Inside Ted Danson's Fortune: Ted Danson's Total Wealth ( Updated) Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings & Assets

As one of the most talked-about figures, Ted Danson has built a significant fortune. Our team analyzed the latest data to provide a clear picture of their income.

What is Ted Danson's Net Worth and Salary?

After "Cheers," Danson successfully avoided typecasting by taking diverse roles. He demonstrated his dramatic abilities in films like "Something About Amelia" and showed his comedy chops in "Three Men and a Baby." He continued his television success with notable roles in "Becker" (1998-2004), where he played a cynical doctor, and "Damages" (2007-2010), which showcased his dramatic range.

Ted Danson is a California-born actor who has a net worth of $80 million. Ted Danson emerged as one of television's most beloved actors thanks to his iconic role as Sam Malone in "Cheers" (1982-1993). Ted's portrayal of the charming, former baseball player-turned-bartender helped establish "Cheers" as one of the greatest sitcoms in TV history. The role earned him two Emmy Awards, made him a household name, and, in the final seasons of the series, made him the highest-paid actor on television. More info on Ted Danson's "Cheers" salary and other salaries in the next section below.

In the final seasons of "Cheers," Ted Danson was the highest-paid actor on television, earning $450,000 per episode. That worked out to around $12 million per season in seasons 9, 10 and 11. After adjusting for inflation, that's the same as earning $25 million per season in today's money.

Edward Bridge Danson III, better known as Ted Danson, was born in San Diego, California, on December 29, 1947. He was raised in Flagstaff, Arizona, along with his older sister Jan, because their father was an archaeologist and the director of the Museum of Northern Arizona from 1959 to 1975. He attended the Kent School, a prep school in Connecticut. There, he was a star basketball player. He continued his education at Stanford University, which is where his interest in acting began. In pursuit of a better acting program, he then transferred to Carnegie Mellon University, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama in 1972.

Later in his career, Danson experienced a remarkable renaissance with acclaimed performances in "The Good Place" (2016-2020) as the demon-architect Michael, and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2011-2015) as D.B. Russell. He also earned praise for his role as a wealthy businessman in HBO's "Bored to Death" (2009-2011). He has won two Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards and has a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood.

Then, Danson had his big breakthrough in 1982, when he was cast as the womanizing former baseball player Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom "Cheers." Even though the show had poor ratings in its first season, the numbers slowly improved, and by 1986, it was one of the top shows airing on TV at the time. In total, the show had 11 seasons and aired its last episode on May 30, 1993. Its finale was actually watched by 80 million people, making it the second most-watched finale in history at the time. For his performance on "Cheers," Danson actually received eleven consecutive Emmy nominations and nine Golden Globe nominations, winning two of each award.

Danson's first paid acting job in television was as a contract player on the daytime soap opera "Somerset," playing the character Tom Conway from 1975 to 1976. Then, in 1977, he landed the role of Dr. Mitchell Pierson on the show "The Doctors". Additionally, around this time, he appeared in several commercials, most notably as the "Aramis man" for the Estee Lauder fragrance brand Aramis. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he continued to appear as a guest on many television shows, including "Laverne and Shirley," "B.J. and the Bear," "Family," "Benson," "Taxi," "Magnum P.I.," "The Amazing Spider-Man," and "Tucker's Witch".

From 2011 to 2015, when Danson starred in the CBS drama "CSI," his salary was $250,000 per episode. He appeared in 86 episodes, which was around $21 million in per-season earnings.

In summary, the total wealth of Ted Danson reflects strategic moves.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.