George Wendt, ‘Cheers’ Star, Dies at 76

George Wendt, finest recognized for enjoying Norm Peterson on the long-running sitcom Cheers, has died. He was 76.

The actor died on the morning of Tuesday, Might 20. In a press release to PEOPLE, his publicist Melissa Nathan confirmed, “Beloved actor and comedian, George Wendt, best known for starring in the NBC hit comedy Cheers, has passed away.”

“George’s family confirmed the news of his death early Tuesday morning, announcing he died peacefully in his sleep while at home,” the assertion continued. “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.”

Wendt was born in Chicago in 1948. He was certainly one of 9 kids; his sister Kathryn is the mom of actor and comic Jason Sudeikis. He flunked out of Notre Dame after which labored at his father’s actual property workplace in Chicago earlier than graduating from Rockhurst Faculty.

In 1974, he began coaching in comedy at Chicago’s The Second Metropolis theater. There he met Bernadette Birkett, whom he married in 1978. He and his spouse shared three kids: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel.

Though he in the end succeeded as a comic, he was fired by the theater as soon as and stop as soon as. “I sucked, basically,” he advised The AV Club in 2009. “‘Sucked out loud,’ I think was the quote.” He added, “For somebody who made his living at it for six years, I’m probably the worst improviser of all time.”

Wendt’s earliest roles included small components on sequence together with Hart to Hart, Cleaning soap, Taxi and M*A*S*H. He additionally appeared in a handful of movies, together with My Bodyguard, Jekyll and Hyde… Collectively Once more and Airplane II: The Sequel. 

In 1982, he was solid on the sitcom Making the Grade, which was canceled after six episodes. This allowed Wendt to affix the solid of Cheers, which premiered the identical yr. His character, Norm Peterson, was a frequent buyer on the bar, and certainly one of solely three characters to look in each episode. 

“My friend Pat Finn always reminds me what the audition was for Cheers: I needed to look like a guy who wanted to have another beer,” Wendt advised Chicago Magazine in 2021.

“Norm is just me with better writing,” he defined. “There were hundreds, if not thousands, of actors who could have delivered on the absolute gems that I was handed on a silver platter every Wednesday morning.” 

After a primary season with shaky rankings, the present grew to become an enormous success. “I get quite a lot of free beers. It is one of many nice perks of employment historical past,” Wendt advised The Washington Post in 1985. “At any time when I’m going out, persons are at all times sending over a beer, or a spherical, for me and my associates.”

Wendt was a six-time Emmy nominee for his position on the sequence. He grew to become very near castmates Ted Danson, Shelley Lengthy, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer and Woody Harrelson.

When the sequence resulted in 1993, Wendt’s spouse advised PEOPLE of the Cheers solid, “They get along like siblings. To somebody peeking in from the outside, they look like they’re having the greatest time in the world.”

When Wendt hosted Saturday Evening Reside in 1991, he joined Invoice Swerski’s Tremendous Followers, a sketch a few group of Bears followers discussing their favourite groups, together with, iconically, “Da Bears.” Wendt’s episode was the second look of the group of followers, and Wendt advised the Chicago Tribune in 2019, from there “It took on a life of its own.”

The sketch recurred on the sequence a number of occasions, and Wendt and Robert Smigel reprised their roles at precise Bears and Chicago Bulls video games for many years. Even Michael Jordan appeared within the sketch when the NBA legend hosted in 1991.

In 1995, Wendt starred on The George Wendt Present, nevertheless it was canceled after one season. “I don’t want to be Norm forever,” he advised The Los Angeles Times earlier than the sequence premiered — earlier than admitting his new character was “very Norm-like.”

Wendt performed the killer in one of many remaining episodes of Columbo in 1995. Different TV appearances included Seinfeld, The Simpsons, the TV movie Bye Bye Birdie, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Scorching in Cleveland, Portlandia and Contemporary Off the Boat. He additionally appeared in dozens of movies, together with Fletch, Eternally Younger, Spice World, Sandy Wexler and Grand-Daddy Day Care. 

Wendt acted in lots of regional theater productions and on Broadway a handful of occasions, together with enjoying Edna Turnblad in Hairspray in 2007 and enjoying Santa within the musical Elf in 2010. He performed Santa in quite a few different initiatives, together with in 2006’s Santa Child, 2008’s A Colbert Christmas: The Best Present of All!, 2009’s Santa Buddies and 2012’s Merry In-Legal guidelines. 

“It’s really hard to eat much with all that hair on,” Wendt joked to The New York Times in 2022 in regards to the challenges of enjoying Kris Kringle. “That beard — that’s awful. It just goes right in your mouth, no matter how careful you are.”

In 2023, he competed on The Masked Singer. Wendt reunited along with his Cheers costars Danson, Grammar, Perlman and Ratzenberger on the 2023 Emmys to current the award for excellent directing for a comedy sequence.

Wendt’s appearing philosophy was easy. He advised the Chicago Tribune in 2002, “I just look for fun things to do.” His greatest recommendation for aspiring actors was “Have fun,” he advised Solzy at the Movies in 2019. 

“Look, it’s brutal out there. If you’re not having fun, it’s not worth it.”

Wendt is survived by his spouse and youngsters.