US actor George Wendt, beloved barfly Norm on ‘Cheers,' dies aged 76

Euronews

21-05-2025

George Wendt, the American actor whose unassuming charm and impeccable comic timing made him a household name as the beer-loving Norm Peterson on the iconic 1980s sitcom Cheers, has died. He was 76.
His family said he died early Tuesday morning (20 May), peacefully in his sleep while at home, according to the publicity firm The Agency Group.
'George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,' the family said in a statement. 'He will be missed forever.'
Wendt earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for his role on Cheers, which began in 1982 and ran for 11 seasons. Set in a cozy basement bar in Boston, the show followed the lives of the bar's staff and its loyal regulars - a mismatched group of quirky, lovable characters.
The ensemble cast included Wendt, and the likes of Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson, and numerous special guest appearances from Boston Red Sox baseball legend Wade Boggs and Friends star Lisa Kudrow. Cheers spun off another megahit in 'Frasier' and was nominated for an astounding 117 Emmy Awards, winning 28 of them.
Wendt's Norm was the lovable, henpecked beer-loving accountant who took up the same barstool every episode. His entrances were greeted by a joyous call of 'Norm!' from those in the bar and he always had a dry quip ready when asked how he was doing.
The actor famously auditioned for Cheers with a single line: 'My agent said, 'It's a small role, honey. It's one line. Actually, it's one word.' The word was 'beer.' I was having a hard time believing I was right for the role of 'the guy who looked like he wanted a beer.' So I went in, and they said, 'It's too small a role. Why don't you read this other one?' And it was a guy who never left the bar,' Wendt told GQ in an oral history of Cheers.
'George Wendt's work showcased how comedy can create indelible characters that feel like family. Over the course of 11 seasons, he brought warmth and humor to one of television's most beloved roles,' National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson said in a statement.
After Cheers, Wendt appeared on shows like Portlandia and The Ghost Whisperer, and even competed on The Masked Singer in 2023. On stage, he starred in Broadway productions of Hairspray, the Tony Award-winning Art, and Elf, and toured nationally in 12 Angry Men.
Following his guilty sentence in a Paris court for sexually assaulting two women during the film shoot in 2021 of Les Volets Verts, disgraced French actor Gérard Depardieu is facing a trial in Rome after allegedly punching a paparazzo.
The case is due to begin at a court in Rome on 17 June.
Depardieu, 76, is charged with causing personal injury to the Italian photographer Rino Barillari. He is accused of punching 'the king of paparazzi' as he is known in Italy outside Harry's Bar on Via Veneto in May last year.
Barillari, 80, went to the bar where Depardieu was eating with a friend, Magda Vavrusova. Barillari claims that Depardieu insulted him and Italians in general, threw an ice cube at him, and punched him three times. This caused Barillari to fall to the ground.
'I can forgive his punches, but not the insult against Italians,' Barillari told the Italian news agency Adnkronos on Tuesday.
Depardieu has denied the claims, telling La Repubblica that Barillari had pushed him.
Delphine Meillet, a lawyer for Vavrusova, said her client had been 'violently pushed' by Barillari and that Depardieu 'fell and slid' on to the paparazzo.