Cheers legend George Wendt dies, aged 86
Cheers legend George Wendt dies, aged 86
Despite a long career of roles onstage and on TV, it was as gentle and henpecked Norm Peterson on Cheers that he was most associated
George Wendt attends the TBS / TNT Upfront 2014 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden
George Wendt, who played the affable, beer-loving barfly Norm on the hit 1980s TV comedy Cheers and later crafted a stage career that took him to Broadway in Art, Hairspray and Elf, has died. He was 76. Wendt's family said he died early on Tuesday morning, 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.' The family requested privacy.
Despite a long career of roles onstage and on TV, it was as gentle and henpecked Norm Peterson on Cheers that he was most associated, earning six straight Emmy Award nominations for best supporting actor in a comedy series from 1984-89.
The series was centred on lovable losers in a Boston bar and starred Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger, Kirstie Alley and Woody Harrelson. It would spin off another megahit in Frasier and was nominated for an astounding 117 Emmy Awards, winning 28 of them. Wendt, who spent six years in Chicago's renowned Second City improv troupe before sitting on a barstool at the place where everybody knows your name, did not have high hopes when he auditioned for Cheers.
'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.
Article continues below
After Cheers, Wendt starred in his own short-lived sitcom, The George Wendt Show, and had guest spots on TV shows including The Ghost Whisperer, Harry's Law and Portlandia. In 2023, he competed on The Masked Singer.
George Wendt as Norm Peterson in the "Cheers" episode 'The Improbable Dream: Part 2,' which originally aired on September 28, 1989
He was part of a brotherhood of Chicago Everymen who gathered over sausage and beers and adored 'Da Bears' on Saturday Night Live. He found steady work onstage: Wendt slipped on Edna Turnblad's housecoat in Broadway's Hairspray beginning in 2007, and was in the Tony Award-winning play Art in New York and London.
He starred in the national tour of 12 Angry Men and appeared in a production of David Mamet's Lakeboat. He also starred in regional productions of Death of a Salesman, The Odd Couple, Never Too Late and Funnyman.
'A, it's by far the most fun, but B, I seem to have been kicked out of television,' Wendt told the Kansas City Star in 2011. 'I overstayed my welcome. But theatre suits me.'
Wendt had an affinity for playing Santa Claus, donning the famous red outfit in the stage musical Elf on Broadway in 2017, the TV movie Santa Baby with Jenny McCarthy in 2006 and in the doggie Disney video Santa Buddies in 2009.
He also played Father Christmas for TV specials by Larry the Cable Guy and Stephen Colbert.
'I think it just proves that if you stay fat enough and get old enough, the offers start rolling in,' the actor joked to the AP in his Broadway dressing room.
Born in Chicago, Wendt attended Campion High School, a Catholic boarding school in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and then Notre Dame, where he rarely went to class and was asked to leave.
He transferred to Rockhurst University in Kansas City and graduated, after majoring in economics. He found a home at Second City in both the touring company and the mainstage.
'I think comedy is my long suit, for sure. My approach to comedy is usually not full-bore clownish,' he told the AP.
'If you're trying to showboat or step outside, it doesn't always work. There are certain performers who almost specialise in doing that, and they do it really well. But that's not my approach.'
Article continues below
He is survived by his wife, Bernadette Birkett, who voiced Norm's never-seen not-so better half, Vera, on Cheers, his children, Hilary, Joe and Daniel and his stepchildren, Joshua and Andrew.
'From his early days with The Second City to his iconic role as Norm on 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 humour to one of television's most beloved roles,' National Comedy Centre executive director Journey Gunderson said in a statement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
34 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Will Ferrell ‘excited' to bring Eurovision musical to Broadway
Will Ferrell has said he is 'excited' to bring a musical version of the Eurovision Song Contest to Broadway. The American actor, 57, is basing the project on his Netflix movie, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga, which he starred in opposite Canadian actress Rachel McAdams and British actor Dan Stevens. Advertisement 'We are more than excited to bring Eurovision to Broadway,' said Ferrell. 'The stage musical is a perfect place to continue our celebration of all the things we love about this amazing and unifying song competition.' Ferrell starred opposite Canadian actress Rachel McAdams, pictured, in the Netflix movie (Ian West/PA) The production will feature a book by Ferrell, Harper Steele, who both co-wrote the original film and were in the documentary Will & Harper together, and Anthony King, a TV and Broadway writer. Music will come from Savan Kotecha, who was behind the songs for the Netflix movie, and will be directed by Alex Timbers. Advertisement 'Will Ferrell and Harper Steele are my comedy heroes,' Timbers, a Tony award-winning director, said. 'And when I first saw their joyful movie Eurovision during the pandemic, it buoyed spirits during a very dark time. 'With this stage adaptation, I can't wait to bring that same mix of heart, spectacle, irreverence, and awe to audiences across the world.' In the 2020 movie, The Notebook actress McAdams, an Oscar nominee, and Elf star Ferrell play Icelandic musicians Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir who are competing at Eurovision. Advertisement JJ from Austria won Eurovision 2025 (AP Photo/Denes Erdos) It was nominated for a best original song Academy Award for Husavik (My Hometown) written by Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, and Rickard Goransson. Eurovision director Martin Green, from the organising group, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), said: 'This is a stellar team for what I am sure will be an equally stellar adaption of a film the world loved. 'Our aim always is to bring the joy of the Eurovision Song Contest to more people globally – especially as we approach our 70th edition in 2026.' Last month, the 2025 winner of Eurovision was crowned as 24-year-old opera singer JJ from Austria, who entered with the dramatic Wasted Love. Advertisement The UK came 19th in May after Remember Monday earned 88 points from the national juries for their song What The Hell Just Happened? and no points from the audience. Netflix has previously turned its popular science fiction show Stranger Things into a play in the West End called Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which serves as a prequel to the series.
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
How Yoshitomo Nara's moody kids conquered the art world
Yoshitomo Nara's children don't seem very happy. The 65-year-old Japanese artist has been painting them since adolescence: small bodies with big heads, soft cheeks and hard stares. What are they thinking, these little ones? Their fixed expressions are less likely to suggest innocence than malice – or misery. Sometimes a slogan in English, daubed by Nara onto an otherwise plain background, might offer a clue. 'Stop the Bombs,' says one, above a scrappy figure who eye-balls the viewer furiously, two small fangs emerging from the corners of her downturned mouth. 'Don't Waste Another Day,' implores another, over a kneeling figure, her legs tucked beneath her in supplicatory seiza pose. Whatever it means, during the past few decades, Nara's cartoonish art has become serious business: in 2019, Knife Behind Back, a characteristic work of a scowling green-eyed girl in a red dress, sold at auction for £20 million. This summer, the Hayward Gallery, in London, is staging Nara's biggest European exhibition to date. Here, the artist introduces eight artworks, from the 150 that will be on show, which chart the evolution of his now unmistakable style. With Horses? 1984 This early work is from my fourth year as a student at Aichi University of the Arts. I began doodling on an envelope I happened to have at hand and liked the way the coloured pencils appeared against the tone of the paper, so I ended up drawing several pieces. This was a brand-new envelope, but later when I was studying abroad in Germany, I started drawing on discarded envelopes I found in the rubbish bin in the school office. People on the Cloud, 1989 I produced this picture during my first year at art school in Germany. I wanted to bring together the many interesting elements in my mind into a single world. It's as if the things I finally managed to fit in were walking on the very edges... an excess of elements. Sleepless Night (Sitting), 1997 In the 1990s, I started to treat my backgrounds with a single colour while still maintaining a sense of nuance. If you look at this painting up close, I think you will see that the surface is very delicate. I made an effort to make the atmosphere surrounding the figure blend over the entire image, otherwise the figure would look like it had just been cut out and stuck on. Missing in Action, 1999 Missing in Action represents the style of mine that is most recognised by viewers. This style began developing at the beginning of the 1990s and was established by the end of that decade. I try to express both colour and motifs with a minimum of simple elements. Cup Kid, 2000 This image shows a little child playfully added into a ukiyo-e postcard. Adding something to an existing printed piece like this can serve as training to strengthen the imagination. My Drawing Room 2008, Bedroom Included, 2008 I actually prefer drawing in a small room, the size of a child's bedroom, rather than in a large studio. It connects me back to my childhood, when I would doodle for fun. The things I have studied and learnt about art since my adolescence are important, but there's also something in those earlier feelings that shaped my individuality. For me, this piece feels like returning to the cocoon from before I hatched into the person that I am today. One Foot in the Groove, 2012 I joined together six old window frames with the glass removed to create one board, then painted onto it a child lying on the clouds. After I had finished, I added the words 'One Foot in The Groove' in red... but realised immediately afterwards that they were unnecessary, and painted over them. I didn't come to this realisation until I had finished writing the words, so it ended up becoming a little detour. But being able to laugh at myself and think, 'I'm such an idiot,' is part of the fun of creating. Miss Moonlight, 2020 It's difficult to look directly at the sun, but you can stare as much as you want at the moon. And, of course, moonlight is a reflection of sunlight, so you can also quietly feel the presence of the sun in it. Yoshitomo Nara is at the Hayward Gallery, London SE1 (), from June 10-Aug 31
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Putin's secret daughter, 22, ‘working in anti-war art gallery in Paris' after ‘ditching tyrant's name'
VLADIMIR Putin's alleged secret daughter is reportedly working at two Parisian art galleries that showcase anti-war exhibitions. Elizaveta Krivonogikh, 22 – also known as Luiza Rozova and now Elizaveta Rudnova – is said to be rubbing shoulders with Russian dissidents and Ukrainian artists in the French capital. 6 6 6 6 Reports say she is working at L Galerie in Belleville and Espace Albatros in Montreuil, despite being the daughter of a regime responsible for the war they oppose. Both galleries are said to be known for exhibiting anti-war art, according to outlet Meduza, citing a Russian artist. She also reportedly dropped the Putin-linked name and adopted one tied to Oleg Rudnov, a late Vlad ally - in an apparent attempt to mask her ties to the Kremlin tyrant. Her role as gallery manager includes helping organise shows and make videos, and it has seemed to spark fury among exiled Russians and Ukrainians. Artist Nastya Rodionova, who fled Russia in 2022, said she couldn't stay silent. In a Facebook post, she wrote: 'It's important to say that I believe in the presumption of innocence and that children are not responsible for the crimes of their parents. 'But with the war reaching its heights it is inadmissible to allow a person who comes from a family of beneficiaries of [Putin's] regime to come into confrontation with the victims of that regime. 'We need to know who we are working with and decide whether we are ready for that. My personal answer in this case is no.' Dmitry Dolinsky, director of L Association that controls Studio Albatros and L Galerie, defended Rudnova's role. He told The Times: 'She looks like Putin but so do 100,000 other people. I haven't seen a DNA test.' Some insiders back her, calling her a 'cultured person' and 'excellent worker'. But Rodionova hit back, warning that victims of the war shouldn't be forced to share space with anyone tied to the regime – alleged daughter or not. Rudnova's mother, Svetlana Krivonogikh, was sanctioned by the UK in 2023 and linked to Putin's inner circle by independent Russian media. She reportedly owns property worth $100million and was outed as Putin's former mistress by the Proekt investigative team. Elizaveta vanished from Russian social media shortly before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. She once flaunted a lavish lifestyle on Instagram, posting photos in designer clothes, sipping champagne, and DJing under the name Luiza Rozova. Ukrainian TV later claimed she was living in Paris with a passport under the name Rudnova, allegedly ditching the patronymic Vladimirovna, which would confirm her father's name as Vladimir. 6 6 Born in March 2003, Elizaveta has never publicly confirmed a link to the Russian tyrant. The Kremlin has never confirmed her existence either. But the timing of her birth, her resemblance to Putin, and her mother's major financial rise have fuelled years of speculation. Kremlin critics say she is part of the hidden empire Putin has built for his inner circle and family. Officially, Putin only acknowledges two daughters, Maria and Katerina, from his marriage to Lyudmila Putina, whom he divorced in 2014. But it's long been rumoured he has more children — including two sons with former gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Who are Vladimir Putin's daughters? VLADIMIR Putin is known for keeping his personal and family life very private, but some details about the tyrant's children have surfaced over the years. Maria Vorontsova (née Putin, born April 28, 1985): His eldest, 39, leads government-funded programs personally overseen by Putin, which have received billions from the Kremlin for genetic research. She is the first of two daughters of Putin and his ex-wife, Lyudmila Putina. Maria is said to be an expert in rare genetic diseases in children, and also dwarfism, according to reports. She was married to Dutch businessman Jorrit Faassen. In 2013, the couple were living in a penthouse in Voorschoten, the Netherlands, but the following year, Dutch residents called for her to be expelled following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine. The pair are believed to have moved the Moscow the following year. In March 2022, it was reported that the couple had split after the war in Ukraine crushed Maria's dreams of opening a money-spinning clinic for wealthy foreigners in Russia Katerina Tikhonova (née Putin, born August 31, 1986): Also daughter of Putin and Lyudmila, 38-year-old Katerina is a tech boss whose work supports the Russian government and defence industry. She started as a "rock'n'roll" dancer before moving into the world of artificial intelligence. In 2013, his daughter Katerina married Kirill Shamalov, whose father, Nikolai, is a longtime friend of the president. Nikolai Shamalov is a shareholder in Bank Rossiya, described by US officials as the Russian elite's personal bank. They were married in a secret ceremony at the Igor ski resort just north of St Petersburg. It was reported at the time that the pair rode into the ceremony on a sleigh pulled by three white horses. All the guests invited were sworn to secrecy, and the Kremlin has never confirmed that the wedding took place. "I have a private life in which I do not permit interference," Putin once said. "It must be respected." The couple had corporate holdings worth around $2 billion, according to Reuters, mainly from their large stake in Sibur Holding, a major gas and petrochemical company Kirill bought from another long-time friend of Putin, Gennady Timchenko. Kirill also bought off Timchenko's luxury villa in the seaside resort of Biarritz, southern France, estimated to be worth some $3.7m. In March 2022, the house was taken over by pro-Ukraine activists, in response to Russia's brutal invasion. But Katerina and Kirill divorced in January 2018, with Putin's former son in law rumoured to have been romantically involved with London -based Russian socialite Zhanna Volkova. After the split, Kirill was said to be forced to give up his stocks in Sibur, and he lost almost half his wealth. Their divorce settlement hasn't been disclosed but likely runs into the millions. Despite that, Kirill is still worth an estimated $800 million. Putin was reported to be "quietly grooming" Katerina to be his successor. Vlad is also rumoured to have "hidden" children, though he has never confirmed these reports. Elizaveta Rozova (aka Luiza Rozova): Elizaveta, also known as Luiza Rozova, 21, is the rumoured love child from Putin's alleged affair with a former cleaner. The daughter of Svetlana Krivonogikh, who later became a millionaire, is now a fashion designer and DJ. She often shared details from her lavish life on Instagram, until suddenly taking down the page in the wake of the Ukraine war. Speculation also surrounds his supposed secret family with Alina Kabaeva, a former rhythmic gymnast once known as "the most flexible woman in Russia". Officials have denied that he has kids with Alina, but it is reported that she is in hiding in Switzerland, avoiding any possible sanctions in the wake of the Ukraine war. A petition demanding she is thrown out by the Swiss authorities has garnered 75,000 signatures, demanding that "it's time you reunite Eva Braun with her Führer". Alina retired from gymnastics and took a strange career turn to become a Russian MP. The former athlete - dubbed "Russia's First Mistress" - the Duma, the Russian parliament in 2007, representing her alleged lover's United Russia party but left years later to pick up a lucrative job running a media company, despite having no previous experience. In April, Alina's name and picture was dramatically stripped from the website of the media empire she controlled.
