''Cheers'' farewell: Guest stars

Over the years, Cheers has maintained a tradition of periodically serving up big-name guest stars. Here are some of the familiar faces who have been on tap:

DICK CAVETT, an avid Red Sox fan, walked into the bar in 1983 and asked Sam to write his memoirs, filling Diane with literary jealousy.

CHRISTOPHER LLOYD showed up in an Arapaho tunic as surrealist painter Phillip Semenko for a 1984 two-part episode.

SEN. GARY HART played himself in 1986 as Sam’s unlikely board-game partner.

JOHN CLEESE, whose Fawlty Towers partly inspired the Cheers series, won an Emmy as marriage counselor Dr. Simon Finch-Royce, who in 1987 declared Diane and Sam the worst match he had ever seen.

ROBERT URICH visited the bar in 1987, but nobody noticed except Woody.

WADE BOGGS, then Red Sox third baseman, showed up to sign autographs in 1988, only to have his pants removed by a brawling Cheers crowd thinking he was a no-good impostor.

ALEX TREBEK, Cliff’s hero, stepped into his own shoes in 1989 as host of Jeopardy!; Cliff embarrassed himself as a contestant.

THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS (Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley) were hired separately in two 1991 episodes by Rebecca’s wealthy suitor Robin Colcord to serenade her with her favorite song, ”Unchained Melody.”

EMMA THOMPSON, as Frasier’s first wife, kiddie sensation Nanny Gee, crooned ”The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in 1992 at the birthday party for Frasier and Lilith’s 2-year-old son, Frederick.