Eddie LeBec
Encyclopedia
Guy Édouard Raymond "Eddie" LeBec ia a character on the American
television
show Cheers
, portrayed by Jay Thomas
. Eddie was an ice hockey
player of French Canadian
background, and was married to Cheers waitress Carla Tortelli
. Carla and Eddie had met when Eddie began frequenting the bar after moving to Boston to play goaltender
for the Boston Bruins
hockey team. The two had an affair and, after learning Carla was pregnant, they were married.
The show was internally inconsistent as to Eddie's full real name. In the episode in which he and Carla are married, his full name is stated as being "Édouard Raymond LeBec". However, in a later episode, Carla states explicitly that his name is not "Édouard", adding that his actual name is "Guy" (traditionally, a shortened version of "Guillaume
"). Carla explains that "Eddie" is simply a nickname by which he is called "because it sounds too weenie to say 'Guy'".
Jay Thomas was never a cast regular, and thus Eddie was not often seen. Initially, the writers handled this by having Eddie retire from hockey and take a job with a traveling ice show, thus requiring him to be away from Boston most of the time. In 1989, Eddie was written out of the show entirely. The official reason given was negative viewer reaction to Carla's being married, but in 2006, Thomas indicated that he was fired from Cheers for publicly insulting the physical attractiveness of Rhea Perlman, the actress who played Carla. Ken Levine
, one of the writers of Cheers, related much the same story in his blog
, stating that Thomas was written off the show after insulting Perlman on his radio show while she happened to be listening.
The episode titled "Death Takes A Holiday On Ice" deals with Eddie's unfortunate demise: he was run over by a Zamboni
while pushing a fellow cast member out of the way. At the funeral Carla learned that Eddie had a second wife, Gloria, who lived in Kenosha, Wisconsin
. As a result of the union, Gloria had become pregnant and Eddie, despite being already married to Carla, felt obliged to also marry Gloria. At Eddie's funeral, Carla and Gloria learn of each other for the first time and wind up in a catfight
with one another over the issue of which of the two is the "real" Mrs. LeBec. In anger, Carla resumed her first married name, Tortelli. During their relationship Carla and Eddie had a set of twin sons: Elvis and Jesse. According to Gloria she and Eddie also had twins.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, portrayed by Jay Thomas
Jay Thomas
Jay Thomas is an American actor, comedian and radio talk show host.-Personal life:Thomas was born in Kermit, Texas. He was raised in his Italian American mother's Roman Catholic faith, although his father was Protestant....
. Eddie was an ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player of French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
background, and was married to Cheers waitress Carla Tortelli
Carla Tortelli
Carla Maria Victoria Angelina Teresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli LeBec, 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 people...
. Carla and Eddie had met when Eddie began frequenting the bar after moving to Boston to play goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
for the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
hockey team. The two had an affair and, after learning Carla was pregnant, they were married.
The show was internally inconsistent as to Eddie's full real name. In the episode in which he and Carla are married, his full name is stated as being "Édouard Raymond LeBec". However, in a later episode, Carla states explicitly that his name is not "Édouard", adding that his actual name is "Guy" (traditionally, a shortened version of "Guillaume
Guillaume
Guillaume, the French equivalent of William, may refer to:-A:*Guillaume Amontons*Guillaume Apollinaire , a poet, writer and art critic.-B:*Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas...
"). Carla explains that "Eddie" is simply a nickname by which he is called "because it sounds too weenie to say 'Guy'".
Jay Thomas was never a cast regular, and thus Eddie was not often seen. Initially, the writers handled this by having Eddie retire from hockey and take a job with a traveling ice show, thus requiring him to be away from Boston most of the time. In 1989, Eddie was written out of the show entirely. The official reason given was negative viewer reaction to Carla's being married, but in 2006, Thomas indicated that he was fired from Cheers for publicly insulting the physical attractiveness of Rhea Perlman, the actress who played Carla. Ken Levine
Ken Levine (TV personality)
Ken Levine is a writer, director and producer in the television and film industry. Levine has worked on a number of television series, including M*A*S*H, Cheers, Frasier, The Simpsons, Wings, Everybody Loves Raymond, Becker and Dharma and Greg...
, one of the writers of Cheers, related much the same story in his blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, stating that Thomas was written off the show after insulting Perlman on his radio show while she happened to be listening.
The episode titled "Death Takes A Holiday On Ice" deals with Eddie's unfortunate demise: he was run over by a Zamboni
Ice resurfacer
An ice resurfacer is a truck-like vehicle or smaller device used to clean and smooth the surface of an ice rink. The first ice resurfacer was developed by Frank J. Zamboni in 1949 in the city of Paramount, California...
while pushing a fellow cast member out of the way. At the funeral Carla learned that Eddie had a second wife, Gloria, who lived in Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...
. As a result of the union, Gloria had become pregnant and Eddie, despite being already married to Carla, felt obliged to also marry Gloria. At Eddie's funeral, Carla and Gloria learn of each other for the first time and wind up in a catfight
Catfight
Catfight is a term for an altercation between two women, typically involving scratching, slapping, hair-pulling, and shirt-shredding as opposed to punching or wrestling . However, the term is not exclusively used to indicate a fight between women, and many formal definitions do not invoke gender...
with one another over the issue of which of the two is the "real" Mrs. LeBec. In anger, Carla resumed her first married name, Tortelli. During their relationship Carla and Eddie had a set of twin sons: Elvis and Jesse. According to Gloria she and Eddie also had twins.