2025 Golden Globes: Ted Danson Named Carol Burnett Award Honoree

Today, the Golden Globes announced that 13-time Golden Globe nominee and three-time winner Ted Danson has been named the Carol Burnett Award honoree for 2025.

Danson earned Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television in the film, Something About Amelia, in 1985, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy in the hit television sitcom, Cheers, in 1990 and 1991. 

Created in 2019 and initially awarded to its namesake, the Carol Burnett Award is presented to an honoree who has made outstanding contributions to television on or off screen. The recipient is selected based on their body of work and the lasting impact of their television career achievements on both the industry and audiences. Past recipients include Norman Lear, Ryan Murphy and Ellen DeGeneres. 

“Ted Danson has entertained audiences for decades with his iconic performances that will forever be ingrained in television history,” said Helen Hoehne, President of the Golden Globes. “His renowned career is a testament to his remarkable talent and versatility as an actor and bears resemblance to the award’s legendary namesake. It is an honor to present him with the 2025 Carol Burnett Award to celebrate the tremendous impact he has made and continues to make in television.”  

Danson is an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning actor known for an array of exceptional performances, and his role of Boston bartender Sam Malone on NBC’s multi-award winning and iconic comedy Cheers, which ran for 11 seasons and won three Emmys as Best Comedy Series. More recently, Danson can be seen playing himself in the comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm, which just concluded its 12th and final season on HBO. Danson also starred in the acclaimed NBC comedy The Good Place, for which he was nominated for his 14th Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor.

Previously, Danson starred in “Mr. Mayor,” an NBC comedy series written and executive produced by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. Danson also had a prominent role in the second season of FX’s critically acclaimed series Fargo. Other credits include CBS’ long-running CSI and CSI: Cyber, FX’s Damages (playing tycoon Arthur Frobisher) and CBS’ Becker – the latter two roles for which he was Golden Globe nominated. Currently, Danson will be starring in the upcoming Netflix comedy series, A Man on the Inside, which was written and executive produced by The Good Place creator, Mike Schur. Based on the Oscar-nominated documentary, The Mole Agent, the series will follow a retired man who gets a new lease on life when he answers an ad placed by a private investigator and goes undercover in a retirement home.

In film, Danson appeared in Hearts Beat Loud, Three Men and a Baby and its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady. He also had a co-starring role in Steven Spielberg’s award-winning World War II film Saving Private Ryan. Danson graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1978 to manage the Actor’s Institute and soon after, earned a role in The Onion Field and also co-starred in the TV movie The Women’s Room. In addition to acting and producing, Danson is an environmental activist, co-founding the American Oceans Campaign (AOC) in 1987 to alert Americans to the life-threatening hazards created by oil spills, off-shore development, toxic wastes, sewage pollution and other ocean abuses. 

Danson, along with 2025 Cecil B. DeMille Award winner, Viola Davis, will be honored at a gala dinner on Friday, January 3, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This will mark the first time that the Golden Globes will host a special evening dedicated to these two awards. Danson will also be recognized on the 82nd Annual Golden Globes broadcast.

Hosted by Nikki Glaser, the Golden Globes will air Sunday, January 5, 2025 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/5:00-8:00 PM, live PT) on the CBS Television Network, and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs). 

Nominations for the Golden Globes will be announced on Monday, December 9, 2024.