Shelley Long is an American actress. She was born in 1949, at Fort Wayne, Indiana. A bright, expressive, blonde leading lady of American TV and films. Following drama studies at Northwestern University, she got her start in the early 70s as the co-host of 'Sorting It Out,' a magazine show on a local Chicago TV station. She then flaunted her comic talent as a member of Chicago's famed Second City troupe. A pleasant presence in feature films since the early 80s, she had her greatest success on TV, as the brainy, sharp-tongued waitress, Diane, in the long-running series 'Cheers,' a role for which she won an Emmy. Award in 1983. Research Shelley Long