Now 78, Ted Danson has built an extraordinary career that spans more than 45 years in movies and TV shows. Best known as a sitcom icon, he has starred in countless television series and films, winning numerous awards and cementing his place as one of Hollywood’s most respected performers. in back a year later, in 2025, he received Carol Burnett Award.
American actor Ted Danson is best known for his unforgettable performance as Sam Malone in the hit sitcom Cheers (1982–1993), a role that earned him two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
But his success didn’t stop there. He also received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for playing the corrupt billionaire Arthur Frobisher in Damages, though he lost the Supporting Actor award to his co-star Željko Ivanek. More recently, Danson won over a new generation of fans with his role as Michael opposite Kristen Bell in NBC’s acclaimed comedy The Good Place (2016–2020).
Ted Danson movies and TV shows
in tv
Born on December 29, 1947, in San Diego, California, Ted Danson began his television career as a contract player on the daytime soap opera Somerset. After years of appearing in commercials, guest roles on television, and supporting parts in films.
He finally landed his breakthrough role as Sam Malone—a former baseball star turned bartender—in the hit sitcom Cheers (1982–1992). The performance became the defining role of his career, earning him 11 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including two wins for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, along with eight Golden Globe Award nominations, winning two for Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
In 2006, Danson reentered series television as a psychiatrist in ABC’s Help Me Help You. That same year, he earned a Screen Actors Guild nomination for his performance in Knights of the South Bronx. By 2007, he was back in prestige drama with Damages.
From 2009 to 2011, Danson played George Christopher in HBO’s Bored to Death, earning praise as the show’s standout “scene stealer.”
in film
His early film credits include The Onion Field (1978), where he debuted as Officer Ian Campbell, followed by Body Heat (1981) and Creepshow (1982). Later came hits like Three Men and a Baby (1987) with Tom Selleck and Steve Guttenberg, its sequel Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), and Cousins (1989) opposite Isabella Rossellini.
Ted Danson has appeared in plenty of movies over the years, but fans have always embraced him as one of television’s greatest stars. By 2024, he had become a series regular on 12 different TV shows, reportedly more than any other actor in television history.
Netflix confirmed on February 3, 2026, that Ted Danson will return as Charles Nieuwendyk
