George Wendt, the actor and comedian, who found fame as Norm Peterson in the1980s NBC sitcom “Cheers,” passed away at 76. Wendt, who was a native of the South Side neighborhood of Beverly, started his acting career at Chicago’s improvisational comedy troupe Second City.
George Wendt, right, who plays Norm Peterson sheds a tear on the set of the popular NBC series, “Cheers,” as John Ratzenberger, who plays Cliff Calvin, looks away during a scene while taping the final episode in Los Angeles on April 1, 1993. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)Actor George Wendt, who played Norm on the long-running sitcom “Cheers,” with a glass of beer on June 13, 1983 in Los Angeles. (Wally Fong/AP)
“Hairspray” cast members George Wendt, left, and Shannon Durig perform during a free concert on Nov. 30, 2007, in New York. (Louis Lanzano/AP)Chicago Bulls “SuperFans” Robert Smigel and George Wendt, right, join in a rally for the Chicago Bulls on June 22, 1993, in Grant Park. Thousands of fans gathered to celebrate the Bulls third straight NBA championship. (Mark Elias/AP)“Cheers’ cast members George Wendt, from left, John Ratzenberger, Rhea Perlman, Woody Harrelson, and Kelsey Grammer, toast the crowd outside the Bull and Finch Pub in Boston during the finale of the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno on May 21, 1993. (Charles Krupa/AP)
George Wendt on Aug. 19, 2019, outside Soldier Field in Chicago. Wendt was filming a segment with actor, writer, producer and director Robert Smigel of “Bill Swerski Super Fans,” the “Saturday Night Live” sketch in which they play Bears fans. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)George Wendt bows during the curtain call for the Broadway opening of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” on March 20, 2013 in New York. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)Actor George Wendt, who played Norm on “Cheers”, enters the doors of the “Cheers” bar on Aug. 23, 2001, on it’s opening night in Boston. (Darren McCollester/Getty)
Boston Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs, center, on March 2, 1988, with the cast of “Cheers” during rehearsal for an episode in which he appears. (Ira Mark Gostin/AP)Actor, writer, producer and director Robert Smigel, right, and George Wendt speak during an interview on Aug. 19, 2019, outside Soldier Field in Chicago. They were filming a segment of “Bill Swerski Super Fans,” the “Saturday Night Live” sketch in which they play Bears fans. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)WTMX radio host Kathy Hart, from left, actor George Wendt, and Adalisa Frazzini pose during Woody’s Wiffle Ball Classic at Wrigley Field on Aug. 10, 2013, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/for the Chicago Tribune)
Actor George Wendt is on the set of “Rounding Third” at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie on Oct. 3, 2002. (Leigh Daughtridge/for the Chicago Tribune)George Wendt, who took summer classes at St. Xavier when he lived in Beverly, receives an honorary degree at the St. Xavier graduation ceremony on May 7, 2016, in Chicago. (Gary Middendorf/Chicago Tribune)The original cast of Second City, including George Wendt, performed at Athenaeum Theater in Chicago on May 17, 2003. (Michael Walker/for the Chicago Tribune)
Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt, and Anthony Anderson perform onstage at the 75th Emmy Awards on Jan. 15, 2024 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Phil McCarten/Invision for the Television Academy/AP)Actor George Wendt throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays on April 3, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Chris O’Meara/AP)Joe Birkett with George Wendt with improv comedy team at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace on Aug. 27, 2002. (Michael Walker/for the Chicago Tribune)
Actor George Wendt gets a fake mustache applied during an interview on Aug. 19, 2019, outside Soldier Field in Chicago. Wendt was filming a segment with actor, writer, producer and director Robert Smigel of “Bill Swerski Super Fans,” the “Saturday Night Live” sketch in which they play Bears fans. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
