On the NBC comedy Cheers, George Wendt often stole the show as Norm. Norm was Cheers’ most loyal regular. Every episode when he entered the whole bar shouted his name, and he had a different one liner for every entrance. Cheers ended in 1993 after 11 seasons and Wendt has been busy ever since.
If you’re looking for Wendt today, Showbiz Cheat Sheet is here to help. Here’s what Wendt has been up to.
How George Wendt got the role of Norm on ‘Cheers’
After some small roles in films like Bronco Billy and My Bodyguard, and a deleted scene from Somewhere in Time, Wendt moved to Los Angeles in 1980. He got some solid TV appearances including episodes of Hart to Hart, Soap, Alice, and Taxi. It was Taxi that really made an impression, as writers Glen and Les Charles and director James Burrows created Cheers.
Cheers originally called Wendt for a one line role on the pilot. Since one line, consisting of only one word, wasn’t enough for the audition, Wendt read for the role that became Norm. The role was named George but they changed it to avoid confusion.
Norm sat at Cheers every episode, racking up his unpaid bar tab. His off screen wife Vera remained a nuisance. Norm would also visit Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) in Seattle for his spinoff series.
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George Wendt does TV movies now
The next project on Wendt’s resume is the movie Love’s Second Act. Starring Jodie Sweetin as a screenwriter who reunites with her ex-boyfriend as she’s finishing her script, it sounds like the type of feel-good TV movie Wendt has been doing a lot of lately. So far, no network is listed for the film yet.
But, it sounds akin to the Lifetime movie Christmas 9 to 5 Wendt did, and he’s done a lot of Christmas movies for video release, including last year’s Christmas with the Campbells. However, it wasn’t all holiday fun. Wendt also did drama in the Lifetime true crime movie Mommy, I Didn’t Do It.
More sitcoms after ‘Cheers’
After such a successful run on Cheers, you’d think some other network would swoop in and pick up Wendt for his own sitcom vehicle. It almost happened after Cheers. One of the rejected spinoffs of Cheers was a Norm and Cliff (John Ratzenberger) show. Wendt did episodes of Ted Danson’s next show, Becker, and Kirstie Alley’s show Kirstie.
It wasn’t until 2015 that the TBS sitcom Clipped gave Wendt a weekly episodic gig. Wednt played Buzzy, the owner of a barber shop that Ashley Tisdale goes to work in. Buzzy is also romantically involved with a police officer (Reginald Veljohnson, playing a different cop than Al Powell or Carl Winslow).
Sadly, Clipped only lasted one season, but Wendt also appeared on episodes of The Goldbergs, Fresh Off the Boat, Children’s Hospital, Hot in Cleveland, Harry’s Law, Ghost Whisperer, George Lopez, and many more. So TV did not forget about Wendt and we haven’t either.
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