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George Wendt | |
|---|---|
 Wendt at the41st Primetime Emmy Awards in September 1989 | |
| Born | George Robert Wendt Jr. (1948-10-17)October 17, 1948 (age 76) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Rockhurst University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Known for | Norm Peterson inCheers |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives |
|
George Robert Wendt Jr. (born October 17, 1948)[1] is an American actor. He is best known for playingNorm Peterson on theNBC sitcomCheers (1982–1993), which earned him six consecutive nominations for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. AfterCheers ended in 1993, he starred in his own sitcom,The George Wendt Show (1995), but it was cancelled after only a few episodes. Wendt also appeared in the filmsAirplane II: The Sequel (1982),No Small Affair (1984),Fletch (1985),The Little Rascals (1994),Spice World (1997),Outside Providence (1999),Santa Buddies (2009), andSandy Wexler (2017).
George Robert Wendt Jr. was born in the Beverly neighborhood on the south side ofChicago, Illinois. His parents were Loretta Mary (née Howard) and George Robert Wendt, an officer in the Navy and a realtor. He is one of nine children, with six sisters—Nancy, Karen, Mary Ann, Kathryn, Loretta, and Marti—as well as two brothers, Tom and Paul.[2][3] His maternal grandfather was photographerTom Howard.[3] Wendt is ofIrish and one quarterGerman descent.[4] Wendt is an uncle of actor and formerSNL writer and cast memberJason Sudeikis, his sister Kathryn's son.[5]
He graduated fromCampion High School inPrairie du Chien,Wisconsin.[6] He attended theUniversity of Notre Dame until he was expelled after receiving a 0.00 GPA during the first semester of his junior year, reportedly due to challenges associated with living in an off-campus apartment without transportation during the winter. He later attended the JesuitRockhurst College inKansas City,Missouri, where he graduated with a B.A. in economics in 1971.[7][8][9]
Wendt is a 1975 alumnus ofThe Second City, which he discovered shortly after college.[7] A viewing had inspired him to join and on his first day of employment, he showed up promptly at 11:30 a.m. as he was instructed. The woman working there handed him a broom and said "Welcome to the theater, kid"; thus, his first job in show business was sweeping the floors.[8] Second City, located in Chicago, was also where he met his future wife, Bernadette Birkett, who played Cliff's Halloween date in the third season ofCheers and later in the series played the voice of Norm'snever-seen wife, Vera.[10]
Wendt appeared in the 1980 filmMy Bodyguard, and had small roles in the TV seriesTaxi,Soap, andM*A*S*H. In 1982, Wendt landed his first role as a series regular on theCBS sitcomMaking the Grade, which was created byGary David Goldberg. The series was canceled after six episodes in the spring of that year.
From 1982 to 1993, Wendt appeared asNorm Peterson in all 275 episodes ofCheers. For his work onCheers, Wendt earned sixPrimetime Emmy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He also played the role in the short-lived spin-offThe Tortellis, in an episode ofWings, and in an episode of anotherCheers spin-off,Frasier.
His first appearance onSaturday Night Live was in a season 11 (1985–1986) episode where he shared hosting duties with directorFrancis Ford Coppola. In 1988 he played the part of "Witten" in the New Zealand-made film,Never Say Die. In the early 1990s, Wendt madecameo appearances on several episodes ofSNL as Bob Swerski, one of the ChicagoSuperfans (along with cast membersChris Farley,Mike Myers,Robert Smigel, and one-time host,Joe Mantegna). Having grown up as a lifelong fan of his hometownChicago White Sox andChicago Bears, Wendt's Bob Swerski character is said to be a "spot-on" characterization of Chicago's south-side citizens.
In 1989, Wendt appeared as the eponymous protagonist in aBBC TV dramatization ofIvan Goncharov's novelOblomov. He has also appeared twice on the original British edition ofWhose Line Is It Anyway? In 1991, Wendt played the father inMichael Jackson's music video "Black or White". He had roles oppositeRobert De Niro in 1991'sGuilty by Suspicion and withMel Gibson in 1992'sForever Young.
Following his success onCheers, Wendt starred in the short-livedThe George Wendt Show, which featured him as a garage mechanic with a radio show, based on theNPR radio showCar Talk.The George Wendt Show aired from March through April 1995.
Wendt starred as the killer in one of the last episodes of the TV seriesColumbo, portraying a thoroughbred horse owner in the 1995 episodeStrange Bedfellows. Wendt appeared as himself onSeinfeld and has reprised the character Norm Peterson onThe Simpsons episode "Fear of Flying", two episodes ofFamily Guy, "Road to Rupert" and "Three Kings", and theFrasier episode "Cheerful Goodbyes". In the same year as hisFrasier guest appearance, Wendt played the bartender toTed Danson's character inBecker (the inverse of their relationship onCheers). In 1994, he appeared in the filmMan of the House as Chet Bronski, the stepfather of Norman (Zachary Browne), and starred withChevy Chase,Jonathan Taylor Thomas andFarrah Fawcett. He also played the role of Old Man Dunphy's closeted homosexual friend Joey in the 1999 filmOutside Providence.
In early 1997, Wendt joined the cast of the NBC sitcomThe Naked Truth as Les Polonsky, the new owner of the celebritytabloid where the series' main characters worked. Wendt's role only lasted 13 episodes asThe Naked Truth underwent further creative changes for its next season. In 1998, Wendt was one of the three characters in a London West End production of'Art' withDavid Dukes andStacy Keach. He would later join the Broadway production of the play, starring alongsideJudd Hirsch andJoe Morton.
In 2003, Wendt appeared as a celebrity fisherman in the music video forCobra Verde's "Riot Industry" along withRudy Ray Moore (of "Dolemite" fame) andThe Minutemen'sMike Watt. He appeared in several episodes of The WB'sSabrina, The Teenage Witch in 2001 as the title character's boss. He also was the host of theA&E reality showHouse of Dreams in 2004. In January 2006, Wendt was seen again on television screens as part of the cast ofModern Men.
He has also appeared onThe Larry Sanders Show as a guest on the show. In 2006, Wendt made several appearances onLate Night with Conan O'Brien where he performed short skits. His appearances onLate Night were in all likelihood because the show was having a week-long event in his home town of Chicago. He starred in a 2006 episode ofMasters of Horror entitled "Family", directed byJohn Landis, and played Santa Claus in the ABC Family original filmSanta Baby. Wendt performed alongsideRichard Thomas inTwelve Angry Men in October 2006 in the Eisenhower Theatre in Washington, D.C.. After the show opened, Wendt was interviewed by localfilm critic Arch Campbell for a piece on the NBC Washington affiliateWRC. Wendt was asked, "What should people do when they see you around town?" After hesitating for a moment, Wendt held his thumbs up and replied, "If their impulse is to buy me a beer, then by all means, follow that impulse."[11] In spring 2007, Wendt performed in12 Angry Men in Los Angeles. Wendt appeared as an AmericanGI in the 2007 Christmas Special episode of British sitcomThe Green Green Grass.
George starred in the Broadway musicalHairspray as the character of Edna Turnblad until November 2008. He appeared with his formerCheers co-starJohn Ratzenberger as a talent scout onLast Comic Standing during Season 6. He briefly appeared asSanta Claus inA Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!. He also appeared in the 2008horror filmBryan Loves You directed bySeth Landau.
On October 1, 2009, Wendt appeared onThe Colbert Report the day before theIOC announced which city will host the2016 Summer Olympics. In their way of supportingChicago's bid for the games, Wendt andStephen Colbert humorously insulted the three other bidding cities,Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, and Tokyo, all while drinking Chicago's favoriteOld Style Beer. In 2009, Wendt starred as Santa Claus inSanta Buddies and also had a small role in the filmOpposite Day.
Wendt appeared in a production ofHairspray, reprising his role as Edna Turnblad, from September 8 to October 9, 2010,[12] at theCharlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Wendt played Santa inElf the Musical on Broadway. The show opened November 14, 2010, and ran through January 2, 2011. Wendt starred in a production ofHairspray as Edna Turnblad atRainbow Stage inWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from August 2, 2011, to August 21, 2011. Wendt also guest-starred in the TV seriesHot In Cleveland as Yoder, based on his character Norm inCheers. His first of two scenes took place in an Amish bar, where everyone in the bar yelled "Yoder!", referencing what the cast ofCheers would yell whenever he walked in.
Wendt is among the thespians who participated in a poster campaign touting live theatre in Chicago. Other celebrities includedJohn Mahoney,John Malkovich,Terry Kinney, andMartha Plimpton. Wendt has a cameo as a newspaper reporter onPortlandia on January 25, 2013. Wendt was set to play the role of Pap in the Hank Williams bio musicalLost Highway at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Auburn, New York.[citation needed][when?]
Beginning in the fall of 2013, Wendt appeared in a television commercial forState Farm Insurance.[13] Wendt andRobert Smigel reprise their roles fromSNL as the Chicago Superfans, who encounter quarterbackAaron Rodgers.[14] The commercial continued the theme of State Farm commercials featuring Rodgers, using the "discount doublecheck" slogan.
From November 6, 2013, to January 19, 2014, Wendt starred inNever Too Late, a comedy with his wife, actress Bernadette Birkett, at New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas. In this play, Wendt plays a successful lumber yard owner who is king of his castle and whose life is going exactly the way he wants until his wife comes back from a doctor appointment with some big news.[15]
In 2015, Wendt starred opposite his former Second City co-starTim Kazurinsky in Bruce Graham's new comedyFunnyman at Northlight Theatre. The same year, Wendt appeared in the TBS sitcomClipped, which aired for one season.[16]
Wendt appeared as Tracy Turnblad's mother in a production ofHairspray featuring John Waters and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Baltimore in June 2016.
Wendt starred inThe Fabulous Lipitones at New Theatre Restaurant inOverland Park, Kansas from November 30, 2016, to February 12, 2017.[17]
Wendt starred as Willy Loman inDeath of a Salesman at St. Jacob's Country Playhouse in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, from October 18 to November 4, 2017.[18]
In 2023, Wendt competed inseason nine ofThe Masked Singer as "Moose" where he was mostly sitting during the performance. He was eliminated on"'80s Night" alongside Christine Quinn ofSelling Sunset fame as "Scorpio".
Wendt is married to Bernadette Birkett and has three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel.[19] Wendt is the uncle ofTed Lasso starJason Sudeikis. Wendt's sister Kathy is Sudeikis' mother.[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | A Wedding | Caterer | Uncredited[21] |
| 1980 | Bronco Billy | Bartender | Uncredited |
| My Bodyguard | Engineer | ||
| Somewhere In Time | Student #2 | ||
| The Gift of the Magi | Shopkeeper | Short film | |
| 1982 | Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again | Injured Man | |
| Airplane II: The Sequel | Carry-on Baggage Attendant | Uncredited | |
| 1984 | Young Lust | Avery Lumpig | |
| Dreamscape | Charlie Prince | ||
| Thief of Hearts | Marty Morrison | ||
| No Small Affair | Jake | ||
| 1985 | Fletch | Fat Sam | |
| House | Harold Gorton | ||
| 1986 | Gung Ho | Buster | |
| 1988 | Plain Clothes | Chet Butler | |
| Never Say Die | Mr. Witten | ||
| 1989 | Cranium Command | Stomach | Short film |
| 1990 | Masters of Menace | Dr. Jack Erheart | |
| 1991 | Guilty by Suspicion | Bunny Baxter | |
| 1992 | Forever Young | Harry Finley | |
| 1994 | Hostage for a Day | Warren Kooey | |
| The Little Rascals | Lumberyard Clerk | ||
| 1995 | Man of the House | Chet Bronski (Chief Running Horse) | |
| 1996 | Space Truckers | Keller | |
| 1997 | The Lovemaster | Therapist | |
| Spice World | Film Producer | ||
| 1998 | Anarchy TV | Abbey Archer | |
| Dennis the Menace Strikes Again | Policeman | Video; Uncredited[22] | |
| Rupert's Land | Ivan Bloat | ||
| 1999 | Outside Providence | Joey | |
| 2000 | Garage: A Rock Saga | Pitching Coach | |
| Lakeboat | First Mate Collins | ||
| The Prime Gig | Archie | ||
| Wild About Harry | Frankie | ||
| 2001 | Prairie Dogs | Actor | Short film |
| Odessa or Bust | The Chef | ||
| 2002 | Teddy Bears' Picnic | General Edison "Pete" Gerberding | |
| 2003 | My Dinner with Jimi | Bill Uttley | |
| King of the Ants | Duke Wayne | ||
| 2005 | As Seen On TV | Donald | Short film |
| Edmond | Pawn Shop Owner | ||
| Kids in America | Coach Thompson | ||
| The Life Coach | George | ||
| 2007 | LA Blues | Mickey | |
| Saturday Morning | Harold | ||
| 2008 | Clean Break | Chuck | |
| Bryan Loves You | Mr. Flynn | ||
| Unnatural Causes | Chuck | ||
| 2009 | Opposite Day | Corporate Exec #1 | |
| Santa Buddies | Santa Claus | Direct-to-DVD | |
| 2016 | Wake Up America! | Richard | |
| 2017 | Sandy Wexler | Testimonial | |
| 2018 | The Independents | Eduardo | |
| Dream Flight | Randall | Short film | |
| Dr. Sugar | Marvin Saccharine | ||
| The Deadbeat | The Great Kazoo | ||
| 2019 | Grand-Daddy Day Care | Big Lou | Direct-to-video |
| The Climb | Jim | ||
| I Lost My Body | Georges (voice) | English dub | |
| Bliss | Pops | ||
| VFW | Thomas Zabriski | ||
| Thank You Kindly | Neighbor Bradley Walden | Short film | |
| 2020 | Stealing a Survivor | Mister Martin | |
| 2021 | Americanish | Douglas Smarts | |
| 2022 | Christmas with the Campbells | Robert Campbell |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Hart to Hart | Sgt. Tate | Episode: "Murder Is a Drag" |
| Soap | Counterman | Episode #4.15 | |
| Taxi | The Exterminator | Episode: "Latka the Playboy" | |
| 1982 | Alice | Monty | Episode: "Monty Falls for Alice" |
| Making the Grade | Gus Bertoia | Main role | |
| M*A*S*H | Pvt. La Roche | Episode: "Trick or Treatment" | |
| 1982–1993 | Cheers | Norm Peterson | Main role, 275 episodes, also directed 1 episode |
| 1983 | Garfield on the Town | Ràoul (voice) | TV short |
| Likely Stories, Vol. 4 | Wary Witness | Television film | |
| 1984 | Garfield in the Rough | Ranger #2 (voice) | TV short |
| The Ratings Game | Mr. Sweeney | Television film | |
| 1985 | The Romance of Betty Boop | Johnny Throat / Punchie (voice) | TV short |
| St. Elsewhere | Norm Peterson | Episode: "Cheers" | |
| 1986 | The Twilight Zone | Barney Schlessinger | Episode: "The World Next Door" |
| 1986–1991 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | The Tortellis | Norm Peterson | Episode: "Frankie Comes to Dinner" |
| 1988 | Mickey's 60th Birthday | TV special | |
| 1989 | Day by Day | Stan | Episode: "Fraternity" |
| The Magical World of Disney | Norm Peterson | Episode: "Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration" | |
| 1990 | The Earth Day Special | TV special | |
| Wings | Episode: "The Story of Joe" | ||
| 1991 | Tales from the Crypt | Mr. Crosswhite | Episode: "The Reluctant Vampire" |
| 1991–2003 | Saturday Night Live | Bob Swerski | 8 episodes |
| 1992 | Roc | Stan Mason | Episode: "The Stan Who Came to Dinner" |
| The Edge | Various | Episode #1.16 | |
| Seinfeld | Himself | Episode: "The Trip: Part 1" | |
| 1993 | Bob | Episode: "Da Game" | |
| The Building | Cappucino Guy | Episode: "The Waiting Game" | |
| 1994 | The Larry Sanders Show | George Wendt | Episode: "Hank's Night in the Sun" |
| The Simpsons | Norm Peterson (voice) | Episode: "Fear of Flying" | |
| 1995 | The George Wendt Show | George Coleman | Main role |
| Columbo | Graham McVeigh | Episode: "Strange Bedfellows" | |
| Shame II: The Secret | Mac | Television film | |
| Bye Bye Birdie | Harry MacAfee | ||
| 1996 | Spin City | Dan Donaldson | Episode: "The High and the Mighty" |
| Alien Avengers | Charlie | Television film | |
| 1997 | Alien Avengers II | ||
| The Naked Truth | Les Polansky | 3 episodes | |
| The Price of Heaven | Sam | Television film | |
| Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Himself | 3 episodes | |
| 1999 | Alice in Wonderland | Fred Tweedledee | Television film |
| 2000 | The Pooch and the Pauper | Sheldon Sparks | |
| Madigan Men | Carl | 4 episodes | |
| The List | Guest Host | 1 episode | |
| 2001 | Strange Relations | Howard | Television film |
| Robertson's Greatest Hits | Tom Robertson | ||
| 2001–2002 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Mike Shelby | 6 episodes |
| 2002 | Becker | Frank | Episode: "V-Day" |
| Frasier | Norm Peterson | Episode: "Cheerful Goodbyes" | |
| 2004 | House of Dreams | Host | Television series |
| Rock Me Baby | Monty | Episode: "Not-So-Grand Parents" | |
| George Lopez | Ed | 2 episodes | |
| 2006 | Modern Men | Tug Clarke | 6 episodes |
| Masters of Horror | Harold Thompson | Episode: "Family" | |
| Santa Baby | Santa Claus | Television film | |
| 2007 | Imperfect Union | Duke | |
| Larry the Cable Guy's Christmas Spectacular | Santa Claus | ||
| The Green Green Grass | Cliff Cooper | Episode: "The Special Relationship" | |
| 2007–2009 | Family Guy | Norm Peterson (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! | Santa Claus | TV special |
| 2010 | Cubed | George Wendt | Episode #1.20 |
| Less Than Kind | Tiny | Episode: "Road Trip" | |
| Ghost Whisperer | George the Plumber | Episode: "The Children's Parade" | |
| 2011 | Hot in Cleveland | Yoder | Episode: "Where's Elka?" |
| Harry's Law | Franklin Chickory | Episode: "American Girl" | |
| 2012 | The Seven Year Hitch | Mr. Henderson | Television film |
| Kickin' It | Uncle Blake | Episode: "Kickin' It On Our Own" | |
| A Christmas Wedding Date | Mr. Destiny | Television film | |
| Merry In-Laws | Santa Claus | ||
| 2013 | Portlandia | George Heely | Episode: "Off the Grid" |
| 2014 | Kirstie | Duke | Episode: "Thelma's Ex" |
| Verdene and Gleneda | Uncle Beanie | Episode: "A Town Called Peculiar"; web series | |
| Franklin & Bash | Henry "Hank" Shae | Episode: "Honor Thy Mother" | |
| 2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself | Episode: "Jesse Tyler Ferguson Wears a Brown Checked Shirt and Stripey Socks" |
| Clipped | Buzzy | Main role | |
| 2016 | Childrens Hospital | Governor Jasper Ruth | Episode: "By the Throat" |
| 2017 | Mommy, I Didn't Do It | J.D. Pierce | Television film |
| Bill Nye Saves the World | Hacked Support Group Member / Polio | 2 episodes | |
| 2018 | The Greatest American Hero | Bob Rice | Television film |
| Fresh Off the Boat | Harv | Episode: "Workin' the 'Ween" | |
| 2018–2020 | Fancy Nancy | Grandpa Clancy (voice) | 10 episodes |
| 2019 | Eddie's | The Captain | Television film |
| Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell | Famine | Episode: "The Poor Horsemen of the Apocalypse" | |
| Peyton's Places | Bob Swerski | Episode: "Da Bears" | |
| The Goldbergs | Ned Frank | Episode: "Food in a Geoffy"[23] | |
| Christmas 9 to 5 | Manny O'Quinn | Television film | |
| 2023 | The Masked Singer | Himself/Moose | Season 9 contestant |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Ray Parker Jr.: Ghostbusters | Himself | Uncredited cameo |
| 1991 | Michael Jackson: Black or White | Father | Uncredited |
| 1993 | Soul Asylum: Black Gold | Guy Pushing Car | |
| Dangerous: The Short Films | Father | "Black or White" video segment | |
| 1995 | Michael Jackson: Video Greatest Hits | ||
| 2000 | MxPx: Responsibility | Boss | Uncredited |
I don't remember 'Bronco Billy,' but there was one summer they shot 'A Wedding' in Chicago and they were looking for extras to play caterers, waiters and waitresses and the like. So all these guys from [The Second City and]Steppenwolf were waiters: Me andDennis Franz,John Malkovich,Alan Wilder, Tim Evans — lots of people. And we had fun; it was a bonding summer with the Steppenwolf guys. We'd turn up at dawn every morning and just hang out and wait around in our outfits. ... I don't even know if anything I shot is in the movie.(subscription required)
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