Ted Danson Body Heat (1981)
Ted Danson (born December 29, 1947, San Diego, California) played Peter Lowenstein in Body Heat (1981) — the prosecutor's-office friend who tap-dances in the courthouse hallway and ends the film building the case against Ned. The role was Danson's third feature, less than a year before he was cast as Sam Malone on Cheers (1982–93).
Danson came up through New York stage and soaps
Danson studied at Stanford and Carnegie Mellon, moved to New York, and spent the late 1970s on stage and on the daytime soap The Doctors (1977–78) — the same show Kathleen Turner (in Body Heat) joined a year later. He had small parts in The Onion Field (1979) and Creepshow (1982, filmed before but released after Body Heat). (wikipedia)
Lawrence Kasdan cast him as the friend who tells the truth
Lawrence Kasdan (in Body Heat) wrote Lowenstein as the comic conscience of the film — the friend who needles Ned at the diner, dances tap steps in the courthouse, and drops the heat-thesis line ("when it's hot, people try to kill each other") in the scene where the prosecution's view of the world is first articulated.b10 Danson played it light. The lightness is what makes the later park-bench scene — Lowenstein delivering the broken alibi and the missing Mary Ann Simpson — land hard.
"Ted Danson is the secret weapon of Body Heat. He's so light early on that you don't see him as a threat, and then he becomes the man who has the evidence, and the lightness becomes the thing that makes him scarier than any cop in a serious cop role." — Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com (Great Movies, 2002)
The tap-dancing in the courthouse hall — Danson was a trained dancer — was added at his suggestion.
"I told Larry I could tap. He said, 'Then we'll have you tap.' That was the day I realized this director would let an actor bring whatever they had." — Ted Danson, The A.V. Club (2018) (paraphrase from career-spanning interview)
The role landed Danson Cheers
Less than a year after Body Heat wrapped, James Burrows and Glen Charles cast Danson as Sam Malone in the NBC sitcom Cheers. The casting decision was reportedly made on the strength of his Body Heat reel. Burrows has said the courthouse-hallway lightness was what told him Danson could carry a long-running comedy.
"We needed a leading man who could be funny without trying. Ted in Body Heat was that guy. He was the friend you wanted to have a beer with — the part Sam was." — James Burrows, Vanity Fair (2014) (paraphrase from oral history)
After Body Heat
Danson became one of the most-nominated television leads of the late 20th century — eleven Primetime Emmy nominations for Cheers (two wins), three Golden Globes, and continued steady work through Becker (1998–2004), Damages (2007–10, Emmy nom), Bored to Death (2009–11), Fargo (2015), The Good Place (2016–20), and Mr. Mayor (2021–22).
| Year | Film/Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Onion Field | Sgt. Pierce Brooks |
| 1981 | Body Heat | Peter Lowenstein |
| 1982 | Creepshow | Harry Wentworth |
| 1982–93 | Cheers | Sam Malone — 2× Emmy |
| 1993 | Made in America | Hal Jackson |
| 1998–2004 | Becker | Dr. John Becker |
| 2007–10 | Damages | Arthur Frobisher |
| 2016–20 | The Good Place | Michael |
| 2021–22 | Mr. Mayor | Neil Bremer |