Movies - TV
How Rhea Perlman’s Dad Became An Unlikely Cheers Cast Member
By JEREMY SMITH
The sitcom “Cheers” had just entered its Nielsen ratings prime in 1986 when Rhea Perlman's parents, Philip and Adele Perlman, retired and moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
Rhea's sister, Heide Perlman, was a writer and producer on "Cheers" and their dad, Philip, dropped by set on occasion. He eventually found his way onto one of the bar stools.
When Al Rosen, who played a “Cheers” barfly, died in 1990, the writers started feeding his lines to Philip, who'd been a background presence in the bar since the fourth season.
Philip was an instant hit and earned plenty of big laughs. He even appeared on the episode of "Frasier" that reunited the title character with Carla, Norm, and Cliff.
As Heide said of Philip, who passed away in 2015, "We put together a reel of all his performances for his 90th birthday, and he really had great timing. He was extremely natural."