Rhea Perlman

Rhea Jo Perlman is an American actress and author best known for portraying head waitress Carla Tortelli on the television sitcom Cheers. Throughout her multi-decade career, she has performed extensively across television, feature films, and stage productions. In addition to her performance work, she has written a published series of books for children.

Born on March 31, 1948, in Coney Island, Brooklyn, Perlman was raised in a Jewish family in Bensonhurst alongside her younger sister, Heide. Her mother worked as a bookkeeper, while her father managed a doll parts factory before later pursuing a second career as an extra and character actor. Perlman studied drama at Hunter College in New York, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968.

Perlman launched her acting career in off-off-Broadway theater, appearing in Dracula Sabbat in 1970. She made her film debut in 1972 in Hot Dogs for Gauguin and performed in Up – An Uppity Revue later that year. Her early television career included a recurring role on the comedy series Taxi as Zena, the girlfriend of Louie De Palma. Her performance in a small theater play caught the attention of television producers Glen and Les Charles, who cast her as Carla Tortelli on Cheers in 1982.

Although Cheers initially struggled with ratings during its debut season, it grew into one of television's most successful sitcoms over its eleven-season run, which ended in 1993. For her work on the show, Perlman received ten Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning four times in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1989. She also earned a category-record six Golden Globe Award nominations.

Following her success on Cheers, Perlman starred in television movies such as To Grandmother's House We Go and A Place to Be Loved, as well as the sitcom Pearl. Her feature film credits from the 1990s onward include Canadian Bacon, Sunset Park, Carpool, and Matilda. Over the subsequent decades, her screen roles expanded to include Secret Cutting, Love Comes Lately, The Mindy Project, and the 2023 film Barbie, where she portrayed Ruth Handler. In 2025, she made a guest appearance in the crime mystery series Poker Face.

Beyond screen acting, Perlman has performed in theater productions, including the London West End comedy Boeing Boeing and the off-Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore. In 1994, she voiced 9-Eye in the theme park show The Timekeeper. As an author, she created the Otto Undercover children's book series, which comprises six published titles.

Perlman met actor Danny DeVito in 1971, and the couple married in 1982. They have three children and two grandchildren. After separating in 2012, they briefly reconciled before separating again on amicable terms in 2017, remaining married while maintaining a close friendship.