Ted Danson Through the Years

Everyone knew Ted Danson’s name thanks to his breakout role as Sam Malone on Cheers.

Danson was born on December 29, 1947, in San Diego. While attending Stanford, he became interested in the drama program. However, Danson ultimately decided to transfer to Carnegie Mellon University where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama.

Before becoming a full-time actor, Danson married his first wife, Randy Danson, in 1970. The pair divorced after five years of marriage. Following the split, Ted began his small screen acting career on soap operas. He scored guest roles on the dramas Somerset and The Doctors. In 1979, Ted made his film debut in the crime drama, The Onion Field, alongside John Savage, James Woods and Franklyn Seales.

Two years before snagging his first big movie role, Ted wed his second wife, Casey Coates. The twosome welcomed daughter Kate in December 1979 and later adopted their second daughter, Alexis. Ted and Coates called it quits in 1993, and he moved on with current wife Mary Steenburgen two years later.

Keep scrolling to see some of the best moments from Ted’s career over the years: