On May 20, 2025, it was announced by George Wendt’s family that he had sadly passed away in his sleep at home. The actor was 76 years old. George’s family shared the news via a statement from a representative.
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The statement describes the actor as a ‘doting family man’ and says that he ‘will be missed forever’. Naturally, George’s family have asked for privacy during this difficult time.
George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.
George Wendt was one of nine children
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, George Wendt was born on October 17, 1948, and was one of nine children. His father founded a real estate agency, and his mother was a housewife and longtime volunteer and fundraiser for Little Company of Mary Hospital.
Wendt worked in his father’s real estate agency and excelled in ‘getting coffee for the secretaries’. He then earned a B.A. in economics in 1971 from Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Missouri.
George then decided to move to Europe, where he stayed for three years. He later decided to return home to try and become a comedic actor. Per The Hollywood Reporter, he took part in workshops before joining Second City’s touring company in 1975. He was a member of Second City for six years and then left to work on the 1980 films My Bodyguard and Somewhere in Time.
He then played an exterminator in a 1981 episode of Taxi that was written by Glen and Les Charles and directed by James Burrows, who went on to become the creators of Cheers.
George Wendt is best known for Cheers
One of George Wendt’s best-known roles is from the American TV show Cheers. Wendt played the beer-quaffing everyman Norm Peterson for all 11 seasons of the show, from 1982 to 1993. He was one of three actors to appear in every episode (Ted Danson and Rhea Perlman were the other two).
Wendt also appeared in numerous films, including: Dreamscape (1984), House (1985), Fletch (1985), Gung Ho (1986), Plain Clothes (1987), Never Say Die (1988), Guilty by Suspicion (1991), Forever Young (1992), and Spice World (1997).
George Wendt’s family life
According to People, George Wendt and Bernadette Birkett met when the former joined Second City in 1974. They tied the knot four years later and welcomed three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel.
George Wendt also leaves behind his nephew, Jason Sudeikis, who is most famous for his role as Ted Lasso. Back in 2011, Jason revealed that his uncle had been ‘very encouraging’. He told Playboy at the time:
He’s always been very encouraging, but there was no 'Tuesdays With Morrie' kind of relationship between him and I.
He was just a good example that being an actor was a viable option. Here’s a guy from the Midwest, in my family, who took the road less travelled and it worked out for him. The advice he gave me, and I say this jokingly, is 'Get on one of the best sitcoms of all time and then ride it out.'
Read more:
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Sources used:
The Hollywood Reporter: ‘George Wendt, the Beer-Loving Norm on ‘Cheers,’ Dies at 76’
People: ‘George Wendt's Family: All About the Late Cheers Star's Wife, Kids and Connection to Jason Sudeikis’
