Ted Danson Says People Kept Mistaking Him For Another Actor — And They Look Nothing Alike

It’s always nice to go where everybody knows your name, but it’s even better when people don’t mistake you for someone else.  

On her talk show, entertainer Jennifer Hudson asked her guest, sitcom star Ted Danson, if he was ever mistaken for another celebrity. 

Danson said that there was a period of about five years in which people confused the “Cheers” star for “Who’s The Boss” actor Tony Danza. 

“The first time it happened to me, it was in New York, and a bunch of construction workers, I walked by, and they went, ‘Hey, Tony,’” Danson said. “And I don’t look around, because my name’s not Tony — it’s Ted. And, ’Hey! Tony Danza! What, are you too good for us now?”

Ted Danson (left) and Tony Danza (right) pose for promotional photos for their hit series
Ted Danson (left) and Tony Danza (right) pose for promotional photos for their hit series "Cheers," and "Who's The Boss" Getty Images

Curious, Hudson asked if the actor responded. Danson said he “kept going” and didn’t reply. 

He and Danza don’t look alike, and Danson guessed it must be the cadence of their names that confuses people off. He admitted that he once signed an autograph using Danza’s name, to laugher from Hudson.

Both actors became household names in 1980’s — Danson as the charming bartender on “Cheers” and Danza as the lovable housekeeper on the sitcom “Who’s The Boss.” Both have also played baseball players — Danson on Cheers and Danza in the film “Angels in the Outfield.” 

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