Despite her small physical stature, curly-mopped Rhea Perlman cut a formidable onscreen presence in memorable, strong-willed characters throughout her TV career. But it was her most acidic role which brought her the greatest acclaim – that of unflinchingly curt cocktail waitress Carla Tortelli on NBC’s “Cheers” (1982-1993) – a role she made her own for 11 seasons and one that assured her place as one of television’s great masters of the putdown.

Perlman was born in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, NY on March 31, 1948. The eldest of two children, Perlman was raised in Bensonhurst with her