- Born
- Birth nameGeorge Robert Wendt
- Height5′ 9½″ (1.77 m)
- George Robert Wendt III was born and raised in Chicago to Loretta Mary (Howard) and George Robert Wendt II, who was a realtor and navy officer. He attended a strict Jesuit prep school, Rockhurst College (Kansas City, Missouri). He later dropped out of Notre Dame University after a few uneventful years. He worked with Chicago's famed Second City comedy troupe from 1974-1980. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the hit television series, Cheers (1982). He is married to actress Bernadette Birkett, who provided the rare offscreen voice of Norm's unseen wife, Vera. The couple have two sons and a daughter. They met while working at the Second City.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
- SpouseBernadette Birkett(July 8, 1978 - present) (3 children)
- ChildrenHilary WendtJoe WendtDaniel Wendt
- RelativesLindsay Sudeikis(Niece or Nephew)Kristen Sudeikis(Niece or Nephew)Jason Sudeikis(Niece or Nephew)
- Heavy, stocky build
- Deep voice
- Along with Ted Danson and Rhea Perlman, he is one of only three actors to appear in all 273 episodes of Cheers (1982).
- Uncle of Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Sudeikis and Lindsay Sudeikis.
- Has played Norm Peterson on seven different shows: Cheers (1982), St. Elsewhere (1982), The Tortellis (1987), The Simpsons (1989), Wings (1990), Frasier (1993), and Family Guy (1999).
- Wendt's maternal grandfather was Tom Howard, a photographer for the Washington bureau of P & A Photographs, who took one of the most famous news photos ever: of murderess Ruth Snyder as she was executed at Sing Sing Prison on January 12, 1928. He modified his miniature plate camera with a long shutter release, then smuggled it into the witness room by strapping it onto his left ankle. The photo was on the front page of the next morning's New York Daily News under the headline: DEAD! The camera is at the Smithsonian Institution.
- Along with John Ratzenberger, Richard Belzer and Paul Fusco, he is one of only four actors to play the same character (Hilary Norman 'Norm' Peterson) on six different shows: Cheers (1982), Frasier (1993), Wings (1990), St. Elsewhere (1982), The Tortellis (1987) and The Simpsons (1989). He has appeared in episodes of all six series with John Ratzenberger.
- Improvising is best left to those who really love it. Improvising itself is kind of fun, but the apprehension before the improv is not. I don't think that fast; I can't write that fast. Some people can look at a bunch of suggestions and can come up with a premise, but that was never my long suit.
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