Who would have guessed that he would end up being the most successful Cheers cast member ? I know I wouldn't have guessed it. I definitely thought Ted Danson would go on to be in movies, but never Woody. I mean he was great on Cheers, but he was just a buffoon who always said stupid stuff. I never thought of him as a great actor then.
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shareDanson is a prime example of an actor who's great on TV, but never was able to make the transition to big screen leading man. Tom Selleck, David Caruso, Jimmy Smits, there are a lot of guys who you always thought would be big in movies, but ended up in mostly in supporting roles.
That said, being in leading rolls on series TV for a decade or three is a nice way to go through life.
You are correct and it depends on the definition of 'successful' being used.
Other than Cheers and 3 Men I couldn't tell you anything else he has done, but looking at his profile he has made 100s of episodes of series that I didn't even know existed in the last 30 years.
Probably because being in the UK they aren't on the channels I would watch or would be pay TV which I don't have.
Harrelson could be deemed the most famous as he has gone on to make films but he only has 15 post Cheers TV series episode credits.
You can't compare what they have achieved as one did TV and the other film, unless you consider film to be the most desirable or the number of episodes of TV done prolific.
You are correct and it depends on the definition of 'successful' being used.
Other than Cheers and 3 Men I couldn't tell you anything else he has done, but looking at his profile he has made 100s of episodes of series that I didn't even know existed in the last 30 years.
Probably because being in the UK they aren't on the channels I would watch or would be pay TV which I don't have.
Harrelson could be deemed the most famous as he has gone on to make films but he only has 15 post Cheers TV series episode credits.
You can't compare what they have achieved as one did TV and the other film, unless you consider film to be the most desirable or the number of episodes of TV done prolific.
You also can't ignore Kelsey Grammar, Frasier lasted a decade and has 100s of TV episode credits as well, although the executive producer thing confuses me as I haven't seen any of them to know if he is actually in them.
In the U.S., film is considered more prestigious than television. Stage is more prestigious than either, but not as lucrative nor as visible.
shareHow is stage more prestigious? They'll take anyone and it's not like they are performing timeless classics on Broadway anymore. It's a bunch of stupid musicals based on Disney and 80s movies.
shareI mean he was great on Cheers, but he was just a buffoon who always said stupid stuff. I never thought of him as a great actor then.You do know being 'just a buffoon' was acting and probably that 'stupid stuff' propelled his career.
As the other posters have said, success is relative. I think what you're talking about is 'fame', not success. Everyone else on Cheers were established actors and for most of them that was the apex of their career. Woody was just getting started.
There used to be a divide between screen, TV & stage actors, but not anymore. Yes, there are some snobs who still think TV acting is beneath them, but those are people who are heavily branded and super rich, it's not in their view. One celeb who has always interested me because he was never on TV is Tom Cruise. I don't know if he has ever acted on stage either.
Brad Pitt's production company is producing an HBO movie, airing in May with Julia Roberts, so I think the lines are more blurred than ever. If I was an actor, I would want to act in all three, plus there's more than three now, online is now another venue.
You do know being 'just a buffoon' was acting
Wait, you mean he was just acting that whole time ? woah, didn't know that !