George Wendt, Who Played Iconic Character Norm On ‘Cheers,’ Dies At 76

Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry

Alessio AtriaMay 21, 2025, 3:56 pmHome Featured, News >

The family of Cheers star George Wendt announced that the actor died at the age of 76.

A representative of the family said that Wendt “died peacefully in his sleep while at home” on May 20. The official cause of death has not been revealed yet.

“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” the statement read. “He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.”

The late actor is survived by his wife of 46 years, actress Bernadette Birkett and children Hilary, Joe and Daniel.

Wendt was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 17, 1948.

He flunked out of Notre Dame and worked at his father’s real estate office in Chicago before graduating from Rockhurst College.

In the mid-1970s, he started his acting career in the city’s improv school, the Second City Mainstage, where he began as a comedian and met Birkett. He was fired from the theater once and quit once.

From 1982 to 1993, he starred in the NBC sitcom Cheers, playing the character Norm Peterson, whose catchphrase was “Afternoon, everybody.” He earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for his performance and appeared in all 275 episodes of the program.

“I am devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us,” his Cheers co-star, Ted Danson, who portrayed the character, Sam Malone, said in a statement. “I am sending all my love to Bernadette and the children. It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie.”

“George Wendt was the sweetest, kindest man I ever met,” Rhea Perlman, who played cocktail waitress, Carla, on the sitcom, said in a statement. “It was impossible not to like him. As Carla, I was often standing next to him, as Norm always took the same seat at the end of the bar, which made it easy to grab him and beat the crap out of him at least once a week. I loved doing it and he loved pretending it didn’t hurt. What a guy! I’ll miss him more than words can say.”

Wendt got his own sitcom on CBS, The George Wendt Show, which was scrapped after one month. In this program, he played a radio host and a car mechanic.

The actor starred as himself on Seinfeld and The Larry Sanders Show. He had recurring roles on The Naked Truth and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

His last public appearance was on June 1, 2024, during the Big Slick Celebrity Weekend with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.