'Cheers' Stars: Where Are They Now?

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It's hard to believe that it's been more than 40 years since Cheers — the NBC sitcom about a cast of characters at a Boston bar where everybody knows your name — debuted on NBC in 1982. Join us as we check up on the cast to find out what they've been up to (and look like) now in honor of the news that the Cheers family recently lost one of their own: Norm actor George Wendt…

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Every bar needs a regular! Norm Peterson, played by George Wendt, was that guy on Cheers. We followed his journey from accountant to interior decorator and painter throughout the show's 275 episodes.

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After Cheers, George Wendt starred on his own sitcom, The George Wendt Show, which ran for a few months before its cancellation. From there he popped up on tons of shows including Seinfeld, where he played himself, The Simpsons, Family Guy and Frasier, where he reprised the role of Norm. He also did a stint on reality television, teaming up with Cheers co-star John Ratzenberger to scout comedic talent on season 6 of Last Comic Standing in 2008. He transitioned to the stage from the small screen, starring as Edna Turnblad in Broadway's Hairspray in 2007 and 2008 and in 2017 starred in Death of a Salesman on the stage in Ontario, Canada. In more recent years, he's popped up on Fresh Off the Boat, The Goldbergs, the animated Disney series Fancy Nancy as the voice of Grandpa Frank and the 2022 holiday rom-com Christmas With the Campbells. Wendt, who married actress Bernadette Birkett in the '70s, is the uncle of Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis. He died at 76 in 2025.

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Ted Danson brought Sam Malone — the owner of Cheers who also worked behind the bar — to life. The ladies man had a rough past that included alcoholism ruining his career in the major leagues. Fans watched him try to find love with Diane Chambers and Rebecca Howe throughout the show's 11 seasons.

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"Cheers" put Ted Danson on the map in Hollywood, netting him 11 Emmy nominations and nine Golden Globe nods (he won two of each). He returned to the role of Sam Malone on "Frasier," "The Jim Henson Hour" and "The Simpsons" after the series ended. Since then, he notably starred on the CBS sitcom "Becker" from 1998 to 2004 and FX's "Damages" in 2007 and also has worked on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "CSI: Cyber" as well as on "Curb Your Enthusiasm." He starred on NBC's "The Good Place" alongside Kristen Bell from 2016 to 2020 and in recent years has also appeared on Hulu's "The Orville" and NBC's "Mr. Mayor." Ted's been married to his third wife, actress Mary Steenburgen, since 1995 and shares two daughters with his second wife, Cassandra Coates.

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For five seasons, Shelley Long played Diane Chambers, the Boston University student who ended up working as a waitress after her fiancé left her. She had an on-and-off relationship with Sam but ultimately opted to move to Los Angeles and leave Boston behind.

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Shelley Long won two Golden Globes for her work on "Cheers" and later reprised her role on four episodes of "Frasier." After "Cheers," she also landed another iconic role playing Carol Brady in the film remake of "The Brady Bunch." She popped up every now and then on "Modern Family" as Jay's ex-wife, DeDe Pritchett, through 2018 and more recently appeared in the 2021 film "The Cleaner" opposite Luke Wilson and Lynda Carter. Shelley has an adult daughter, Juliana, with ex-husband Bruce Tyson.

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Sam's second major love interest, Rebecca Howe, was played by Kirstie Alley starting on season 6. Rebecca took over the bar for a short time before Sam regained ownership.

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Kirstie Alley picked up two Emmy nominations and one win for playing Rebecca Howe and her television career continued to thrive even after "Cheers" closed its doors. She nabbed another Emmy for the 1994 TV film "David's Mother" and landed her own show on NBC a few years later, "Veronica's Closet." Kirstie starred in and served as executive producer on the series, which ran from 1997 to 2000. From there the "Look Who's Talking" actress found success as a spokesperson, first for the store Pier One from 2000 to 2004 and then famously for Jenny Craig from 2005 until 2008 after losing 75 pounds with the company's program. After parting ways with Jenny Craig, she gained weight back, but this time she took a different route to slim down — competing on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2011, where she came in second. In 2012, she danced again alongside other "DWTS" all-stars for season 15 and came in seventh. She tried her hand at a different reality competition — "The Masked Singer" — in 2022 and came in sixth. Kirstie married and divorced twice over the years. She shares two children with second husband Parker Stevenson — son True and daughter Lillie — and became a grandmother in 2016. The actress died at 71 in December 2022 after a private battle with colon cancer that was "only recently discovered," her children said in a statement.

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Rhea Perlman played Carla Tortelli, the hilarious waitress and mother of four who had four more children during the show's 11-season run.

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Playing Carla Tortelli treated Rhea Perlman very well! Her performance netted her six Golden Globe nominations and 10 Emmy nominations (and four wins!) for best supporting actress. She made appearances in a few films including 1996's "Carpool" and "Matilda" and made a return to television when she starred as the titular character on the 1996 sitcom "Pearl," which ran for one season. Rhea wrapped her role as Danny's mom, Annette Castellano, on "The Mindy Project" in 2017 and took over for Rosie O'Donnell in an off-Broadway production of "Good for Otto" in 2018. In 2022, she appeared in Netflix's "13: The Musical." Rhea married Danny DeVito back in 1982 but their relationship later turned rocky: They split in 2012, reunited in 2013 and split again in 2017, though the final breakup was amicable. The couple, who share adult children Lucy, Grace and Jake, have remained friends.

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John Ratzenberger played Cliff Clavin, another quirky bar regular. The postal worker served as the resident know-it-all who also just so happens to still live with his mom.

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"Cheers" earned John Ratzenberger two Emmy nominations and launched the actor's amazingly successful movie career — despite the fact that you don't often see his face! When it comes to his films' box office earnings, John actually became one of the most successful actors of all time after transitioning to voice work once "Cheers" ended. He's voiced characters in all of Pixar's feature films with some of his most notable roles being Hamm the piggy bank in "Toy Story," John in "WALL-E" and Mack the truck in the "Cars" franchise. John also spent some time on reality television competing on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2007 and scouting comedic talent with "Cheers" co-star George Wendt on season 6 of "Last Comic Standing" in 2008. He's continued to pop up on sitcoms — like an episode of "The Goldbergs" in 2019 and an episode of "Bob Hearts Abishola" in 2020. More recently, he voiced a character in Apple+'s "Luck." John has two children with his first wife and has been married to second wife Julie Blichfeldt since 2012.

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Dr. Frasier Crane was born on "Cheers." Kelsey Grammer first played the psychiatrist, who was a love interest for Diane, during the show's third season. He remained on the series until the end, after which his popular character landed his own eponymous spinoff.

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Kelsey Grammer portrayed Frasier Crane for 20 years thanks to "Frasier," which ended up being one of the most successful spinoffs in the history of television. The sitcom ran for 11 seasons on NBC and netted him four Emmy Awards. He never quite duplicated his Frasier Crane success on the small screen, though: He starred on a handful of sitcoms that were canceled quickly (like "Back To You" and "Hank"). It wasn't until he made the transition to a TV drama that he had another hit on his hands — the Starz series "Boss." His work as Richard J. Daley also earned him a Golden Globe in 2012. More recently, Kelsey appeared on "Dr. Death" in 2021 and in a two-season "Frasier" reboot that debuted in 2023. His personal life has been dramatic, as he's been married four times and has seven children including daughter Spencer Grammer, an actress, with first wife Doreen Alderman and actress daughter Greer Grammer with a girlfriend after his first divorce. He didn't have children with his second wife but went on to marry model Camille Donatacci and welcome two more kids, daughter Mason and son Jude. His split from Camille was chronicled on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" in 2010. Later that year, Kelsey announced that his girlfriend and future fourth wife, former flight attendant Kayte Walsh, was pregnant. After suffering a miscarriage, the two wed in 2011 and went on to have three children — daughter Faith and sons Kelsey and Auden.

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Bebe Neuwirth played Lilith Sternin, a bar regular who made her first appearance during the fourth season. The psychiatrist struck up a relationship with a fellow regular, Dr. Frasier Crane, during the fifth season, which led to a marriage, a child and a divorce on the "Cheers" spinoff "Frasier."

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Lilith Sternin didn't disappear once "Cheers" ended — Bebe Neuwirth starred on 12 episodes of the spinoff "Frasier," which earned her an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series. The character also made a 1992 appearance on "Wings," another NBC show from the "Cheers" creators that often featured guest appearances from the beloved bar's crew. Bebe continued to act on television throughout the '90s and '00s on a wide range of series including "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and "The Good Wife." She played Nadine Tolliver on "Madam Secretary" from 2014 until 2017 and also appeared on a few episodes of CBS's "Good Wife" spinoff, "The Good Fight." More recently, she appeared on "The Flight Attendant" in 2020 and on "Julia" in 2022. Besides landing work on television and in the occasional film, Bebe has also starred on the stage, most notably winning a Tony for her performance as Roxie Hart in "Chicago" in 1997. Off screen, Bebe married second husband Chris Calkins in 2009.

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Woody Harrelson didn't even have to go by another name for his "Cheers" role! The actor played Woody Boyd, a bartender. He made his first appearance during season 4 and hung around the famous watering hole until the very end.

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Woody Harrelson became a major Hollywood player after "Cheers" ended. The show provided him with his big break, and his performance earned him five Emmy nominations and one win. From there, he made a smooth transition to the silver screen, landing roles in big flicks such as 1992's "White Men Can't Jump," 1994's "Natural Born Killers" and the "Hunger Games" franchise, to name just a few. Woody also has three Academy Award nominations under his belt — one for playing Larry Flynt in 1996's "The People vs. Larry Flynt," one for his work as Captain Tony Stone in 2009's "The Messenger" and more recently for playing Willoughby in 2017's "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." The actor married second wife Laura Louie, with whom he has three daughters, in 2008 after 20 years as a couple. They've raised their girls at their home on the Hawaiian island of Maui.