Photo: Getty ImagesTed Dansonhas had 40 years of laughs thanks to his star-marking turn on the hit NBC sitcomCheers.As the show marked its 40th anniversary on Friday, the actor, 74, looked back on his days serving up drinks and one-liners as bartender Sam Malone at the Boston bar where “everybody knows your name.““Unbelievable. I remember being 35 when I started, that’s always a nice kind of memory,” Danson toldEntertainment Tonight. “My hair was brown, and I had a lot of it.“Danson continued, “It still makes me laugh when I watch sometimes. It’s funny and it’s great to see my friends and they make me laugh.““I was so blessed,” Danson said about playing Sam from 1982 to 1993. “I got my introduction to this business with [Cheerscreators] Jimmy Burrows and [Les Charles] and Glen Charles, who are like half-hour aristocrats. I mean, they were some of the best in the business and that’s how I got introduced to half-hour [television].“He noted, “The reason why we’re talking, the reason why I’m sitting next to [Mr. Mayorco-star]Holly [Hunter]is because ofCheers. Everything I do is because of the popularity of that show.“Santiago Felipe/GettyDanson’s Emmy-winning turn as Malone is all the more remarkable because stepping into the shoes of a smooth-talking Lotharionever felt very natural to him.“It took me a year and a half onCheersplaying Sam Malone [to feel comfortable],” Danson shared onThe Late Show with Seth Meyersin 2018.“I never went to bars, I never picked up women. The woman would have to be standing naked in front of me and I’d go, ‘Me?'” he joked.He added, “Playing Sam Malone was anathema to me for the longest time.“RELATED VIDEO: TheCheersCast Goofed Off ‘More Than They Acted’, According to Kirstie AlleyBut it’s clear the series struck a chord that easily outlasted its 11-season run — not least of which because it spawned the megahit spin-offFrasier, which has been in the works at Paramount+ since last year.StarKelsey Grammer— whoseCheerscharacter Dr. Frasier Crane relocated from Boston to Seattle for the 1993 sitcom — said in 2021: “I gleefully anticipate sharing the next chapter in the continuing journey of Dr. Frasier Crane.“Perhaps in his nostalgia, Danson can hear the blues a-callin’ for a Sam and Frasier reunion in the near future.
Photo: Getty Images
Ted Dansonhas had 40 years of laughs thanks to his star-marking turn on the hit NBC sitcomCheers.As the show marked its 40th anniversary on Friday, the actor, 74, looked back on his days serving up drinks and one-liners as bartender Sam Malone at the Boston bar where “everybody knows your name.““Unbelievable. I remember being 35 when I started, that’s always a nice kind of memory,” Danson toldEntertainment Tonight. “My hair was brown, and I had a lot of it.“Danson continued, “It still makes me laugh when I watch sometimes. It’s funny and it’s great to see my friends and they make me laugh.““I was so blessed,” Danson said about playing Sam from 1982 to 1993. “I got my introduction to this business with [Cheerscreators] Jimmy Burrows and [Les Charles] and Glen Charles, who are like half-hour aristocrats. I mean, they were some of the best in the business and that’s how I got introduced to half-hour [television].“He noted, “The reason why we’re talking, the reason why I’m sitting next to [Mr. Mayorco-star]Holly [Hunter]is because ofCheers. Everything I do is because of the popularity of that show.“Santiago Felipe/GettyDanson’s Emmy-winning turn as Malone is all the more remarkable because stepping into the shoes of a smooth-talking Lotharionever felt very natural to him.“It took me a year and a half onCheersplaying Sam Malone [to feel comfortable],” Danson shared onThe Late Show with Seth Meyersin 2018.“I never went to bars, I never picked up women. The woman would have to be standing naked in front of me and I’d go, ‘Me?'” he joked.He added, “Playing Sam Malone was anathema to me for the longest time.“RELATED VIDEO: TheCheersCast Goofed Off ‘More Than They Acted’, According to Kirstie AlleyBut it’s clear the series struck a chord that easily outlasted its 11-season run — not least of which because it spawned the megahit spin-offFrasier, which has been in the works at Paramount+ since last year.StarKelsey Grammer— whoseCheerscharacter Dr. Frasier Crane relocated from Boston to Seattle for the 1993 sitcom — said in 2021: “I gleefully anticipate sharing the next chapter in the continuing journey of Dr. Frasier Crane.“Perhaps in his nostalgia, Danson can hear the blues a-callin’ for a Sam and Frasier reunion in the near future.
Ted Dansonhas had 40 years of laughs thanks to his star-marking turn on the hit NBC sitcomCheers.
As the show marked its 40th anniversary on Friday, the actor, 74, looked back on his days serving up drinks and one-liners as bartender Sam Malone at the Boston bar where “everybody knows your name.”
“Unbelievable. I remember being 35 when I started, that’s always a nice kind of memory,” Danson toldEntertainment Tonight. “My hair was brown, and I had a lot of it.”
Danson continued, “It still makes me laugh when I watch sometimes. It’s funny and it’s great to see my friends and they make me laugh.”
“I was so blessed,” Danson said about playing Sam from 1982 to 1993. “I got my introduction to this business with [Cheerscreators] Jimmy Burrows and [Les Charles] and Glen Charles, who are like half-hour aristocrats. I mean, they were some of the best in the business and that’s how I got introduced to half-hour [television].”
He noted, “The reason why we’re talking, the reason why I’m sitting next to [Mr. Mayorco-star]Holly [Hunter]is because ofCheers. Everything I do is because of the popularity of that show.”
Santiago Felipe/Getty
Danson’s Emmy-winning turn as Malone is all the more remarkable because stepping into the shoes of a smooth-talking Lotharionever felt very natural to him.
“It took me a year and a half onCheersplaying Sam Malone [to feel comfortable],” Danson shared onThe Late Show with Seth Meyersin 2018.
“I never went to bars, I never picked up women. The woman would have to be standing naked in front of me and I’d go, ‘Me?'” he joked.
He added, “Playing Sam Malone was anathema to me for the longest time.”
RELATED VIDEO: TheCheersCast Goofed Off ‘More Than They Acted’, According to Kirstie Alley
But it’s clear the series struck a chord that easily outlasted its 11-season run — not least of which because it spawned the megahit spin-offFrasier, which has been in the works at Paramount+ since last year.
StarKelsey Grammer— whoseCheerscharacter Dr. Frasier Crane relocated from Boston to Seattle for the 1993 sitcom — said in 2021: “I gleefully anticipate sharing the next chapter in the continuing journey of Dr. Frasier Crane.”
Perhaps in his nostalgia, Danson can hear the blues a-callin’ for a Sam and Frasier reunion in the near future.
source: people.com
