‘Cheers’ Actresses Star in Maternity Role: Baby Girls

Diane and Carla rarely walk in step when it comes to events in that cozy Boston bar called “Cheers,” but the two women who play the waitresses in the NBC television series both had babies this week.

Shelley Long, better known to viewers as the blonde, intellectual Diane, gave birth in Los Angeles on Wednesday to a 6-pound, 14-ounce girl named Juliana, a spokeswoman said. The baby is the first for Long and her husband, Bruce Tyson.

In New York, Rhea Perlman left St. Vincent’s Hospital today with her new daughter, Gracie, a hospital spokesman said.

Perlman, who plays the acerbic Carla, gave birth to the 7-pound, 13-ounce girl on Monday. Her husband, actor Danny DeVito, who played the scheming dispatcher on “Taxi,” was at her side during the natural childbirth. It was their second daughter.

In filming recent episodes of “Cheers,” Long’s pregnancy was disguised by shooting her either above the waist or while she was standing behind the bar. Perlman’s pregnancy was not hidden.