George Wendt, the actor who played Norm Peterson on Cheers, has died at the age of 76. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at home on Tuesday, May 20.
His publicist Melissa Nathan confirmed the news, saying, “Beloved actor and comedian, George Wendt, best known for starring in the NBC hit comedy Cheers, has passed away.”
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The family shared in a statement, “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.” They’ve asked for privacy at this time.
Wendt grew up in a big Chicago family
Wendt was born in Chicago in 1948 and grew up in a large family with eight siblings. His sister Kathryn later became the mother of actor and comedian Jason Sudeikis.
He didn’t thrive in college at first. Flunked out of Notre Dame, then worked for a bit at his dad’s real estate office. Eventually, he did finish school at Rockhurst College.
Found his way through comedy
In 1974, he joined The Second City in Chicago to train in comedy, and that’s where he met Bernadette Birkett. They got married in 1978 and had three kids: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel.
But it wasn’t smooth sailing. “I sucked, basically,” he said in a 2009 interview with The AV Club. “‘Sucked out loud,’ I think was the quote.” He also admitted, “For somebody who made his living at it for six years, I’m probably the worst improviser of all time.”
His early acting gigs were stepping stones
Before Cheers, Wendt had minor roles in TV shows like Hart to Hart, Soap, Taxi, and MASH. He also appeared in a few movies, including My Bodyguard and Airplane II: The Sequel.
Norm from Cheers made him a TV legend
In 1982, he was cast on a short-lived sitcom called Making the Grade, which got canceled after six episodes. That opened the door for Cheers, which started the same year.
He played Norm Peterson, the easygoing bar regular. Norm was one of only three characters to appear in every episode of the show.
“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 told Chicago Magazine in 2021.
“Norm is just me with better writing,” he said. “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.”
He also joked to The Washington Post in 1985, “I get a lot of free beers. It’s one of the great perks of employment history. Whenever I go out, people are always sending over a beer, or a round, for me and my friends.”
Cheers cast became family
Wendt was nominated six times for an Emmy for his role as Norm. Over time, he built strong friendships with the cast — Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer, and Woody Harrelson.
When Cheers wrapped in 1993, Wendt’s wife told PEOPLE, “They get along like siblings. To somebody peeking in from the outside, they look like they’re having the greatest time in the world.”
The SNL Bears sketch became iconic
In 1991, Wendt hosted Saturday Night Live and appeared in “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans,” a sketch about die-hard Chicago Bears fans talking about “Da Bears.”
That was only the second time the sketch aired, but it blew up quickly. “It took on a life of its own,” Wendt said in a 2019 interview with the Chicago Tribune.
He and Robert Smigel kept bringing it back at real-life Bears and Bulls games. Even Michael Jordan joined in when he hosted SNL that year.
He explored new roles, but Norm stayed with him
In 1995, Wendt starred in The George Wendt Show, but it only lasted one season. “I don’t want to be Norm forever,” he told The Los Angeles Times, though he admitted the new role was “very Norm-like.”
That same year, he played a killer in one of the final episodes of Columbo. He also popped up in shows like Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Hot in Cleveland, Portlandia, and Fresh Off the Boat.
He stayed active in film too, with parts in Fletch, Forever Young, Spice World, Sandy Wexler, and Grand-Daddy Day Care.
Theater and Christmas roles became a second act
Wendt also worked a lot in theater. He played Edna Turnblad in Hairspray on Broadway in 2007, and Santa in the musical Elf in 2010.
Santa actually became a bit of a signature role. He played him in Santa Baby, A Colbert Christmas, Santa Buddies, and Merry In-Laws.
“It’s really hard to eat much with all that hair on,” he told The New York Times in 2022. “That beard, that’s awful. It just goes right in your mouth, no matter how careful you are!”
He stayed active even later in life
In 2023, Wendt competed on The Masked Singer. He also reunited with his Cheers castmates — Danson, Grammar, Perlman, and Ratzenberger — to present an Emmy for comedy directing.
His outlook stayed grounded and light
Wendt didn’t overthink things when it came to his career. “I just look for fun things to do,” he said in a 2002 interview with the Chicago Tribune.
His advice for new actors was just as simple. “Have fun,” he told 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 wife and their three children. Rest easy, legend.