Lara Glennon is an aspiring screenwriter looking to share her love and passion for all things film and television. She aims to use her writing to shine a light on artists who are working to make change, both in media and in the world. The Hollywood Insider’s focus on substance over gossip is perfect for Lara, as she wants to highlight the good in the world and those who create it. She enjoys spending her time creating and consuming art, searching for unique voices and ideas in media.
Aug 11, 2024
Table of Contents
Ted Danson’s impact on Hollywood runs deep as he transcends genre and makes his mark on some of the most seminal comedies and dramas of the 20th and 21st centuries. Today, people might recognize his face from ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ or ‘The Good Place.’ Meanwhile, Danson made his mark on the sitcom genre early in his career with his iconic role as Sam Malone on ‘Cheers.’ Let’s take a look at some of Ted Danson’s most iconic work.
Career Beginnings: Working His Way Up
It’s incredibly common to need to work your way to stardom. This often includes guest spots or small recurring roles wherever you can find them, and any resume building is good resume building. Ted Danson was no different, but his start to acting was slower than most young stars. Standing at over six feet tall, Danson’s first love was basketball, naturally. However, rather than pursue the NBA, he decided to study at Stanford University. It was then that he discovered a love for acting and transferred to Carnegie Mellon University.
After graduating from Carnegie Mellon, Danson began working in guest roles or brief arcs. He found a home on shows like ‘Somerset’ and ‘The Doctors’ in the 70s, spending about a year on each series. After his first two series, Danson worked a slew of single-episode guest spots, but that all changed in 1982 at a little bar where everybody knows your name.
In 1982, ‘Cheers’ aired on NBC. The show centers around a real-life Boston bar aptly named Cheers. ‘Cheers’ features an ensemble cast of bartenders and regular customers, but the real star of the show is Ted Danson’s Sam Malone. Sam Malone was a former MLB pitcher turned bar owner and overall ladies’ man. While characters such as Frasier Crane became stars on their own, the image of Ted Danson behind a bar will always be iconic.
The 1980s was a period of growth and development for the genre and ‘Cheers’, running for a successful eleven seasons, was at the forefront. ‘Cheers’ revolutionized sitcoms. Even if ‘Cheers’ was not the first show to introduce new features, like serialized storylines and season finale cliffhangers, it played a large part in taking these relatively obscure concepts from new and experimental to established and well-respected. At the time it was airing, ‘Cheers’ held 119 Primetime Emmy Nominations, the record for most nominations held by one show during that time. While it was on the air, ‘Cheers’ collected 28 Emmy awards. The popularity of ‘Cheers’ is far from gone. Living in Boston, I constantly see foot traffic outside the Cheers bar, with fans eager to grab a picture or duck inside for a drink, sitting where their favorite characters once sat.
When ‘Cheers’ ended in 1993, it could have been an opportunity for rest and relaxation for Danson, but that was not the path he chose. Throughout his time on ‘Cheers’ Danson appeared in about a half dozen television films, as well as some not-too-shabby appearances as himself, such as hosting Saturday Night Live. He stayed busy during ‘Cheers,’ and he stayed busy after ‘Cheers.’ Danson also appeared on ‘The Simpsons,’ ‘The Jim Henson Hour,’ and guest starred in an episode of the ‘Cheers’ spinoff ‘Frasier.’
Danson and his wife, Mary Steenburgen, produced and starred in a CBS sitcom, ‘Ink’, about newspaper journalists, but the series was canceled after one season. Quickly after, however, he was starring on the sitcom ‘Becker,’ as Dr. John Becker, a pessimistic and easily annoyed doctor who ran a practice in the Bronx. ‘Becker’ ran for six seasons. At this time, Danson also had a recurring role on ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ playing a fictionalized version of himself. Danson is one of the most notable recurring roles in the series.
While he is best known as a television actor, Danson is no stranger to film. Danson began acting in films at about the same time he began appearing on television and has been seen in some iconic and critically acclaimed movies. Notably, he acted alongside Tom Selleck and Steve Guttenberg in ‘Three Men and a Baby,’ a film whose title explains the premise. He was also seen in the film’s sequel ‘Three Men and a Lady.’ In 1989, he was in the film ‘Dad’ with Jack Lemmon and a young Ethan Hawke. Perhaps his most popular film is ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ despite his role being relatively minor.
Back on the small screen, Danson stepped away from comedy in favor of appearing on ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ in 2011, and appeared on ‘CSI: NY’ and ‘CSI: Cyber’ as well. Due to the nature of ‘CSI,’ the content was vastly different from the sitcoms we had seen Danson in the past, but all the shift in genre did was solidify him as a versatile actor.
In 2016, Michael Schur, creator of ‘Parks and Recreation’ and ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine,’ created the NBC series ‘The Good Place’. The series follows a group of humans, led by Kristen Bell, after they die and join the afterlife. Ted Danson plays Michael, a supernatural yet humanoid creature who leads the way. Ted Danson delivers an outstanding performance as Michael and is a vital pillar in keeping the show incredible from its pilot to its finale, four seasons later.
After ‘The Good Place’ ended, Danson starred in Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s ‘Mr. Mayor’ as Neil Bremer, celebrity businessman turned mayor of Los Angeles. Although ‘Mr. Mayor’ was canceled, it’s unlikely we’ve seen the last of Ted Danson.
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Lara Glennon is an aspiring screenwriter looking to share her love and passion for all things film and television. She aims to use her writing to shine a light on artists who are working to make change, both in media and in the world. The Hollywood Insider's focus on substance over gossip is perfect for Lara, as she wants to highlight the good in the world and those who create it. She enjoys spending her time creating and consuming art, searching for unique voices and ideas in media.
Lara Glennon is an aspiring screenwriter looking to share her love and passion for all things film and television. She aims to use her writing to shine a light on artists who are working to make change, both in media and in the world. The Hollywood Insider’s focus on substance over gossip is perfect for Lara, as she wants to highlight the good in the world and those who create it. She enjoys spending her time creating and consuming art, searching for unique voices and ideas in media.
Lara Glennon is an aspiring screenwriter looking to share her love and passion for all things film and television. She aims to use her writing to shine a light on artists who are working to make change, both in media and in the world. The Hollywood Insider’s focus on substance over gossip is perfect for Lara, as she wants to highlight the good in the world and those who create it. She enjoys spending her time creating and consuming art, searching for unique voices and ideas in media.
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