George Wendt, the actor best known for his role as Norm Peterson on the long-running NBC sitcom “Cheers,” died Tuesday, May 20, at his home in Studio City, California. He was 76. His family said he passed away peacefully in his sleep.
According to IMDB, Wendt appeared in 269 episodes of “Cheers,” which aired from 1982 to 1993. He earned six consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations for his performance as the beer-loving barfly whose entrance regularly prompted the crowd to shout, “Norm!”
How did Wendt start his career in comedy?
A native of Chicago, Wendt began his entertainment career at Second City, the famed improv theater. He joined the Second City touring company in the mid-1970s and performed with the Mainstage cast until 1980. That same year, he began appearing on television shows such as “Taxi,” “Alice,” “Making the Grade,” before landing a role on “Cheers.”
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Actor George Wendt received six consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Norm Peterson on NBC’s “Cheers” from 1982 to 1993.
Wendt said he never wanted a traditional office job, even after earning an economics degree from Rockhurst University in 1971.
What made Norm Peterson so iconic?
Wendt’s portrayal of Norm stood out for its humor and humanity. He embodied the character’s love of beer, dry wit and an enduring presence at the bar, even when his personal life was in shambles. He once described himself as “the prototypical slacker.”
In a 1983 Associated Press interview published by The Telegraph, Wendt joked that he prepared for the role by drinking his way out of Notre Dame.
What were Wendt’s other roles and projects?
In the years following “Cheers,” Wendt appeared in “The George Wendt Show” and appeared in films such as “Forever Young,” “Fletch” and “Man of the House.” He also made guest appearances on “Seinfeld,” “The Simpsons” and “Saturday Night Live,” most notably as a die-hard Chicago Bears fan in the recurring “Da Bears” sketch.
He worked in television and film through the 2000s, and in 2017, his nephew, “Ted Lasso” actor Jason Sudeikis, honored him in a Second City roast.
Who survives George Wendt?
Wendt is survived by his wife, actress Bernadette Birkett; his three children, Hilary, Joe and Daniel; and several siblings and grandchildren. Birkett voiced Norm’s unseen wife, Vera, on “Cheers.”
The family has requested privacy and described Wendt as “a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him.”
