Ted Danson's birthday

Actor Edward Bridge Danson III (best known professionally as Ted Danson) was born on December 29th, 1947, in San Diego, California, but was raised in Flagstaff, Arizona. Danson became interested in acting while at University, graduating in 1972 from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama. His first television credits are on the 1970s’ soap operas Somerset and The Doctors. In 1979, Ted appeared on episodes of television series The Amazing Spider-Man, Mrs. Columbo, B.J. and the Bear and The French Atlantic Affair. On the big screen, Danson made his debut in crime drama The Onion Field (1979), followed by Body Heat (1981) and Creepshow (1982).

After guest-starring in shows like Laverne & Shirley and Magnum P.I., Danson was cast in the breakthrough role of baseball-player-turned-bartender Sam Malone in sitcom Cheers in 1982. While ratings were weak in the beginning, it quickly picked up and the show lasted for eleven seasons, its series finale premiering in 1993. For his performance on the show, Danson won an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award twice. Some years later, Ted would reprise his role on the sitcom Frasier, a Cheers spin-off, as well as The Jim Henson Hour and The Simpsons. During his time on the series, Danson appeared on the big screen in Little Treasure (1985), A Fine Mess (1986), Three Men and a Baby (1987), Dad (1989), Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), and Made in America (1993).

After Cheers ended, Ted starred in a series of television films, most notably Something About Amelia (1984) and When the Bough Breaks (1986). Between 1996 and 1997, he starred in the CBS sitcom Ink with his wife Mary Steenburgen, and from 1998 until 2004, Ted was the lead in Becker. Since 2000, he has had a recurring role in HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm as a fictionalized version of himself. Although Danson has a more prolific television appearance, he has made time to appear in Saving Private Ryan (1998), Mumford (1999),The Amateurs (2007), The Human Contract (2008), and The Open Road (2009).

In 2006, Danson portrayed the main character on the sitcom Help Me Help You for one season until its cancellation, and the following year was cast in the legal thriller Damages, which lasted until 2010. His next leading role in a television series was in comedy show Bored to Death, which lasted two years. In 2011, Danson was cast in one of his most memorable roles to date as Director D.B. Russell in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2011-2015), CSI: NY (2008), and CSI: Cyber (2015-2016). He followed it up with another crime series, Fargo, in 2015, and from 2016 to 2020, Danson was part of the main cast in Netflix’s popular fantasy comedy series The Good Place. His most recent television role was in Mr. Mayor in 2021, which was canceled after only one season. Ted’s film credits during the past decade include Ted  (2012), The One I Love (2012), and Hearts Beat Loud (2018).