‘Cheers’ star George Wendt dead at 76
American actor George Wendt, who is best known for his portrayal of Norm Peterson on the long-running TV sitcom Cheers, has passed away at the age of 76.
Wendt died at home on May 20th. The death was confirmed by the actor’s publicist, Melissa Nathan, who shared a statement. “George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” she wrote, adding: “He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.”
After discovering improv comedy during the mid-1970s, after graduating from college with a B.A. in economics, Wendt found work sweeping theatre floors, before finding minor roles in television shows like M*A*S*H, Taxi, and Soap, along with films My Bodyguard and Somewhere In Time.
Eventually, the budding young actor landed a role in a new sitcom, Cheers, as a regular customer at the Boston bar where the show is set. Wendt appeared as Norm Peterson in all 275 episodes of the show, which ran from 1982 until 1993, earning himself six consecutive Emmy nominations for ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series’ in the process.
Following Cheers, Wendt also appeared in the spin-off series The Tortellis, and in one episode of the much more successful spin-off series, Fraiser. He also appeared in multiple episodes of the iconic sketch show Saturday Night Live, first as a co-host in 1985 alongside Francis Ford Coppola.
Later years saw Wendt appear in a wide variety of different projects, ranging from the McCarthyism period drama Guilty by Suspicion, alongside Robert De Niro, to multiple appearances on the animated sitcom Family Guy, in which he reprised his Norm Peterson role. His final television appearance was as a contestant on The Masked Singer in 2023.
At the time of writing, no cause of death has been confirmed in the case of Wendt.
He is survived by his wife, Bernadette Birkett, whom he married in 1978, and their three children, Hilary, Joe, and Daniel.
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