Here’s to You, Norm! Remembering George Wendt Beyond the Barstool
Story By Mitchell Smith
George Wendt was born in 1948 in Chicago, IL and died in his sleep May 20th 2025. Wendt is best know for the lovable character Norm on Cheers. If you walked into Cheers 2 things were certain Norm would be sitting in his spot and he would always be ready for another beer. I did visit the Cheers bar in Boston, but I never met Norm. Growing up in a bar restaurant, Cheers and staple characters like Norm really hit home. Although Wendt was nominated 6 straight times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Cheers his career was much wider as he appeared in movies, television shows, and a few music videos that most people probably remember.
I grew up on Cheers, Norm was a staple that led me to picking up this Mego figure as an adult to capture the moments he created. Beyond Norm, Wendt had a vast career appearing in shows such as Taxi, Alice, and MASH before he made it big on Cheers, but also would go on to be on shows like Wings, Seinfeld, The Simpsons, and the hit Cheers spin off Frasier. Other shows like Hot in Cleveland, Family Guy, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch all pulled his talent into their shows. SNL, Who’s Line is it Anyways, and The Masked Singer all were a part of his tv presence. It didn’t stop there though, you may remember seeing Wendt in movies such as Classics like Bronco Billy starring Clint Eastwood and My Bodyguard starring Adam Baldwin (two of my favorite movies from my childhood). You may also remember seeing Wendt in Fletch, The Little Rascals, and Sandy Wexler. Along with being a part of the original Ghostbusters video, I’m sure you all remember Wendt in Michael Jackson‘s video Black or White that even Beavis & Butthead critiqued.
Over all Wendt had a remarkable career and fittingly he went to sleep one night and never woke up. He will be missed dearly by friends, fans, and family, but his memory will forever be etched on the Hollywood walls. RIP Mr. Wendt.
