ABOVE: Watch Ted Danson appearing on Global’s The Morning Show.
TORONTO — Ted Danson has been ubiquitous on television since his breakthrough role as bartender Sam Malone on Cheers, which ran from 1982 to 1993.
He followed with series like Becker, Damages, Bored to Death — and a recurring role on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Since 2011, he’s been playing D.B. Russell on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
“I keep working so that people on the street who might have seen a rerun don’t look at me and go, ‘Oh my God, you look like crap. What happened?’,” Danson joked during an appearance Monday on Global’s The Morning Show.
“Stay in front of the camera — that’s my motto.”
Danson, 67, will return to CSI for a two-hour finale next season and then move over to the franchise’s latest series, CSI: Cyber. He will also show up as Sheriff Hank Larsson in the sophomore season of Fargo, which was shot in the Calgary area.
“It’s wonderful writing,” he said of Fargo. “Once again, I was lucky to be around great writing.”
Danson is in Toronto — where he shot 1987’s Three Men and a Baby and the 2005 TV movie Our Fathers — to promote Oceana, an organization focused on protecting the world’s oceans. He serves on the board of directors.
“It’s one of those huge environmental disasters in the making that we can fix, and are,” he said of the pollution and over-fishing that are threatening fish populations.
- ‘Shock and disbelief’ after Manitoba school trustee’s Indigenous comments
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- Several baby products have been recalled by Health Canada. Here’s the list
- ‘Sciatica was gone’: hospital performs robot-assisted spinal surgery in Canadian first
“I’ve been surrounded by these incredibly bright scientists and lawyers and advocates for so long that I’m just fascinated by the conversation.”
Danson said he’s not an expert but knows his celebrity status can help get people hooked.
“I’m the guy who stands in front of the tent and says, ‘thank you for watching Cheers. I want you to meet this incredibly bright marine biologist who has something important to say.'”
While talking about fish might be boring to many people, Danson said it’s important.
“If you talk about feeding the world, all of a sudden you get people’s attention. Fish is the perfect protein: You don’t use any fresh water to make it, you don’t cut down a rainforest to grow something to feed it.
“It’s about making sure that we do not overfish our oceans,” he said.
Canada, which is surrounded by three oceans, has “done a great job,” in the effort, said Danson. (Oceana Canada recently opened in Toronto.)
“You also have some of the best marine scientists in the world here in Canada,” he added.
“So you’re in a position to really make a difference and make our fisheries come back.”
Comments