George Wendt, the Emmy-nominated actor and comedian best known for his role as Norm Peterson on the long-running NBC sitcom Cheers, died peacefully in his sleep Tuesday morning at his home, according to a statement from his publicist. He was 76.
"George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him," publicist Melissa Nathan said. "He will be missed forever." His family has requested privacy.
Wendt was born in Chicago on Oct. 17, 1948, the third of nine children. After flunking out of the University of Notre Dame, he graduated from Rockhurst College with a degree in economics. He later pursued comedy and acting, joining the legendary Second City troupe in 1974, where he met his wife, Bernadette Birkett. The couple married in 1978 and had three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel.
Despite early struggles in improv-"I sucked, basically," he told The A.V. Club in 2009-Wendt found his breakout role in 1982 as Norm Peterson, the lovable bar regular whose signature entrance "Afternoon, everybody" became an enduring part of television history. "Norm is just me with better writing," Wendt told Chicago Magazine in 2021.
Wendt appeared in all 275 episodes of Cheers, earning six consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He remained close with co-stars Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, Shelley Long, Kelsey Grammer, and Woody Harrelson. "They get along like siblings," Birkett said of the cast in a 1993 interview with People.
After Cheers, Wendt briefly headlined The George Wendt Show on CBS and continued working across television, film, and theater. He hosted Saturday Night Live in 1991 and joined the now-iconic "Da Bears" Superfans sketch with Chris Farley and Mike Myers, a role he reprised at real-life Chicago sports events for decades. "It took on a life of its own," he told the Chicago Tribune in 2019.
His diverse credits included appearances on Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Hot in Cleveland, Portlandia, and Fresh Off the Boat. Film roles ranged from Fletch and Forever Young to Spice World and Grand-Daddy Day Care.
Wendt also maintained a robust stage career, playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray on Broadway and Santa Claus in numerous productions including Elf, Santa Baby, and A Colbert Christmas. "It's really hard to eat much with all that hair on," he joked to The New York Times in 2022. "That beard - that's awful. It just goes right in your mouth."
He was the uncle of SNL and Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis.
In 2023, Wendt competed on The Masked Singer and reunited with his Cheers castmates at the Emmy Awards to present for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series.
Wendt summed up his acting philosophy simply: "I just look for fun things to do," he told the Chicago Tribune in 2002. "Look, it's brutal out there. If you're not having fun, it's not worth it."
