Inside the “Cheers” Cast's Lives Over 30 Years After the Show Ended

Kate Hogan, Caroline Blair, Emily KrauserTue, May 26, 2026 at 3:08 PM UTC

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The cast members of 'Cheers' pose for a portrait in Los Angeles in October 1983
Credit: Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images -

Cheers aired on NBC for 11 seasons from September 1982 to May 1993

The Emmy-winning sitcom starred Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman and the late George Wendt

Wendt died on May 20, 2025, on the 32nd anniversary of the series finale

For 11 seasons, audiences were glad they came and got to know everybody's names on Cheers.

The hit NBC sitcom premiered on Sept. 20, 1982, serving as a primetime destination for fans to watch a group of friends visit their favorite bar in Boston and talk about their everyday lives. Earning 28 Emmy Awards, Cheers launched the careers of several actors, including Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman and the late George Wendt.

The series ended on May 20, 1993. In 2025, on the 32nd anniversary of the show's finale, Cheerslost one of its core cast members when Wendt died at the age of 76.

"George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever," his publicist told PEOPLE in a statement at the time.

The cast members — who remained close years after bar owner Sam Malone (Danson) locked the doors of the watering hole for the last time — reunited at the 75th Emmys in January 2024. Many continued their work on the small screen, starring on other NBC shows, like Grammer on the Cheers spinoff Frasier and Danson on The Good Place, opposite Kristen Bell.

In honor of Wendt's death and the 33rd anniversary of the final episode, here's "one for the road" with the cast of Cheers.

01 of 09

George Wendt as Norm Peterson

From left: George Wendt as Norm Peterson on 'Cheers'; George Wendt attends Wizard World Comic Con Chicago at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., on Aug. 23, 2019
Credit: Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Daniel Boczarski/Getty

Wendt died at the age of 76 on May 20, 2025 — the 32nd anniversary of the Cheers series finale.

His publicist Melissa Nathan told PEOPLE in a statement, "George's family confirmed the news of his death early Tuesday morning, announcing he died peacefully in his sleep while at home."

One of nine children, the late Cheers alum's sister is actor Jason Sudeikis' mother, Kathryn Sudeikis. In 1974, Wendt started training in comedy at Chicago's The Second City theater, where he later met Bernadette Birkett, whom he married in July 1978. The two shared three children: Hilary, Joe and Daniel.

Wendt got his big break on Cheers, earning six Emmy nominations for his role as Norm Peterson.

During an appearance on the Marc Summers Unwrapped podcast in 2023, the Chicago native, who was born in 1948, recalled being offered a "small" role on the pilot episode, with a one-word line: "Beer."

The casting director gave him more to read, and he was ultimately offered a part, which he couldn't accept because he was already involved in a different CBS series, Making the Grade. Wendt was allowed to work as a guest star on the Cheers pilot. However, when Making the Grade wasn't picked up by a network, he was offered his iconic Cheers role, dropping what Summers called "Norm-isms" on several episodes.

After finishing the series in 1993, he went on to work on The George Wendt Show,Saturday Night Live, Modern Men, Clipped, as well as some TV voice work, and films including Forever Young (1992), Spice World(1997) and The Independents (2018). Like several of his costars, Wendt also appeared on Broadway, with roles in Art, Hairspray, Elf and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Wendt maintained his close friendship with his costars Danson, Grammer, Long, Perlman, John Ratzenberger and Woody Harrelson over the years. His wife told PEOPLE in 1993, "[The cast] get along like siblings. To somebody peeking in from the outside, they look like they're having the greatest time in the world."

Before his death, Wendt competed on The Masked Singer in 2023 and reunited with his Cheers castmates at the 2023 Emmys to present the award for outstanding directing for a comedy series.

Throughout his career, Wendt always emphasized that the most important thing for him was to "have fun."

"I just look for fun things to do," he told the Chicago Tribune in October 2002.

02 of 09

Ted Danson as Sam Malone

From left: Ted Danson as Sam Malone on 'Cheers'; Ted Danson attends the 32nd annual Actor Awards at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in L.A. on March 1, 2026
Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Neilson Barnard/Getty

As Sam Malone, a former baseball star and the owner of the bar Cheers, Danson kept "everyone's sanity" on set, as Ratzenberger told PEOPLE in 1987. "He absorbs the angst."

The San Diego native, best known for The Doctors before Cheers, earned 11 consecutive Emmy nominations and two wins for his work. During his time on the series, he also starred in the hit 1987 comedy Three Men and a Baby, alongside Tom Selleck and Steve Guttenberg, and its 1990 sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady.

After leaving the bar, his success continued. Danson led a host of TV series, including Ink, Becker, Bored to Death, CSI, The Good Place, Curb Your Enthusiasmand Mr. Mayor. Since November 2024, he has starred on Netflix's A Man on the Inside, created by Good Place showrunner Michael Schur, which was renewed for a third season in February 2026.

Off-screen, Danson has been married to Academy Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen since October 1995. He has two children, daughters Kate and Alexis, from his previous marriage to his second wife, Casey Coates. Danson is also the stepfather to Steenburgen's two kids: Lilly Walton and filmmaker Charlie McDowell.

03 of 09

Shelley Long as Diane Chambers

From left: Shelley Long as Diane Chambers on 'Cheers'; Shelley Long visits Hallmark's 'Home & Family' at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2017
Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; David Livingston/Getty

Long portrayed graduate student Diane Chambers, who stumbled into the bar after a breakup and took a job as a waitress, later becoming a love interest for Danson's Sam.

Though rumors of a rift between the two stars swirled, especially when Long left the show in 1987, the actress told PEOPLE that year that "we did our jobs with a caring for each other. 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 before Cheers, though the series launched her into superstardom. She earned five Emmy nominations and one win for Cheers, and went on to have recurring roles on shows like Good Advice and Modern Family.

On the big screen, Long starred in the 1989 cult classic Troop Beverly Hills and stepped into the role of Carol Brady in the Brady Bunch movies. She's also starred in holiday TV movies like Merry In-Laws (2012) and Holiday Road Trip (2013). Her last credited role was 2021's The Cleaner.

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

04 of 09

Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli

From left: Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli on 'Cheers'; Rhea Perlman arrives at the Hollywood Legion in L.A. for the season 2 premiere of 'Poker Face' on May 1, 2025
Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images; Jesse Grant/Peacock via Getty

PEOPLE once described Perlman's Carla Tortelli as "man-hungry" and "tough-as-nails." The cocktail waitress was Sam's eternal sidekick and the mother of eight.

For Perlman, Cheers "was huge," the New York City-born actress told PEOPLE in April 2022. "And I wouldn't have had any of the career that I — well, who knows what I would've had? Nobody knows what doesn't happen, but it was the best job in the world."

She scored 10 Emmy nods and four wins for her work as Carla. The role opened doors to parts on TV series like Pearl, Ally McBeal,Hung and The Mindy Project, plus former costar Kirstie Alley's Kirstie. Throughout the 2020s, she's appeared on Mid-Century Modern, The Studio and Poker Face. Perlman has also had memorable film roles, including as Mrs. Wormwood in 1996's Matilda and a touching part in 2023's Barbie.

Before Cheers, Perlman starred on Taxi, where she met husband and fellow actor Danny DeVito (according to PEOPLE, they wed on a lunch break in January 1982). Together they have three children, Lucy, Grace and Jake. Perlman and DeVito have collaborated on several projects since their Taxi days, including Matilda, 2006's 10 Items or Less and his hit TV show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Fun fact: Perlman's father, the late actor Philip Perlman, also appeared on Cheers as a regular patron of the bar, per The Hollywood Reporter.

05 of 09

John Ratzenberger as Cliff Calvin

From left: John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin on 'Cheers'; John Ratzenberger attends the premiere of Disney and Pixar's 'Onward' in Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 18, 2020
Credit: erb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images; Rich Fury/Getty

The Connecticut native was busy in movies before Cheers, with roles in Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Ragtime (1981).

On Cheers, Ratzenberger portrayed the know-it-all mail carrier Cliff Calvin, a bar regular who spewed trivia whether the other patrons wanted to hear it or not — and he actually made up the role during his audition.

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"I had already worked 10 years in London, doing my own comedy shows, touring through Europe," he told Fox 11 Los Angeles in December 2014. "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 nods for the role.

Aside from Cheers, Ratzenberger is perhaps best known for having voiced a character in every single Pixar movie, which he said was "good luck" for him.

"The beauty of Pixar, they do things the old-fashioned way," he told Fox 11 L.A. "They have a very high standard. So by the time you walk into the recording booth, the writer or director, they know every nuance, every comma, so I just simply listen. It's their child, I'm just babysitting."

He also guest-starred on other TV series, including 8 Simple Rules, Mom, The Goldbergsand Poker Face with former Cheers costar Perlman.

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

06 of 09

Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane

From left: Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane on 'Cheers'; Kelsey Grammer attends the 'Frasier' photocall at Rosewood Villa Magna Hotel in Madrid on Dec. 19, 2023
Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Aldara Zarraoa/Getty

Dr. Frasier Crane, played by Grammer, arrived on Cheers in 1984, first as a love interest to Diane, though the psychiatrist ultimately married Bebe Neuwirth's Lilith. He earned two Emmy nominations for the role, but more notably moved on to his ever-popular spinoff Frasier, for which he scored 10 Emmy nominations and four wins during its 11-season run.

He, too, was fairly new to the small screen when he landed Cheers, first starring on Broadway in Macbeth and Othello.

However, Grammer holds a soft spot for what he called his "first job in Hollywood."

"It's such a wonderful show and an institution," the actor told USA Todayat the 75th Emmy Awards in January 2024. "It deserves its place in history."

Aside from Frasier, the Virgin Islands native has starred on Back to You, Hank, Boss, Dr. Deathand even voiced Sideshow Bob on The Simpsons, for which he also won an Emmy. He's also appeared in films like The Expendables 3 (2014), Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016) and The Marvels(2023) and has been busy on Broadway in Finding Neverland and La Cage aux Folles; he earned a Tony Award nomination for the latter.

Grammer reprised his role as Dr. Frasier Crane in a Paramount+ revival of the beloved series, which he told PEOPLE in April 2024 "feels great."

He added, "And Frasier's still alive, and he has a new story to tell and a new series of people to do it with, and it's been fantastic."

The new iteration lasted two seasons, and he's since worked on The Hunting Partyand appeared in the 2025 films Wish You Were Here and The Christmas Ring.

Off-screen, Grammer has been married four times: He and current wife Kayte Walshtied the knot in February 2011. He has eight children, several of whom have followed him into acting, including his eldest daughters Spencer Grammer and Greer Grammer.

07 of 09

Bebe Neuwirth as Dr. Lilith Sternin

From left: Bebe Neuwirth as Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane on 'Cheers'; Bebe Neuwirth attends the opening night of 'Pay the Writer' at the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre in New York City on Aug. 21, 2023
Credit: CBS via Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Though Neuwirth's big TV break was as Frasier's deadpan wife Dr. Lilith Sternin on Cheers, the New Jersey native and classically trained dancer was already big on Broadway when she joined the cast, having starred in A Chorus Line, Little Me and Sweet Charity, for which she won a Tony Award.

"It's really fun to play Lilith," she told PEOPLE in 1991 of her pivot. "We have some things in common, like honesty."

Neuwirth won back-to-back Emmys for the role, then followed on-screen husband Grammer to Frasier, earning one more Emmy nomination there. She also appeared on the Paramount+ revival.

In the years since Cheers ended, Neuwirth has starred on everything from Deadline to Madam Secretary, and appeared in films like Jumanji (1995), Summer of Sam (1999) and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days(2003).She also returned to the stage in Damn Yankees, Fosse, Funny Girl, The Addams Family and Chicago.

Neuwirth has been married twice. She wed director Chris Calkins in May 2009.

08 of 09

Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd

From left: Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd on 'Cheers'; Woody Harrelson attends the HBO special screening of 'White House Plumbers' at the U.S. Navy Theater in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 2023
Credit: Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty; Paul Morigi/Getty

Harrelson's Woody Boyd joined Cheers on 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, as Broadway was calling, telling Howard Stern in June 2020, "Everybody told me, you've gotta do this show. I'd never seen it, then I watched one or two episodes, and I was like, 'Yes, this is a great show.' "

Harrelson called it "the best" gig, adding that his costars were "so fun."

Though he missed the Cheers reunion at the 2023 Emmys due to theater work in London, he created a podcast about the series with former cast member Danson.

Before starring on the NBC sitcom, Harrelson already had several film roles under his belt, and hasn't really stopped since the series wrapped. He's starred in The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Anger Management (2003), No Country for Old Men (2007), The Messenger (2009), The Edge of Seventeen(2016),Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Ella McCay(2025) and Full Phil (2026), earning three Oscar nods along the way. He also played Haymitch Abernathy in all four of The Hunger Games movies and led the casts of the Zombieland and Now You See Me franchises.

Other TV credits include White House Plumbers and True Detective, for which he received two more Emmy nominations. He also portrayed former President Joe Biden on SNL throughout 2019.

Harrelson has been married to Laura Louie since December 2008. Together, they share three children: daughters Deni, Zoe and Makani.

09 of 09

Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe

From left: Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe on 'Cheers'; Kirstie Alley attends the premiere of 'The Fanatic' at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on Aug. 22, 2019
Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Steve Granitz/WireImage

The Wichita, Kan., native got her big break in 1987 as Rebecca Howe on Cheers, joining season 6 following 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 day dressed as Long, complete with a blonde wig, to break the ice. In 1991, Alley took home the Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy for her role.

Alley went on to star in movies and on TV shows, notably on Veronica's Closet from 1997 to 2000 and in the 1989 favorite Look Who's Talking and 1999 cult classic Drop Dead Gorgeous. She also reunited with Perlman for her 2013 sitcom, Kirstie.

She also ventured into the reality TV world, starring on A&E's Kirstie Alley's Big Life in 2010 and competing on the 2011 season of Dancing with the Stars.

She and her then-husband, Parker Stevenson, adopted two children: son William True and daughter Lillie Price. The pair split in 1997.

Alley died of colon cancer on Dec. 5, 2022. She was 71.

on People

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