Shelley Long Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Shelley Lee Long
OCCUPATION: Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress, Comedian, Television Personality
BIRTH DATE: August 23, 1949 (Age: 62)
EDUCATION: Northwestern University
PLACE OF BIRTH: Fort Wayne, Indiana

ZODIAC SIGN: Leo

more about Shelley

Best Known For

Shelley Long is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the long-running sitcom Cheers.

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Shelley Long

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Synopsis

Shelley Long studied drama at Northwestern University before dropping out to pursue and acting career. After appearing in several TV commercials in the 1970s, she joined the Second City comedy troupe. Her star moment came when she landed the role of Diane Chambers on the hit sitcom Cheers in 1982. She won an Emmy for her performance as the uptight waitress. She continues to act in small parts.

Profile

Actress. Born August 23, 1949 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The daughter of a school teacher, Long attended Northwestern University where she majored in drama. She dropped out after two years to pursue an acting career and began appearing in Chicago television commercials in the 1970s. She also joined the prestigious Second City comedy troupe and hosted a local news magazine called Sorting It Out.

After a handful of film and TV appearances, including 1981's spoof Caveman, MASH and Night Shift, Long landed the role of Diane Chambers on the hit sitcom Cheers in 1982. She won an Emmy that year and Golden Globes in 1982 and 1984 for her performance as the pretentious, uptight waitress. But beind the scenes, Shelley Long's reportedly overbearing personality wore on the rest of the ensemble cast, and she left the series in 1987.

Her career since Cheers has been less notable and has included a stint as Carol Brady in 1995's The Brady Bunch: The Movie. She reprised the role for 1996's A Very Brady Sequel.

Long married investment advisor Bruce Tyson in 1981. Their daughter, Juliana, was born in 1985.