George Wendt in ‘Cheers’. Photo: NBC.
Preview:
- George Wendt has died aged 76.
- He’s most famous for playing ‘Cheers’ barfly Norm.
- The actor also appeared in the likes of ‘Forever Young’ and ‘Fletch.’
George Wendt, who will be forever identified as one of the most beloved sitcom characters of all time –– barfly Norm Peterson in ‘Cheers,’ has died.
“Where everybody knows your name.”
76
11 SeasonsSeptember 30th, 1982
His family confirmed his passing with the following statement via the actor’s representation:
“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.”
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George Wendt: Early Life
(L to R) Chris Farley, Robert Smigel, Mike Myers and George Wendt on ‘Saturday Night Live’. Photo: Broadway Video.
Born in October Chicago 1948 and raised on the South Side, George Robert Wendt Jr. was one of nine kids.
His father owned a real estate agency that his dad had founded, and his mother, Loretta, was a housewife and longtime volunteer and fundraiser for Little Company of Mary Hospital.
Wendt attended Campion High School, a Jesuit boarding school for boys in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and then Notre Dame — until he was expelled as a junior.
This is what he told David Letterman about it in 1990:
“I was a very poor student. I got kicked out of Notre Dame. I’m very proud to mention my grade-point average that got me booted out: zero-point-zero-zero. I just hung out and didn’t go to classes.”
For a time, Wendt worked for his father, excelling in “getting coffee for the secretaries,” before earning a B.A. in economics in 1971 from another Jesuit school, Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Missouri. But then he hung out in Europe for the better part of three years.
For Wendt, his true calling was in performing: he got his start in the 1970s with Second City, the famed improvisational comedy troupe that was based in his hometown.
Following his success, he popped up on ‘Saturday Night Live’ as Bob Swerski, one of the “superfans” who gathered at Coach Mike Ditka’s restaurant in the Windy City to watch “Da Bears.”
Small roles in movies such as ‘My Bodyguard’ and ‘Somewhere in Time’ helped get him on screen, but it was on TV where he truly shined.
George Wendt: TV Roles
The cast of ‘Cheers’. Photo: NBC.
There is only one place to start when it comes to Wendt’s small screen legacy: ‘Cheers.’
Following a small role as an exterminator on ‘Taxi’ –– created and run by the team who would then bring ‘Cheers’ to screens –– his guy-next-door persona and easy, charismatic delivery won him appreciation from fans and castmates as he played the lovable lug Norm, an accountant by trade, on every installment the sitcom during its 1982-93 run.
He received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for six consecutive years.
This is what he told The Washington Post about the day-to-day work of filming and the downside to his barfly role:
“There I was slamming those down for a whole day. It not only tastes disgusting, I was afraid of keeling over from high blood pressure. Then I got the knack. I didn’t have to put all those brews away. It only mattered when the camera was pointing my way. It took a couple of years, but now I watch the camera. That’s how I make my money. That’s acting.”
Norm became a pop culture favorite, and Wendt showed up as the character over the years on ‘St. Elsewhere,’‘Wings,’‘The Simpsons,’‘Family Guy,’ and Cheers’ spin-offs ‘Frasier’ and ‘The Tortellis.’
When ‘Cheers’ ended its run, NBC considered a spinoff featuring Wendt and Ratzenberger as bar buddies, but the show never materialized. Instead, he starred for CBS in 1995 in ‘The George Wendt Show,’ playing the co-owner of a Wisconsin garage and co-host of a call-in radio show about car repair, but the comedy lasted just six episodes.
Aside from his live action appearances, he had roles in several more TV series including ‘Columbo,’‘Becker,’‘Outside Providence,’ and appeared as himself on ‘Seinfeld.’
George Wendt: Movie Roles
George Wendt in ‘Fletch’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
While Wendt’s film career was much less full than his busy TV appearances, he had a few notable roles.
His movies included ‘Dreamscape’,‘House,’‘Fletch,’‘Gung Ho,’ ‘Guilty by Suspicion,’‘Forever Young’ and ‘Spice World.’
Wendt is survived by his wife, actress Bernadette Birkett, whom he married in July 1978 — they met at Second City, and she was the unseen, offscreen voice of Norm’s wife, Vera, on ‘Cheers’ — his children, Hilary, Joe and Daniel and his stepchildren, Joshua and Andrew.
Jason Sudeikis in ‘Ted Lasso,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
And, on a note of trivia: nephew (and ‘Ted Lasso’ co-creator/star) Jason Sudeikis, who is the son of one of Wendt’s sisters.
This is how National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson summed him up in a statement:
“From his early days with The Second City to his iconic role as Norm on Cheers, George Wendt’s work showcased how comedy can create indelible characters that feel like family. His work is proudly featured in the National Comedy Center, and we honor his legacy and the joy he brought to generations of fans.”
(L to R) Jim Belushi, Kevin Nealon, Dan Aykroyd, George Wendt, and Jon Lovitz in ‘A History of the World in Six Glasses’. Photo: Fox Nation.