Shelley Long

Shelley Long (born August 23, 1949 in Fort Wayne, Indiana) is an American actress. She studied drama at Northwestern University, but left before graduating to pursue a career in acting and modeling. In Chicago she joined The Second City comedy troupe and acted and wrote for the local television program Sorting It Out.

After appearances in such films as Caveman, Losin' It and Irreconcilable Differences, she was cast as a vain barmaid named Diane Chambers on the television sitcom Cheers. Cheers was innovative, and slow to catch on, but eventually became one of the most popular shows on television. Thereafter she became a sought-after comedic actress, starring in such films as Outrageous Fortune, The Money Pit and Troop Beverly Hills. In 1987 she left Cheers at the height of its popularity. Long was known for being very arrogant and difficult on the set and was disliked by most of her fellow actors. At the time, many speculated that her decision would harm both her career and Cheers. One of her first major post-Cheers films, Hello Again, garnered hostile reviews and poor box-office receipts. As Cheers continued to thrive, Long was derided for leaving in favor of a non-starter film career, and was lumped together with such entertainers as David Lee Roth (who left Van Halen,) and David Caruso, (who left NYPD Blue.) Long continued to appear in films and television, reprising her role as Diane Chambers in Cheers' 1993 series finale, and again several times on its hit spinoff Frasier. Long enjoyed something of a comeback in the late 1990s with her starring role as Carol Brady in the surprise hit The Brady Bunch Movie.

On November 16, 2004, Long overdosed on painkillers and was admitted to UCLA hospital. Media speculated that she had attempted suicide--she was reportedly depressed over the breakup of her marriage. The official reason given for her overdose was that painpills were perscribed to treat her back pain, and subsequently made her ill.