The Cast ofCheers: Where Are They Now?

Mar. 15, 2025

The cast of Cheers.Photo:NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Everybody has always known their names.The famous faces ofCheershave seen their stars rise in the decades since the beloved series ended in 1993. At the2023 Emmy Awardsin January of 2024, several of thecast members reunitedto present together, withTed Danson,Kelsey Grammer,Rhea Perlman,John RatzenbergerandGeorge Wendtsharing memories on a set made to look like a bar, à la their cozy Boston hangout.“Ted, don’t you just think about it as a long overdue class reunion, huh?” Ratzenberger said. “Being together brings back some great memories from show we’re all very proud of.“Here, take a walk down memory lane with the stars of NBC’sCheers,then and now.

Everybody has always known their names.

The famous faces ofCheershave seen their stars rise in the decades since the beloved series ended in 1993. At the2023 Emmy Awardsin January of 2024, several of thecast members reunitedto present together, withTed Danson,Kelsey Grammer,Rhea Perlman,John RatzenbergerandGeorge Wendtsharing memories on a set made to look like a bar, à la their cozy Boston hangout.

“Ted, don’t you just think about it as a long overdue class reunion, huh?” Ratzenberger said. “Being together brings back some great memories from show we’re all very proud of.”

Here, take a walk down memory lane with the stars of NBC’sCheers,then and now.

01of 10

Ted Danson as Sam Malone

Ted Danson on Cheers and in 2023.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

As Sam Malone, a former baseball star and the owner of Cheers,Ted Dansonkept “everyone’s sanity” on set, costar John Ratzenberger told PEOPLE in 1987. “He absorbs the angst.”

Off-screen, he has been married to actressMary Steenburgensince 1995. He has two children, daughters Kate and Alexis, from his previous marriage to Casey Coates.

02of 10Shelley Long as Diane ChambersShelley Long on Cheers and in 2017.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; David Livingston/GettyShelley Long’s graduate student Diane Chambers stumbled into the bar after a breakup and took a job as a waitress — though ultimately became a love interest for Ted Danson’s Sam. Though rumors of a rift between the two stars swirled, especially as Long left the show in 1987, “we did our jobs with a caring for each other,” Long told PEOPLE that year. “That doesn’t mean that there weren’t days that were harder than others.“The Indiana native, who came up through Chicago’s Second City improv troupe, had a few roles prior toCheers,though the series launched her into superstardom. She earned five Emmy nominations and one win forCheers,and went on to series includingGood AdviceandModern Family,in addition to stepping into the role of Carol Brady in the updatedBrady Bunchmovies.Long has been married twice; she has one daughter, actress Juliana, with ex Bruce Tyson.

02of 10

Shelley Long as Diane Chambers

Shelley Long on Cheers and in 2017.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; David Livingston/Getty

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; David Livingston/Getty

Shelley Long’s graduate student Diane Chambers stumbled into the bar after a breakup and took a job as a waitress — though ultimately became a love interest for Ted Danson’s Sam. Though rumors of a rift between the two stars swirled, especially as Long left the show in 1987, “we did our jobs with a caring for each other,” Long told PEOPLE that year. “That doesn’t mean that there weren’t days that were harder than others.”

The Indiana native, who came up through Chicago’s Second City improv troupe, had a few roles prior toCheers,though the series launched her into superstardom. She earned five Emmy nominations and one win forCheers,and went on to series includingGood AdviceandModern Family,in addition to stepping into the role of Carol Brady in the updatedBrady Bunchmovies.

Long has been married twice; she has one daughter, actress Juliana, with ex Bruce Tyson.

03of 10

Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli

Rhea Perlman on Cheers and in 2023.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

PEOPLE once describedRhea Perlman’s Carla Tortelli as “man-hungry” and “tough-as-nails.” The cocktail waitress was Sam’s eternal sidekick and a mother of eight.

Prior toCheersshe starred onTaxi,where she met husbandDanny DeVito(according to PEOPLE, they wed on a lunch break in 1982). Together they havethree children, Lucy, Grace and Jake.

Fun fact:Perlman’s father, the late actor Philip Perlman, also acted onCheersas a regular patron of the bar.

04of 10

John Ratzenberger as Cliff Calvin

John Ratzenberger on Cheers and in 2022.Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Jon Kopaloff/WireImage

Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Jon Kopaloff/WireImage

John Ratzenberger’s know-it-all mail carrier Cliff Calvin was a bar regular, spewing trivia whether the other patrons wanted to hear it or not.

He was busy in movies prior toCheers,with roles inStar Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, RagtimeandGandhi.

He actually made up the role of Cliff during his audition. “I had already worked 10 years in London, doing my own comedy shows, touring through Europe,” the Connecticut native sharedin a 2014 interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles. “And I really just wanted them to know that I knew what I was doing. So as I walked out I asked, ‘Do you have a bar know-it-all?’ And then I just launched into this character.” He earned two Emmy nominations for the role.

He has been married to Julie Blichfeldt since 2012 and has two children from his first marriage to Georgia Stiny.

05of 10

George Wendt as Norm Peterson

George Wendt on Cheers and in 2019.Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Daniel Boczarski/Getty

Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Daniel Boczarski/Getty

In a chat onMarc Summers Unwrapped,Wendt recalledbeing offered a “small” role in the pilot, with a one-word line: “Beer.”

Wendt has been married to Bernadette Birkett, a Second City alumna, since 1978, and together they have five children.

06of 10

Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane

Kelsey Grammer on Cheers and in 2023.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Aldara Zarraoa/Getty

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Aldara Zarraoa/Getty

Kelsey Grammer’s psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane arrived atCheersin 1984,first as a love interest to Shelley Long’s Dianebut ultimately marrying Bebe Neuwirth’s Lilith. He earned two Emmy nominations for the role, but more notably moved on to his ever-popular spinoffFrasier,for which he scored 10 Emmy nominations and four wins.

He, too, was fairly new to television when he landedCheers,first starring on Broadway inMacbethandOthello.But he holds a soft spot for what he called his “first job in Hollywood.”

“It’s such a wonderful show and an institution,” Grammer toldUSA Todayat the2023 Emmys. “It deserves its place in history.”

Outside of work,he’s been married four times, wedding Kayte Walsh in 2011. He hasseven children,several of whom have followed him into acting.

07of 10

Bebe Neuwirth as Dr. Lilith Sternin

Bebe Neuwirth on Cheers and in 2023.CBS via Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty

CBS via Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty

“It’s really fun to play Lilith,” she told PEOPLE in 1991 of her pivot. “We have some things in common, like honesty.” She won back-to-back Emmys for the role, andfollowed on-screen husband Kelsey GrammertoFrasier,earning one more Emmy nomination there.She appears on the Paramount+ revival, too.

In the years sinceCheersended she’s starred on everything fromDeadlinetoMadam Secretary,and inHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.She also returned to the stage inDamn Yankees, Fosse, Funny Girl, The Addams Family, Chicagoand soon a revival ofCabaret.

She has been married twice, wedding director Chris Calkins in 2009.

08of 10

Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd

Woody Harrelson on Cheers and in 2023.Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty; Paul Morigi/Getty

Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty; Paul Morigi/Getty

Woody Harrelson’s Woody Boyd joinedCheersin season 4 as a not-so-bright but very cute bartender. The Texas native earned six Emmy nominations and a win for the role.

He recalled almost passing on the role in an interview with Howard Stern, as Broadway was calling. “Everybody told me, you’ve gotta do this show,“he recalled.“I’d never seen it, then I watched one or two episodes and I was like yes, this is a great show.” Calling it “the best” gig, he said his costars were “so fun.”

He missed theCheersreunion at the Emmysdue to the theater work he’s currently doing in London, but last yeargot to work on a podcast about the serieswith Ted Danson.

Harrelson has been married to Laura Louiesince 2008; together they have thee daughters, Deni, Zoe and Makani.

09of 10

Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe

Kirstie Alley on Cheers and in 2019.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Steve Granitz/WireImage

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Steve Granitz/WireImage

Wichita nativeKirstie Alleygot her big break in 1987 as Rebecca Howe onCheers,joining in season 6 following Shelley Long’s exit.

“She waltzed in and danced out with everyone’s heart,” according to a 1987 PEOPLE article,which noted she showed up to work her first daydressed as Long (complete with a blonde wig!) to break the ice. In 1991 she took home the Emmy for best actress in a comedy for her role.

On Dec. 5, 2022,Alley died of colon cancerat age 71.

10of 10

Nicholas Colasanto as ‘Coach’ Ernie Pantusso

Nicholas Colasanto was one of the original cast members, starring alongside Ted Danson’s Sam as bartender “Coach” Ernie Pantusso.

According to an EW profile, the Rhode Island native started on stage — a career U-turn as the World War II veteran was about to take a job abroad in oil — ultimately finding his place in television directing and dramatic movie acting. He landed the part of Coach onCheersand earned three consecutive Emmy nominations, though died suddenly following a heart attack toward the end of season 3. He was 61.

His death opened the door for Woody Harrelson’s Woody character — a pen pal of Coach’s — though the loss was felt among viewers and the cast.

“On stage and off. He was the older, more experienced one of all of us,“director James Burrowstold EW. “NickwasCoach.”

source: people.com