George Wendt

George Robert Wendt Jr., born October 17, 1948 in the Beverly neighborhood of south side Chicago, Illinois, is renowned as an accomplished American actor. Parents Loretta Mary (née Howard) and George Robert Wendt, a Navy officer and realtor, raised Wendt alongside his six sisters and two brothers. He is of Irish and one quarter German descent. Wendt’s post-secondary endeavors led him to the University of Notre Dame, which he eventually left after receiving a 0.00 GPA. He then transferred to Jesuit Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Missouri, graduating with a B.A. in economics.

Wendt catapulted to fame through the NBC sitcom Cheers (1982–1993) in the iconic role of Norm Peterson, garnering him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. After Cheers ended in 1993, Wendt starred in his own sitcom, The George Wendt Show, albeit short-lived. His extensive career encompasses various roles in films such as Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), The Little Rascals (1994), Santa Buddies (2009), and Sandy Wexler (2017) among a host of other appearances. Wendt was also part of the original British edition of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and had roles opposite formidable actors such as Robert De Niro in Guilty by Suspicion and Mel Gibson in Forever Young. His most recent appearances happened in the last decade such as reprising his role as Edna Turnblad from Hairspray for the Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island, Canada, appearing in Elf on Broadway and guest-starring in the TV series Hot In Cleveland.