Who played Diane Chambers?

Shelley Long played Diane Chambers on Cheers. Diane is the sophisticated, college-educated waitress introduced in the pilot, and her volatile romance with bartender Sam Malone became the sitcom’s defining early storyline.

Long played Diane from the series premiere in 1982 through the fifth-season finale in 1987. The character begins working at Cheers after her fiancé abandons her at the bar, then becomes entangled with Sam while trying to preserve her intellectual and social ambitions. Their relationship repeatedly shifts between attraction, conflict, breakups, and reconciliation.

Long’s departure reshaped the series. Diane was replaced as the principal female lead by Rebecca Howe, a business executive played by Kirstie Alley, although Diane returned for the 1993 series finale. Long won the 1983 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and two Golden Globe Awards for the role. Rhea Perlman played Carla Tortelli, while Kirstie Alley played Rebecca—not Diane.