadway production that is still running. She won her second Tony. She returned to the show in December 2006 but in the role of Roxie instead of Velma.moreless -
Kirstie Alley
Rebecca Howe (1987-1993)
Kirstie Alley is best-known for her role in Cheers. She has acted in many movies, including Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. She stayed out of the public eye for a number of years, only to resurface weighing much more than the 120 she weighed while starring on Cheers. She starred in the show Fat Actress and most recently went on to become a spokesperson for Jenny Craig. She has lost over 60 pounds on their weight-loss plan.moreless -
Nicholas Colasanto
Ernie "Coach" Pantusso (1982-1985)
Nicholas Colasanto, the actor and television director who achieved his greatest success as Coach on the TV series Cheers at the end of his career, was born January 19, 1924 in Providence, Rhode Island, one of seven children. He attended Providence's Central High School but did not graduate due to World War II, as he joined the Navy. At the age of 28, he saw Henry Fonda perform on Broadway and was infected by the acting bug. Colasanto was primarily a dramatic actor but the producers of the TV comedy Cheers cast him as Ernie Coach Pantusso, the absent-minded and dumb but lovable bartender. The role made him famous and he earned an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series each of the three years that he appeared on the show. Sadly, at the height of his fame, he died from a heart ailment at his home on February 15th, 1985. Cheers star Nick Colasanto had won many awards during his time with that hit show, which include: 1985 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series(Cheers 1982) 1984 nominated Emmy Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Variety or Music Series (Cheers 1982) 1985 Won Q award Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Comedy Series (Cheers 1982)moreless -
John Ratzenberger
Clifford C "Cliff" Clavin, Jr
Born in Connecticut, John Ratzenberger spent most of his early adulthood in England and Europe. After a brief stint as assistant to a London tree surgeon, Ratzenberger helped organize the English improvisational troupe "Sal's Meat Market" in 1971. He made his first screen appearances in such British-based productions as The Ritz (1976), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Superman (1978), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Gandhi (1982). In 1982, Ratzenberger read for the part of post-office employee Norm on the upcoming American TV sitcom Cheers. Sensing that he hadn't won the role (which was true), Ratzenberger asked if the cast of Cheers included the character of "a bar know-it-all." Suddenly he launched into an impromptu ten-minute monologue, posing as an endlessly chattering repository of useless information. Then and there, the character of Cliff Clavin was born--a character Ratzenberger played for the next ten years. A man of many talents, Ratzenberger directed several Cheers episodes, and also co-wrote two British television plays Friends in Space (1978) and Scalped (1979). Tirelessly active in the pro-ecology movement, John Ratzenberger was owner and operator of Eco-Pak, a conservation-conscious packaging firm. Since the demise of Cheers, the actor has resurrected Cliff Clavin in the form of an advertising pitchman and has appeared in many commercials. He has also found success doing voice overs for advertising and voicework in films such as Toy Story (1995) and Dog's Best Friend (1997). Ratzenberger also continues to make occasional guest appearances on television series such as Caroline in the City (NBC, 1995-?). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guidemoreless -
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tiberius "Woody" Boyd (1985-1993)
Woody, born Woodrow Tracy Harrelson on July 23, 1961 in Midland, TX., had a childhood most people have never had to face. His father, Charles Voyde Harrelson, went to prison, convicted of murder when Woody was only seven. His mother Diane, a legal secretary, raised Woody and his two brothers in Lebanon, Ohio. Growing up strongly influenced by religion, Woody went to college on a presbyterian scholarship. After obtaining a degree in 1983 in English and theatrical arts from Hanover College, Indiana, Woody went to New York City to pursue a career in acting. His career began in New York theatre as an understudy in Neil Simon's 'Biloxi Blues'. Within months, he was cast as the good-hearted but dim-witted bartender Woody Boyd on the hit TV series, "Cheers". Woody won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1988. During his time on Cheers he also played some dramatic parts on television and in the theater. In 1993 Woody appeared on the Los Angeles stage in "Furthest From the Sun," a drama he both wrote and directed. He co-starred with Glenn Close and Laura Dern in 1991's "Brooklyn Laundry," directed by James L. Brooks, and has also appeared on stage in Edward Albee's "The Zoo Story," the off-Broadway production of "The Boys Next Door," the San Francisco production of "Biloxi Blues,"and a basketball-themed play, "2 on 2," which he also wrote. It was not until the end of "Cheers" that Woody's movie career really took off. After some supporting and cameo roles, Woody landed his first lead in a major motion picture in the 1992 sleeper White Men Can't Jump. He went on to star in two more uninspired buddy movies Cowboy Way and Money Train, carried only by the charm of the leads. However Woody drew more serious attention when in 1994, he starred in Oliver Stone's controversial movie Natural Born Killers. In 1996, he starred in The Sunchaser directed by The Deerhunter's Michael Cimino. Following this, Woody starred in the Farrelly Brothers' irreverent Kingpin, a hilarious, crude comedy with a heart of gold, 'though admittedly not for all tastes. Next, Woody won the title role in Milos Forman's The People vs. Larry Flynt . For his funny, unexpectedly poignant, wide-ranging performance, Woody was nominated Best Actor in the 1996 Academy Awards. Following critical praise, the film received unprecedented attack from feminist groups for its unconventional, sympathetic portrayal of the real-life pornographer. Despite the controversy, film critics would no longer dismiss Woody as a light-weight actor. In his next project, Woody took on a supporting role in the low budget film Welcome to Sarajevo by rising director Michael Winterbottom. The film had a great reception at Cannes, and opened in the U.S. in November '97 to critical acclaim. At around the same time, Woody also appeared in a wonderful cameo in the political satire Wag the Dog. This was followed by the film-noir Palmetto. Woody will next be seen in Hi Lo Country, a "modern western" set in post-WW2 New Mexico. Woody was briefly married to Nancy Simon in 1985-6. On January 11, 1998, he and longtime love Laura Louie got married in a private ceremony in Costa Rica. Laura, formerly Woody's assistant, had worked with Woody for more than two years before they became romantically involved in 1990. Laura is currently a partner in their production company, Children at Play, and in their healthfood restaurant/oxygen bar in L.A. Together they have two young children, Deni Montana (b.1993) and Zoe Giordano (b.1996). Deni served as flowergirl at the wedding while 18-month-old Zoe slept through the ceremony on a nearby hammock. In addition to acting, Woody has channelled his energies into various environmental causes, including the saving of the California redwoods and other endangered forests. His activism evolved from his time on Cheers. Co-star Ted Danson has long been deeply involved in the American Oceans' Campaign. On several occasions when Danson was unable to attend, Woody would take his place in the campaigns. As an environmentalist, he came to see the legalisation of industrial hemp as a solution to the worldwide fibre shortage crisis. He became a vocal champion of this much-maligned cause, even risking imprisonment. In June '96, he planted four certified industrial hemp seeds to challenge the constitutionality of the Kentucky State law which does not distinguish between industrial hemp and marijuana. Industrial hemp has less than 0.3% THC, and is non-hallucinogenic. Proponents say it is a versatile plant that can be used instead of many wood-based products, as well as for high-protein food, machine oils and clothing. It currently produced in Canada, Australia, China and most of Europe. Thus far, Woody has won the first two rounds in court, when a trial court ruled that the states' definition of hemp was too broad, and again when a circuit court upheld that decision. The case is expected to go to the Kentucky State Appelate Court, at which level the ruling will have state-wide implications.moreless -
Kelsey Grammer
Dr Frasier W Crane (1984-1993)
Kelsey Grammer is the star of long running primetime sitcoms Frasier and Cheers. He has one daughter and is married to Camille Donatacci. He has been married to and is now divorced with Doreen Alderman and Leigh Anne Csuhany. -
Shelley Long
Diane Chambers
Shelley Long established herself in feature films, became a star on TV, then returned to movies with decidedly mixed results. She worked in TV, both as producer and performer, before joining Chicago's Second City comedy troupe. Her first film was A Small Circle of Friends (1980), followed by one of the female leads in Caveman (1981). Long's performance as the cheerful hooker in Night Shift (1982) led to her casting as snooty barmaid Diane Chambers in Cheers (1982-87), a tailormade role that brought her stardom and an Emmy. (Around that same time, she made Losin' It a small-scale comedy released in 1983, in which she starred opposite an upand-comer named Tom Cruise) She was equally effective as a screenwriter in Irreconcilable Differences (1984), which encouraged her to leave her hit sitcom in 1987 to concentrate on features. Long did excellent work in such lightweight fare as The Money Pit (1986), Hello Again (1987), and Outrageous Fortune (also 1987, felicitously teamed with Bette Midler), but increasingly poor career choices (1989's Troop Beverly Hills, 1990's Don't Tell Her It's Me and poorer scripts have derailed her express train to stardom-temporarily, at least. In 1992 she starred opposite fellow TV star Corbin Bernsen in Frozen Assets She launched another starring sitcom Good Advice (1993-94) before playing Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995). Copyright 1994 Leonard Maltin, used by arrangement with Signet, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc.moreless -
Shelley Long
Diane Chambers (1982-1987)
Shelley Long established herself in feature films, became a star on TV, then returned to movies with decidedly mixed results. She worked in TV, both as producer and performer, before joining Chicago's Second City comedy troupe. Her first film was A Small Circle of Friends (1980), followed by one of the female leads in Caveman (1981). Long's performance as the cheerful hooker in Night Shift (1982) led to her casting as snooty barmaid Diane Chambers in Cheers (1982-87), a tailormade role that brought her stardom and an Emmy. (Around that same time, she made Losin' It a small-scale comedy released in 1983, in which she starred opposite an upand-comer named Tom Cruise) She was equally effective as a screenwriter in Irreconcilable Differences (1984), which encouraged her to leave her hit sitcom in 1987 to concentrate on features. Long did excellent work in such lightweight fare as The Money Pit (1986), Hello Again (1987), and Outrageous Fortune (also 1987, felicitously teamed with Bette Midler), but increasingly poor career choices (1989's Troop Beverly Hills, 1990's Don't Tell Her It's Me and poorer scripts have derailed her express train to stardom-temporarily, at least. In 1992 she starred opposite fellow TV star Corbin Bernsen in Frozen Assets She launched another starring sitcom Good Advice (1993-94) before playing Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995). Copyright 1994 Leonard Maltin, used by arrangement with Signet, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc.moreless -
Anthony Cistaro
Henrí
Anthony Cistaro was born in the midwest, and came to California as an infant. Oldest of six siblings working in print advertising, TV commercials, and local films in the 70's and early 80's, Anthony developed an interest in acting while in grammar school. Two of his instructors, Steve Borchelt and Bill Kovacich started a school theater company "Borkov Productions" in which Anthony and schoolmates were able to perform in comedy and musical productions. Anthony's interest in acting continued throughout high school, as he performed at St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco and other local school theater companies. High school Debate also helped to hone Anthony's skills, as he went on to win a place as a National Debate Finalist. Graduating, Magna Cum Laude, from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, with a double major in French and Communication Arts, Anthony also studied at the American University of Paris, the University of Tours, and a summer program at Cap d'Ail, near Monaco. He studied acting technique with Stella Adler in Los Angeles, and then began a graduate program with the American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.) Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. Anthony performed in over seventeen productions during his tenure at the A.R.T., including Six Characters in Search of an Author, The King Stag, Island of Anyplace, Tartuffe, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Zeus Stories, the American premier of Michel Vinaver's Overboard - directed by Francois Rochaix, and Brecht's The Wedding - directed by Robert Scanlan. Anthony played in the West Coast premier of Tom Stoppard's Rough Crossing. With the World Theatre Company he played Vanek in A Private View, three Vaclav Havel one-act plays, and also appeared in Playing With Fire, The Time of Your Life, and Bedtime Story. In August and September 2001, Anthony Cistaro performed at the Barbican Theatre in London, England, in a production of The King Stag with the American Repertory Theatre. Television credits include Cheers, Seinfeld, Bob, The Nanny, Alright Already, Thanks, and Angel (among others.) Film credits include Lady of the House (1978), The Method (1989), The Runestone (1990), The Witchblade (2000), Hope (2000)and a very early "appearance" in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979). The Apocalypse Now "appearance" details: Anthony had been cast to play the son of Marlon Brando's character Colonel Kurtz, in Francis Ford Coppola's production - based on the Joseph Conrad novel Heart of Darkness. As Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) is traveling up a Cambodian river to seek out and exterminate Colonel Kurtz (Brando,) he is seen examining a dossier which contains an early school photo of Anthony Cistaro (Colonel Kurtz' son.) The film was to have loosely followed Conrad's ending, with Captain Willard going to tell Colonel Kurtz' son about his father's death. Due to artistic decisions, Coppola decided on the ending that he finally decided upon. However, Anthony Cistaro's childhood face can be seen (briefly) smiling into the annals of Apocalypse Now, as well as Apocalypse Now Redux (2001).moreless -
Jack Knight
Jack
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Bebe Neuwirth
Dr Lilith Sternin
New Jersey native Bebe Neuwirth is a dancer by trade, having been trained in the craft since the age of five. On 1976 she graduated from Princeton High School in Princeton, NJ. Then, in 1976 she went to the The Juilliard School and got a Major in dance. Married Paul Dorman in 1984 and then got divorce. She won two Tony awards, one for her role as Nicki in the 1987 revival of Sweet Charity in and for her role as Velma Kelly in the 1997 Ann Reinking revival of Chicago, and has been nominated for many other awards. She is 5'4" tall. Perhaps best known as the stern intellectual psychologist Lilith from the TV series Cheers. Bebe is a trained dancer. She made her Broadway debut understudying the lead role of Cassie, in A Chorus Line. She then took over the other female lead Sheila (which she reprised in Los Angeles.) This was followed by a stint in Bob Fosse's Dancin'. Followed by a chorus role in a revival of Little Me starring James Coco. She was selected by Fosse for the key role of Nickie (and was Debbie Allen's understudy) in the 1986 revival of Sweet Charity. This garnered her her first Tony award. After the end of Cheers, she returned to Broadway to star in the revival of Damn Yankees. (She should have won another Tony for this but wasn't even nominated! Her performance of What Lola Wants was incredible.) While in Los Angeles, she and Anne Reinking teamed up to do a revival of Chicago in Long Beach. This production eventually evolved to the Broadway production that is still running. She won her second Tony. She returned to the show in December 2006 but in the role of Roxie instead of Velma.moreless -
Bebe Neuwirth
Dr Lilith Sternin-Crane
New Jersey native Bebe Neuwirth is a dancer by trade, having been trained in the craft since the age of five. On 1976 she graduated from Princeton High School in Princeton, NJ. Then, in 1976 she went to the The Juilliard School and got a Major in dance. Married Paul Dorman in 1984 and then got divorce. She won two Tony awards, one for her role as Nicki in the 1987 revival of Sweet Charity in and for her role as Velma Kelly in the 1997 Ann Reinking revival of Chicago, and has been nominated for many other awards. She is 5'4" tall. Perhaps best known as the stern intellectual psychologist Lilith from the TV series Cheers. Bebe is a trained dancer. She made her Broadway debut understudying the lead role of Cassie, in A Chorus Line. She then took over the other female lead Sheila (which she reprised in Los Angeles.) This was followed by a stint in Bob Fosse's Dancin'. Followed by a chorus role in a revival of Little Me starring James Coco. She was selected by Fosse for the key role of Nickie (and was Debbie Allen's understudy) in the 1986 revival of Sweet Charity. This garnered her her first Tony award. After the end of Cheers, she returned to Broadway to star in the revival of Damn Yankees. (She should have won another Tony for this but wasn't even nominated! Her performance of What Lola Wants was incredible.) While in Los Angeles, she and Anne Reinking teamed up to do a revival of Chicago in Long Beach. This production eventually evolved to the Broadway production that is still running. She won her second Tony. She returned to the show in December 2006 but in the role of Roxie instead of Velma.moreless -
Bebe Neuwirth
Lilith
New Jersey native Bebe Neuwirth is a dancer by trade, having been trained in the craft since the age of five. On 1976 she graduated from Princeton High School in Princeton, NJ. Then, in 1976 she went to the The Juilliard School and got a Major in dance. Married Paul Dorman in 1984 and then got divorce. She won two Tony awards, one for her role as Nicki in the 1987 revival of Sweet Charity in and for her role as Velma Kelly in the 1997 Ann Reinking revival of Chicago, and has been nominated for many other awards. She is 5'4" tall. Perhaps best known as the stern intellectual psychologist Lilith from the TV series Cheers. Bebe is a trained dancer. She made her Broadway debut understudying the lead role of Cassie, in A Chorus Line. She then took over the other female lead Sheila (which she reprised in Los Angeles.) This was followed by a stint in Bob Fosse's Dancin'. Followed by a chorus role in a revival of Little Me starring James Coco. She was selected by Fosse for the key role of Nickie (and was Debbie Allen's understudy) in the 1986 revival of Sweet Charity. This garnered her her first Tony award. After the end of Cheers, she returned to Broadway to star in the revival of Damn Yankees. (She should have won another Tony for this but wasn't even nominated! Her performance of What Lola Wants was incredible.) While in Los Angeles, she and Anne Reinking teamed up to do a revival of Chicago in Long Beach. This production eventually evolved to the Broadway production that is still running. She won her second Tony. She returned to the show in December 2006 but in the role of Roxie instead of Velma.moreless -
John Ratzenberger
Cliff Clavin
Born in Connecticut, John Ratzenberger spent most of his early adulthood in England and Europe. After a brief stint as assistant to a London tree surgeon, Ratzenberger helped organize the English improvisational troupe "Sal's Meat Market" in 1971. He made his first screen appearances in such British-based productions as The Ritz (1976), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Superman (1978), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Gandhi (1982). In 1982, Ratzenberger read for the part of post-office employee Norm on the upcoming American TV sitcom Cheers. Sensing that he hadn't won the role (which was true), Ratzenberger asked if the cast of Cheers included the character of "a bar know-it-all." Suddenly he launched into an impromptu ten-minute monologue, posing as an endlessly chattering repository of useless information. Then and there, the character of Cliff Clavin was born--a character Ratzenberger played for the next ten years. A man of many talents, Ratzenberger directed several Cheers episodes, and also co-wrote two British television plays Friends in Space (1978) and Scalped (1979). Tirelessly active in the pro-ecology movement, John Ratzenberger was owner and operator of Eco-Pak, a conservation-conscious packaging firm. Since the demise of Cheers, the actor has resurrected Cliff Clavin in the form of an advertising pitchman and has appeared in many commercials. He has also found success doing voice overs for advertising and voicework in films such as Toy Story (1995) and Dog's Best Friend (1997). Ratzenberger also continues to make occasional guest appearances on television series such as Caroline in the City (NBC, 1995-?). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guidemoreless -
Kelsey Grammer
Dr. Frasier Crane
Kelsey Grammer is the star of long running primetime sitcoms Frasier and Cheers. He has one daughter and is married to Camille Donatacci. He has been married to and is now divorced with Doreen Alderman and Leigh Anne Csuhany. -
Roger Rees
Robin Colcord
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Mark Arnott
Mark
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Keene Curtis
John Allen Hill
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Harry Anderson
Harry "the Hat" Gittes
Harry Anderson was born in Newport, Rhode Island, although his parents came from Manistee, Michigan. Much in Anderson's childhood was unusual, to say the least. His father was a salesman who was rarely around. He spent his younger years with his mother (mostly in Chicago). To reports that his mother was a hooker, he responds, "She was a hustler, yeah; she did a lot of things. We moved around a lot, and she had a lot of men friends." Yet he vehemently rejects the notion that his home life was a tragedy. "I respect my mother; she was very concerned with taking care of us. She did what needed to be done to try to keep us together. People find my criminal days amusing, but they find her background shocking. I don't draw any line." (People) He has a brother, sister, and half-sister. Both of his parents were gamblers, his mother subsequently became one of the first female card dealers in Las Vegas during the 1950's. By the time he was 17, Anderson had lived in a dozen states, moving from city to city between his mother's various jobs.
In 1962, Harry went to go live with his father in California, a very different atmosphere than "City life." He became interested in magic and participated in a magic club in Junior High. Apparently he was valedictorian of his 1970 of North Hollywood High School, when he was only 16. Harry told Lefthander Magazine, "Mainly because I hung out with con men. It's interesting. When I was a kid, I had a real reading problem... and so what I did to compensate for that was to learn to write. I realized that the way you impressed the English teacher was not by reading books but by writing about them. It wasn't reading Melville but the report on Melville. I did fine by watching Gregory Peck play Ahab, then writing a report. In fact, not only was I valedictorian, I got a scholarship in English... and I couldn't read. Well, I could, but certainly not like my ates could."
Instead of going an academic route, Harry began performing in front of thousands of people on the street. "You're a magician second; you're a street performer first. You watch other street performers; you live and breathe street performing. I was so exhausted by the end of the day that I would never pick up a magic book or a trick to learn. I experimented some on the street, but it was my livelihood, and I had to make sure I was going to make money." (Passing the Hat)
While street performing, he met his now ex-wife (back then he called her "his future ex-wife") Leslie Pollock who performed a mentalism act. According to a TV Guide article, she would be his SECOND wife. They got together, created an act, and had Eva Fay (named after Anna Eva Fay, an important woman from the spiritualism movement). It was while he was performing in one of the clubs -- Hollywood's Magic Castle -- that he was spotted by an agent. This led to a job in Las Vegas, which led to appearances on Saturday Night Live, which led to Cheers. Night Court was next and then Dave's World. (All together he did 13 seasons of both shows). Harry has done many TV specials, movies and performed all over the country!
Harry, 51 on October 14, 2003, is remarried and lives in the French Quarter of New Orleans, as he says, "only by a fluke." It seems he was told to invest in some property after selling some in Ireland: "My business manager just, you know, said it would be smarter to buy something -- if you're selling -- if you're buying something before the year is over. I didn't know where that would be. But I came to New Orleans and I hadn't been here to New Orleans in 6 7 years and in that time, condos had broken out -- people were selling their property. It just hadn't existed, so I bought my apartment, I bought my condo, came back. While I was here buying it, I noticed there was a magic shop on Dumaine, right down the street from where I had lived back in the 70's." (L.Wilson interview) This is where Harry took the old Amazed and Amused and turned it into Spade and Archer where he has his magic collection. He and his wife Elizabeth has opened a shop devoted to SIDESHOWs simply called SIDESHOW (see harryandersonfan.com for more details).
Harry has begun a 2003 tour with a new but familiar magic act.
If you have ever studied, watched enough or met Harry, he speaks fast. It's part of his act, and also his of conversation. It may be a cover up for his being nervous. He has already said he is very agoraphobic -- like being afraid of answering the phone because he doesn't know who it might be. "To me, it's a little bit embarrassing to be in the public eye that much. People start asking me about what I think about the situation in the Middle East... just because I'm in the public eye... as if I have some kind of knowledge or opinion that matters. It's embarrassing. And after all those years I spent on the street, anonymous, and with intended anonymity, that was a jolt that I never quite adjusted to. That and living in Los Angeles. I don't want to offend any Los Angelinos, but it was a tough adjustment." (LH Magazine) Harry also speaks of his stage fright (Comedians usually use the term flop-sweat); "I am shy in many situations. Almost any performing situation panics me. Most of my bravura is quite false, but it's a well -rehearsed false bravura. My stage fright knows no bounds." (LH)
Harry admires Ted Anneman (Magician), Dai Vernon (the man who "fooled" Houdini), Joseph "Yellow Kid" Weil (Card Shark) and Shari Lewis (Lambchop's mom). He is left-handed. He likes Mac computers. As well as good old Mel, he likes the Brian Setzer Orchestra. His collection of magical antiques spans from a ukelele that turns into a bouquet of feather flowers from 1902 (Chung Ling Soo) to an original copy of Ulysses.moreless -
Richard Doyle
Lloyd Gaines
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Jay Thomas
Eddie LeBec
Jon Thomas Terrell was born on July 12, 1948 in the small town of Kermit, Texas to T. Harry Terrell Sr. (a World War II Veteran) and Katharine "Kathy" Guzzino Terrell. His only other sibling was an older brother named Timothy Terrell, Jr. He attended Bienville Elementary, Francis Gregory Junior High and graduated from Jesuit High School in New Orleans. Jon won his first award for being an emcee at a Jesuit High School talent show. He attended Gulf Coast Junior College where he had an interest in radio. He later went to University of North Carolina which he graduated from. His early career began in radio. He got his first Dj job in Jacksonville, FL. Jon pursed his acting career finally landing a role in Mork and Mindy as Remo Divinci, he also had small parts in many TV shows including "The Love Boat." He is best known for his role on "Cheers" as Carla's ice hockey playing husband. He won an emmy award for portraying Jerry Gold in TV's "Murphy Brown." He had two TV shows "Married People" with Beth Armstrong and "Love and War" with Susan Dey and later Annie Potts. He currently works as a radio DJ in New York City but resides in Conneticut with his wife and two sons. He got the name Jay Thomas by using the first inital of his first name and his middle name. /IMDB.com/moreless -
Alan Koss
Alan
For ten years TV character actor Alan Koss appeared in the recurring role of Alan on some fifty episodes of CHEERS... Mr. Koss was born and raised in the Boston area, and is a graduate of Boston University... He served in the USMC in the late 1950s and became a professional actor in 1967, working in a Theatre Company of Boston production of "Marat-Sade", and then moving his young family (wife, June, and children Joanne and Michael) to New York City... A lover of golf and a willing donator of his time, Mr. Koss has been invited to appear at hundreds of charity fund-raisers throughout the U.S. and Canada to aid local halfway houses for drug and alchohol rehabilitation, shelters for battered wives and abused children, local schools and hospitals... He has helped national charities benefiting Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, The March of Dimes, Red Cross, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, and The Heart Association... Alan has played golf, waited on tables, sung and joked, eaten gallons of chili, spoken with and signed pictures for thousands of people. He has talked and laughed with many who were terminally ill and cheered and hugged thousands of Special Olympians. Over the past twenty years Alan has played a part in raising over six million dollars for charity... In addition to his guest roles on TV and in movies, Alan has appeared in or his distinctive voice heard in thousands of TV and radio commercials.
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Dan Hedaya
Nick Tortelli
Graduated from Tufts University with a degree in literature. Became a junior high teacher. Acting debut in "The Passover Plot" (1975). His family background is Sephardic Jewish.
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Thomas Babson
Tom
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Jackie Swanson
Kelly Boyd
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Jackie Swanson
Kelly Gaines
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Tom Skerritt
Evan Drake
Tom Skerritt is an American leading and supporting actor. He has rugged good looks and polite charm. He has received his biggest fame on television but he has been in many films and has tried his hand at directing as well.moreless
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Categories
Comedy, Drama
Themes
Ensemble Cast, Ladies Man, Laugh Track, Life In A Bar, Love/Hate Relationships
