HOT GALLERY: Pull Up a Barstool and Find Out Where the Stars of Cheers Are Today

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Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd

Sweet, well-intentioned, and dim-witted Woody took the place of Coach behind the bar starting in season 4. The Midwestern boy with the heart of gold was often “unintentionally” hilarious—though by the end of the series he earns a spot on the Boston City Council, marries the gorgeous, rich girl of his dreams, has kids, and happily settles down.

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Woody Harrelson Today

Who would have thought that of all the Cheers cast members, Harrelson would be the one with two Oscar nods (for The Messenger and The People vs. Larry Flynt) and the white-hot career? He has also starred in Natural Born Killers, EdTV, Wag the Dog, Zombieland, and No Country for Old Men, among others. Next year, he reprises his role as Haymitch Abernathy in the upcoming Hunger Games sequel(s) and will star in the 9/11 drama September Morn.

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Ted Danson as Sam Malone on <em>Cheers</em>

The retired Red Sox pitcher turned barkeep Sam Malone was a bona fide ladies’ man, a player in more ways than one. A recovering alcoholic, Sam was also a sex addict, but he was actually one of the most stable and caring characters on the show. His verbal—and sometimes physical—spars with Shelley Long’s Diane were legendary; the two had sizzling chemistry and one of the most dynamic on-again, off-again relationships in TV history.

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Ted Danson Today

How do you follow up a character as recognizable as Sam? For about five years after the show ended, Danson kicked around a bit, doing guest spots, a couple of unsuccessful movies, and a failed series with his wife, Mary Steenburgen (Ink). Then in 1998 he appeared in the Oscar-winning Saving Private Ryan and landed his second hit sitcom, Becker. That began a bit of a resurgence, and he has since starred in a number of acclaimed series, including Damages, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Bored to Death. He currently stars on the wildly popular crime drama C.S.I.

Shelley Long as Diane Chambers on Cheers

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Shelley Long as Diane Chambers on <em>Cheers</em>

Diane, the intellectual blond with the quick temper and the well-developed sense of self-importance, seemed an odd fit for Sam, but the two just couldn’t quit each other—that is, until Long quit the show after season 5. “I didn’t want to keep doing the same episode over and over again,” she explained in a 2011 interview. “It had been such a fresh and vital experience for me, I didn’t want it to become old and stale.” Nonetheless, it was “one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. Yes, I missed it, but I never regretted that decision.”

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Shelley Long Today

After leaving Cheers, Long went on to star as Carol Brady in three Brady Bunch parody movies. She made guest appearances on series including Murphy Brown and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch before moving primarily into TV movies like Vanished Without a Trace. Recently she’s appeared on Modern Family; next up is the movie Lumpy, costarring Justin Long and Tyler Labine.

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Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli

Sharp-tongued and superstitious cocktail waitress Carla was always willing to express her opinions—which were usually about as bitter as they come (she was a working single mom of eight kids, after all). She packed a lot of personality into one tiny package.

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Rhea Perlman Today

For her work on Cheers, Perlman earned four Emmy Awards—and she reprised the role in four other series: St. Elsewhere, The Simpsons, Frasier, and the Cheers spin-off The Tortellis. She has also made guest appearances on Mad About You, Hung, and Hot in Cleveland; her movie credits include Matilda, 10 Items of Less, and the recent film festival favorite The Sessions. Perlman—who has three (not eight!) children with her actor-director husband Danny DeVito—is the author of the successful Otto Undercover series of children’s books.

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Nicholas Colasanto as Ernie “Coach” Pantusso

He may have been a bit daft, but no one matched Coach for sweetness or likability—and he enjoyed his share of great gags. He and Diane became especially close over the show’s first three seasons. Colasanto’s death from a heart attack in 1985 was addressed respectfully but with little fanfare on the show, when his character died suddenly as well.

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Nicholas Colasanto

A World War II veteran, Colasanto had appeared in Car 54, Where Are You? and My Favorite Martian early in his career, before getting roles in movies like Fat City and Raging Bull. He was about ready to retire from the business—in part a result of his alcoholism—when he was offered the role of Coach, which ended up defining his career and securing his legacy. He was 61 when he died.

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Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe

As the no-nonsense dark-haired beauty Rebecca, Kirstie Alley stepped into the unenviable task of replacing Shelley Long as the main female character on a show that was in part defined by the chemistry between Sam and Diane. Though she and Sam bantered, they never had the same kind of connection.

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Kirstie Alley Today

Alley starred in the Look Who’s Talking movies, and after Cheers she headlined her own series, Veronica’s Closet, in the late '90s. She has since guested on series including Without a Trace, starred on reality series like Fat Actress and Kirstie Alley’s Big Life and is currently competing once again for the mirror-ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars.

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Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane

Originally introduced as a love interest to the similarly intellectual Diane, stuffy psychologist Frasier was brought on as a recurring character in season 3 and a principal two years later. Although he conveyed a cool, calm, professional demeanor, Frasier was always tightly wound and ready to lose his cool.

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Kelsey Grammer Today

Spin-offs are a common reality of successful series, but how often do they actually match—if not surpass—the original? That’s precisely what happened with Frasier, which focused on the good doctor’s move from Boston to Seattle. Featuring the crackling rat-a-tat dialogue between Frasier and his brother, fellow psychologist Niles (played by the brilliant David Hyde Pierce), as well as their father (John Mahoney), his physical therapist (Jane Leeves), and Frasier’s radio producer (Peri Gilpin), the series earned 37 Emmy Awards over its 11 seasons on the air. Grammer has also produced series including Girlfriends, The Game, and Medium; he currently stars in the acclaimed high drama Boss.

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John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin

One of the regular patrons at Cheers was the know-it-all postal carrier Cliff, who had a theory on just about everything and was by no means shy about sharing it. He and Norm were especially tight, but Cliff’s general awkwardness made him a target of much merriment for everyone.

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John Ratzenberger Today

While you may not have seen much of Ratzenberger lately, chances are you’ve definitely heard him. For nearly 20 years now, he has been a kind of good-luck charm for Pixar, voicing characters both large and small in every movie the animation studio has ever made, including Cars, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, The Incredibles, Brave, and the Toy Story franchise. (He has also appeared—not in cartoon form—in TV series like 8 Simple Rules and Drop Dead Diva.)

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George Wendt as Norm Peterson

Norm! The song says it all: Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. (Check out the rousing Jimmy Fallon-led rendition!) For no one is this more true than Norm Peterson, the occasionally employed accountant who doubtless spends more time on his customary stool than at work (or at home, for that matter). Virtually unflappable, Norm is also king of the straight-man one-liners, as in: “It’s a dog-eat-dog world, Sammy, and I’m wearing Milk-Bone underwear.”

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George Wendt Today

After the sadly short-lived George Wendt Show went off the air, the actor continued to make guest appearances on series including Spin City, Ghost Whisperer, and Harry’s Law. He has also appeared in movies (Spice World and the David Mamet drama Edmond among them) and is the author of Drinking with George: A Barstool Professional’s Guide to Beer.

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Bebe Neuwirth as Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane

The beautiful but buttoned-up psychologist who is Frasier Crane’s match also became his mate—albeit not for long. Dry to a fault, Lilith was constantly sparring with Frasier, and the two seemed perfect for each other. They did get married and have a son together (not in that order), but the union didn’t last.

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Bebe Neuwirth Today

A stage actress of considerable note, Neuwirth has earned Tonys for her performances in Chicago and Sweet Charity. Her screen credits include Say Anything..., Bugsy, Jumanji, and Tadpole; on television, she has appeared on Bored to Death and, most recently, The Good Wife.