Fans are still mourning the loss of beloved Cheers star George Wendt, who passed away at 76 on Tuesday, months after his final reunion with co-stars.
The actor passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, with his family calling him, ‘a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him’ in a statement.
The Chicago native rose to fame from playing beloved barfly Norm Peterson in NBC’s Cheers, appearing in all 275 episodes from 1982 to 1993, with the finale airing May 20, 1993, exactly 32 years before he passed.
He earned six Emmy nominations in the show, starring alongside Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson, who he reunited for just months before his passing.
Wendt appeared on an August 2024 episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name, Danson and Harrelson’s Cheers podcast that launched last June.
The trio of co-stars reminisced on their early memories from the show, Harrelson’s arrival in Season 4 as the lovable-yet-dimwitted bartender Woody Boyd, and much more.
Fans are still mourning the loss of beloved Cheers star George Wendt, who passed away at 76 on Tuesday, months after his final reunion with co-stars.
The Chicago native rose to fame from playing beloved barfly Norm Peterson in NBC’s Cheers, appearing in all 275 episodes from 1982 to 1993, with the finale airing May 20, 1993, exactly 32 years before he passed.
Wendt appeared on an August 2024 episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name, Danson and Harrelson’s Cheers podcast that launched last June
Wendt had appeared in guest-starring spots on Taxi, Soap and M*A*S*H* in the early 1980s plus a starring role in CBS’ Making the Grade in 1982, which was canceled after just six episodes, paving the way for his casting as Norm Peterson, whose name the entire Cheers bar shouts out upon his arrival.
While he ultimately appeared in every one of the show’s episodes, he was originally auditioning for a different character who had just one line in the pilot.
‘My agent called and said, “You know, honey, they want you to do this Cheers. Now you’re not available,” because I had this other show at Paramount for CBS,’ he said.
‘Then they go, “But they want you to come in anyway, and it’s really small, though.” I go, “Oh, okay,”‘ he added.
He ended up reading for Norm as well and landed the role, becoming one of TV’s most beloved sitcom characters all these years later.
Harrelson was cast after the surprising death of Nicholas Colasanto, who played bartender Coach Ernie Pantusso, the former baseball coach of Sam “Mayday” Malone (Danson).
After Colasanto passed from a heart attack, he was written off in similar fashion in the Season 4 premiere, which also introduced Harrelson’s Woody Boyd.
Wendt also opened up about his first time meeting Harrelson, not at the audition, but at a Gelson’s supermarket in Los Angeles, adding Harrelson hadn’t seen Cheers yet.
‘We were at Gelson’s and I see these two young guys giggling and faces turning red and pointing at me,’ Wendt said, adding he was ‘used to it’ after three seasons.
Wendt had appeared in guest-starring spots on Taxi, Soap and M*A*S*H* in the early 1980s plus a starring role in CBS’ Making the Grade in 1982, which was canceled after just six episodes, paving the way for his casting as Norm Peterson, whose name the entire Cheers bar shouts out upon his arrival
‘My agent called and said, “You know, honey, they want you to do this Cheers. Now you’re not available,” because I had this other show at Paramount for CBS,’ he said.
Wendt also opened up about his first time meeting Harrelson, not at the audition, but at a Gelson’s supermarket in Los Angeles, adding Harrelson hadn’t seen Cheers yet
He added that Harrelson was ‘shoved’ by the other guy, as Harrelson told him, ‘I just wanted to tell you, I’m auditioning for your show tomorrow.’
‘I said, “Oh, that’s great, man, tell you what, good luck with that, and hey, what’s your name anyway?” “Woody.” “Oh no, not the character’s name, what’s your name?” He goes, “Woody.” I go, “Oh, I think I might be seeing you tomorrow,”‘ Wendt said with a laugh.
After Wendt’s death, Danson said in a statement that he was, ‘devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us.’
‘I am sending all my love to Bernadette and the children,” Danson said. “It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie,’ he added.
