George Wendt, who starred as the beer-loving Norm in the classic sitcom Cheers, has died at the age of 76.
The six-time Emmy-nominated actor died peacefully in his sleep Tuesday morning at his home, his family confirmed.
“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,” a representative shared in a statement, per Variety.
In a statement, his former Cheers co-star Ted Danson said: ““I am devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us. I am sending all my love to Bernadette and the children. It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie.”
Rhea Perlman, who also starred in Cheers as barmaid Carla Tortelli, added: “George Wendt was the sweetest, kindest man I ever met. It was impossible not to like him. As Carla, I was often standing next to him, as Norm always took the same seat at the end of the bar, which made it easy to grab him and beat the crap out of him at least once a week. I loved doing it and he loved pretending it didn’t hurt. What a guy! I’ll miss him more than words can say.”
Born on the south side of Chicago on October 17, 1948, Wendt was one of nine children. He was the uncle ofTed Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, whose mother, Kathryn, was Wendt’s sister.
Wendt attended the University of Notre Dame before later attending Jesuit Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Missouri, where he graduated in 1971 with a B.A. in economics.
Shortly after graduating, he spent six years at Second City, Chicago’s legendary improvisational theater troupe. There, he met his future wife, Bernadette Birkett, who would later appear on Cheers as Cliff’s (John Ratzenberger) Halloween date in season three, as well as the unseen, offscreen voice of Norm’s wife, Vera.
Wendt’s tenured portrayal of Norm across 11 seasons, from 1982 to 1993, earned him six Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He and co-stars Rhea Perlman (Carla Tortelli) and Ted Danson (Sam Malone) were the only three actors to have starred in every single episode of Cheers.
Recalling his Cheers audition to Chicago magazine in 2021, Wendt revealed he “needed to look like a guy who wanted to have another beer.”
“Norm is just me with better writing,” he added. “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.”
Once the beloved show ended, NBC considered a spinoff series centered on Norm and Cliff as bar buddies, but that project never came to fruition.
He did, however, reprise his character of Norm in several other shows: St. Elsewhere, Wings, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Frasier and The Tortellis.
Wendt additionally made cameos as himself on Seinfeld, Bob, and The Larry Sanders Show.
His other TV credits include Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Portlandia, Clipped, Fresh off the Boat, and The Goldbergs.
He also featured in a number of movies, including the 1988 action comedy Never Say Die, 1992’s sci-fi romance Forever Young, 1994’s family comedy The Little Rascals, and the 1997 movie musical Spice World.
Wendt is survived by his wife, his children, Hilary, Joe and Daniel; and his stepchildren, Joshua and Andrew.
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