Carla Tortelli
| Carla Tortelli | |
|---|---|
| Cheers character | |
from "The Tortelli Tort" (episode 3, 1982)
|
|
| First appearance | "Give Me a Ring Sometime" (episode 1.01) |
| Last appearance | "Cheerful Goodbyes" (Frasier episode 9.21) |
| Portrayed by | Rhea Perlman |
| Information | |
| Aliases |
|
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Waitress |
| Family |
|
| Spouse(s) |
Nick Tortelli (divorced) Eddie LeBec (widowed) |
| Significant other(s) |
|
| Children |
|
| Relatives | Frankie (nephew) Annie Tortelli (daughter-in-law) Pat McDougall (son-in-law) Antonio Lozupone (grandfather) Paolo (uncle) Santos Cabone (cousin) Amerigo (great-iincle) Sophia (great-aunt) Unnamed grandchild |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Nationality | American |
Carla Maria Victoria Angelina Teresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli LeBec, commonly known as Carla Tortelli, is a waitress on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Rhea Perlman. Outwardly, at least, Carla is a mean-spirited woman who expresses disdain for many (perhaps even most) people. She had four children with her then-husband Nick when the series started and eight children with three different men when it ended.
Carla appeared in all 271 episodes of Cheers in 1982–1993 and guest-starred in "Cheerful Goodbyes", an episode of the spin-off Frasier. She has also appeared in "Cheers", an episode of St. Elsewhere; "Fear of Flying", an episode of The Simpsons, and the pilot episode of the short-lived spinoff The Tortellis. Along with Sam Malone and Norm Peterson, she is one of only three characters to appear in every episode of Cheers.
According to an interview Ted Danson, Perlman was the first person of all actors to be hired as part of a cast ensemble and then was cast as Carla Tortelli, "a wisecracking, cynical waitress". Before she starred as Carla, she worked once as a waitress in a New York City restaurant, serving meals like spaghetti and fish. Also, she was trained in the Bull & Finch Pub (now called Cheers Beacon Hill) by a waitress to prepare her character. Perlman previously appeared as Louie DePalma's (Danny DeVito) sweet and kind girlfriend, in contrast to tomboy Carla, on Taxi.
I think Carla's a lot of things I'd like to be. I'm not like her, but she's a person who's always got a wisecrack. I always think of something two hours later. But we're both earthy and practical. We're survivors. The character is well-written, but you always put a lot of yourself into it.
Carla is "feisty", "worldly-wise", and highly superstitious. When the show premiered in 1982, she has four children to support, fathered by her ex-husband Nick Tortelli (Dan Hedaya): Anthony (Timothy Williams), Serafina (Leah Remini), Gino (Josh Lozoff), and Anne Marie (Risa Littman). During marriage, he was a deadbeat father and disloyal, unfaithful husband to Carla by cheating on her with other women.
...
Wikipedia