Latest news with #BernadetteBirkett
Washington Post
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
In praise of George Wendt's Norm
Sure, 'Cheers' billed itself as a place where everybody knows your name. But there was really only one name everyone in that famous TV bar knew. It belonged, of course, to Norm (née Hilary) Peterson, the amiable beer-swilling barfly played by George Wendt, and everyone roared it whenever he wandered in with a cheerful, 'Afternoon, everybody.' Wendt died Tuesday at 76, leaving behind his wife, Bernadette Birkett; three children; and a legacy as one of television's most lovable everymen. Norm may have looked simple, but Wendt understood from the start that the character was a paradox. A misfit who'd finally found his place, Norm was wry but never mean, routinely delivering many of the show's best lines without seeming to quite understand how extremely funny he was. Norm's offhanded bon mots were the opposite of Frasier's labored witticisms, for instance (the stuffy psychiatrist played by Kelsey Grammer). They felt spontaneous, casual, effortless. Norm's brilliant one-liners also somehow weren't, in-universe, the reason for the character's popularity; it's not like the folks shouting 'Norm!' immediately crowded around him to listen to his stories. Far from acting like the life of the party, or working the room to get laughs, Norm was constitutionally unassuming and beleaguered. Trapped in a rat race professionally, he characterized his marriage (to Vera, the wife audiences heard but never saw) as a living nightmare. Outside the microcosm of the bar, he seemed to see himself as mediocre and inadequate. And whenever his professional world intruded, he radiated anxiety and a fear of being found out. But at Cheers, he seemed at ease. On every one of the legendary sitcom's 275 episodes, Wendt conveyed both how urgently Norm craved escape, oblivion and acceptance (or — as he so succinctly put it — 'beer') and how Cheers helped him blossom into someone he couldn't be outside. You could practically see the stress melting off him as he settled onto that bar stool. It was kind of lovely, though I don't think I appreciated it at the time, to watch a character that fragile and anxious walk into a bar and bask in the glow of acceptance, suddenly still and comfortable in his skin. Wendt performed that transformation in episode after episode, and that small but subtle victory did a lot for 'Cheers,' which wasn't a show about winners. The bar was a haven for people licking their wounds and trying on identities they'd flubbed in the real world. There was a lot of hapless striving. In Wendt's capable hands, Norm seemed like the exception that proved the rule. He wasn't visibly working to impress anyone, like John Ratzenberger's Cliff. Or trying to be one of the guys, like Frasier. He wasn't clever and long-winded like Shelley Long's Diane, and he wasn't naive like Woody Harrelson's Woody. But the key to Norm as a character was that he wasn't just being himself, either. Wendt, who got his start at Second City, where he worked with the likes of Danny Breen and Del Close (and befriended Brandon Tartikoff, who would become the head of NBC's entertainment division), figured out early on that, deep down, Norm was trying — even at Cheers. He valued his status there greatly, and while he may not have rehearsed jokes, he did fudge the truth quite a bit over the course of the show to impress the gang. His complaints about his wife, Vera, for instance, turned out to be lies meant to help him fit in with the crew; he actually adored her. Seen one way, that twist proved that even Norm had a sly and scheming side. Seen another, it suggests that Norm, who was already quite a softy, was even sweeter than he seemed. It's 'Cheers' lore that Wendt was the guy James Burrows and Glen and Les Charles had in mind for Norm when they left 'Taxi' to write a sitcom set in a bar. Like Wendt, Norm was a Chicago native. (The character's name was initially George.) But Wendt was on a CBS show called 'Making the Grade,' which, thankfully — given how heavily 'Cheers' influenced subsequent sitcoms — got canceled after only six episodes. Wendt had a long and successful career, including a stint in theater. I watched (and enjoyed) his turn as Yvan in 'Art' when he was performing in the West End back in the late '90s almost as much as I enjoyed the silly little diary he wrote about the experience for the Independent, in which he said, 'Norm was an amazing part to play, but Yvan in Art gets to talk a lot more. It's odd being the loquacious one for a change.' But Norm Peterson was his biggest contribution, and he embraced that with humility and humor, even in his last year of life. In a recent reunion with Ted Danson and Harrelson on their podcast, 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name,' Wendt pointed out that his real-life wife, Bernadette, voiced Vera and played Cliff's love interest in the episode where he dresses up as Juan Ponce de León. Wendt looks exhausted, but the detail with which he recalls this and other episodes throughout the interview is striking. (Many such reunions feature cast members who can barely recall entire storylines.) At one point, Danson started describing how Nicholas Colasanto (who played Coach) had started writing his lines down around the set to deal with cognitive decline, and how the cast broke down when they returned to set after his death and found one such line: 'It's almost as if he's still here with us.' 'The show was about, that he had just lost his friend, a lifelong friend his age,' Danson says, trying to remember specifics about the episode. 'T-Bone Scappagioni,' Wendt says, instantly — not in a show-offy way. Just matter-of-factly, in that perfect Norm Peterson cadence.
Scottish Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Who is George Wendt's wife Bernadette Birkett and how long was she married to the Cheers TV star?
BERNADETTE Birkett is an actress, and wife of the late sitcom star George Wendt. As the world looks back on George's legacy following his death on May 20, 2025, here's everything we know about his wife's life, career, and relationship with her husband of almost 47 years. 4 Husband and wife Bernadette Birkett and George Wendt in 2024 Credit: Getty 4 Bernadette Birkett in one of her best-known roles as Rachael in 1985 film St. Elmo's Fire Credit: Columbia Pictures 4 George and Bernadette in 1993 Credit: Getty Who is Bernadette Birkett? Bernadette Birkett is a 78-year-old actress, born on July 8, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois. Not much is known about her earlier years, but according to her IMDB profile, she is the oldest of ten brothers and sisters. The most notable of her younger siblings is Illinois Appellate Court Justice Joseph Birkett, whose term runs from 2012 to 2032. What does Bernadette Birkett do for a living? Much like her husband George, who was best-known for his role as Norm in Cheers, Bernadette is a film and television actress who trained and specialized in comedy. Some of her career highlights have included co-starring as Jackie Schumaker on the self-aware sitcom parody It's Gary Shandling's Show, appearing alongside Demi Moore in the 1985 movie St. Elmo's Fire, and as Jack's mother in 2001's Heartbreakers, which starred Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Bernadette also guest starred on plenty of iconic television shows from the seventies and eighties: such as Family Ties, The Van Dyke Show, and The Twilight Zone, to name a few. And although she wasn't actually seen on-screen for this role, she did also provide the voice of Vera: the wife of her real-life husband's character in Cheers. Bernadette most recently appeared as a guest star on two episodes of Arrested Development's fifth and final season, which aired between 2018 and 2019, and is currently available to stream on Netflix. How long was Bernadette Birkett married to George Wendt? Bernadette and George first met while they were both training with Chicago's iconic improv troupe and theater, Second City, in 1974. Four years later, the couple tied the knot on Bernadette's 32nd birthday: July 8, 1978. The pair would have celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary in 2025. Did Bernadette Birkett and George Wendt have children? 4 George Wendt, Bernadette Birkett, and their children attending a film premiere in 1993 Credit: Getty Bernadette and George shared three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel, who are all in their mid thirties to early forties. Their daughter Hilary has shared several sweet snaps to her Instagram page over the years, celebrating the couple's wedding anniversaries with throwback images. Bernadette also has two older children from a previous relationship: Joshua and Andrew.
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Who is George Wendt's wife Bernadette Birkett and how long was she married to the Cheers TV star?
BERNADETTE Birkett is an actress, and wife of the late sitcom star George Wendt. As the world looks back on George's legacy following his death on May 20, 2025, here's everything we know about his wife's life, career, and relationship with her husband of almost 47 years. 4 4 Who is Bernadette Birkett? Bernadette Birkett is a 78-year-old actress, born on July 8, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois. Not much is known about her earlier years, but according to her IMDB profile, she is the oldest of ten brothers and sisters. The most notable of her younger siblings is Illinois Appellate Court Justice Joseph Birkett, whose term runs from 2012 to 2032. What does Bernadette Birkett do for a living? Much like her husband George, who was best-known for his role as Norm in Cheers, Bernadette is a film and television actress who trained and specialized in comedy. Some of her career highlights have included co-starring as Jackie Schumaker on the self-aware sitcom parody It's Gary Shandling's Show, appearing alongside Demi Moore in the 1985 movie St. Elmo's Fire, and as Jack's mother in 2001's Heartbreakers, which starred Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Bernadette also guest starred on plenty of iconic television shows from the seventies and eighties: such as Family Ties, The Van Dyke Show, and The Twilight Zone, to name a few. And although she wasn't actually seen on-screen for this role, she did also provide the voice of Vera: the wife of her real-life husband's character in Cheers. Bernadette most recently appeared as a guest star on two episodes of Arrested Development's fifth and final season, which aired between 2018 and 2019, and is currently available to stream on Netflix. How long was Bernadette Birkett married to George Wendt? Bernadette and George first met while they were both training with Chicago's iconic improv troupe and theater, Second City, in 1974. Four years later, the couple tied the knot on Bernadette's 32nd birthday: July 8, 1978. The pair would have celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary in 2025. Did Bernadette Birkett and George Wendt have children? 4 Bernadette and George shared three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel, who are all in their mid thirties to early forties. Their daughter Hilary has shared several sweet snaps to her Instagram page over the years, celebrating the couple's wedding anniversaries with throwback images. Bernadette also has two older children from a previous relationship: Joshua and Andrew.
The Irish Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Who is George Wendt's wife Bernadette Birkett and how long was she married to the Cheers TV star?
BERNADETTE Birkett is an actress, and wife of the late sitcom star George Wendt. As the world looks back on George's legacy 4 Husband and wife Bernadette Birkett and George Wendt in 2024 Credit: Getty 4 Bernadette Birkett in one of her best-known roles as Rachael in 1985 film St. Elmo's Fire Credit: Columbia Pictures 4 George and Bernadette in 1993 Credit: Getty Who is Bernadette Birkett? Bernadette Birkett is a 78-year-old actress, born on July 8, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois. Not much is known about her earlier years, but according to her The most notable of her younger siblings is Illinois Appellate Court Justice Joseph Birkett, whose term runs from 2012 to 2032. What does Bernadette Birkett do for a living? Much like her husband George, who was best-known for his role as Norm in Cheers, Bernadette is a film and television actress who trained and specialized in comedy. Some of her career highlights have included co-starring as Jackie Schumaker on the self-aware sitcom parody It's Gary Shandling's Show, appearing alongside Demi Moore in the 1985 movie St. Elmo's Fire, and as Jack's mother in 2001's Heartbreakers, which starred Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Bernadette also guest starred on plenty of iconic television shows from the seventies and eighties: such as Family Ties, The Van Dyke Show, and The Twilight Zone, to name a few. And although she wasn't actually seen on-screen for this role, she did also provide the voice of Vera: the wife of her real-life husband's character in Cheers. Bernadette most recently appeared as a guest star on two episodes of Arrested Development's fifth and final season, which aired between 2018 and 2019, and is currently available to stream on Netflix. Most read in Celebrity How long was Bernadette Birkett married to George Wendt? Bernadette and George first met while they were both training with Chicago's iconic improv troupe and theater, Second City, in 1974. Four years later, the couple tied the knot on Bernadette's 32nd birthday: July 8, 1978. The pair would have celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary in 2025. Did Bernadette Birkett and George Wendt have children? 4 George Wendt, Bernadette Birkett, and their children attending a film premiere in 1993 Credit: Getty Bernadette and George shared three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel, who are all in their mid thirties to early forties. Their daughter Hilary has shared several sweet snaps to her Bernadette also has two older children from a previous relationship: Joshua and Andrew.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Where the stars of Cheers are now... as fans give a toast to George Wendt after his death at 76
Cheers fans bid farewell to one of the iconic sitcom's stars, George Wendt, on Tuesday. The actor, who died at 76, was a key cast member of the show, which boosted many of its stars to even bigger successes down the road. The show helped solidify Ted Danson's stardom while making Woody Harrelson and Kirstie Alley into major forces in Hollywood and launching Kelsey Grammer's successful spinoff, Frasier. Wendt played the friendly barfly Norm Peterson on Cheers, which first aired 42 years ago on September 30, 1982, and went on to broadcast 275 episodes across 11 seasons. George impressively appeared in every episode until the show went off air in May 1993. As the stars and adoring fans of Cheers give a toast for Wendt, takes a look at where the rest of the cast are over four decades since the hit series made its debut. The actor, who died at 76, played the friendly barfly Norm Peterson on the series, which boosted many of its stars to even bigger successes down the road; seen in 2012 in NYC George Wendt Hollywood-based George kept an extremely low profile in recent years and had little to no social media presence. last spotted him in November 2024, when he was seen being pushed in a wheelchair out of a dialysis clinic in Los Angeles, though he was seen periodically in public earlier int he decade. Wendt looked particularly frail at the time, when he was seen being picked up by his wife of 45 years, Bernadette Birkett. He had been married to Birkett — who played the voice of the mysterious Vera on Cheers — since 1978, and they shared one daughter and two sons while living in Los Angeles. Although Wendt reportedly was hospitalized in 2012 after suffering chest pains, he was private about any health issues he may have been dealing with in his final years. Hailing from Chicago, prior to acting Wendt was expelled from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana over poor grades before moving into show business, where his first job was sweeping a theater floor. Guest roles in Taxi and M*A*S*H were followed by his big break on Cheers, and two years after it finished he launched a self-titled sitcom on CBS, but it was canceled after just eight episodes. Hailing from Chicago, prior to acting Wendt was expelled from the University of Notre Dame over poor grades before moving into show business, where his first job was sweeping a theater floor. Guest roles in Taxi and M*A*S*H (pictured) were followed by his big break on Cheers Most Cheers fans last saw Wendt when he reunited with several of his Cheers costars at the Emmy Awards in January 2024 (pictured). He was joined by Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, and John Ratzenberger in a recreation of the series' iconic bar Other than his success in the hit sitcom, the popular entertainer has appeared in shows such as Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Columbo and Wings. He also had a recurring sketch on SNL's Bill Swerski's Superfans, which was dedicated to sports fans from Chicago. In 2021, Wendt suffered a family tragedy, when his cousin — who was confusingly named George F. Wendt — died at 72 after drowning in Lake Michigan while competing in a swimming race. Wendt's last credited acting role in his lifetime was the made-for-TV movie Love's Second Act, which starred Full House's Jodie Sweetin, and he's also set to appear in the completed but unreleased TV movie Compound Fractures. But Cheers fans' last interaction with him was a positive one, as he reunited with several of his Cheers costars at the Emmy Awards in January 2024. Wendt was joined by Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, and John Ratzenberger in a recreation of the series' iconic bar. Woody Harrelson, who was acting in a play at the time, and Shelley long didn't attend the reunion. Ted Danson Ted Danson, 77, starred as Sam Malone on the hit show and was one of only three characters to appear in all 275 episodes. His character Sam was a former baseball player for the Boston Red Sox whose battle with alcoholism led him to quit his sports career and open a bar, where he was adored by his patrons and was skilled at seducing beautiful women. Danson, on the other hand, is more of a one-woman man, having been married to actress Mary Steenburgen since 1995 after meeting her on the set of Pontiac Moon in 1993. 'I'm in love. We're in love. That handles a lot. We make each other laugh. I admire her. If I could be a woman, I'd want to be her,' Danson once gushed over his wife, with whom he celebrated 25 years of marriage in 2020. Before meeting Steenburgen, he had been married twice and famously dated Whoopi Goldberg. After Cheers, he's remained a fixture on television and has appeared in lead roles in a number of hits including Becker, Fargo, CSI, The Good Place and as a regular guest on Curb Your Enthusiasm. He has also filmed multiple advertisements for phone company Consumer Cellular. Danson played a fictional mayor of Los Angeles in the two-season comedy Mr. Mayor, and he currently leads the Netflix series A Man On The Inside, in which he plays a retiree who takes up a new career as a private investigator. The comedy series began filming its second season this month, and it became a family affair of sorts after Danson's real-life wife Mary joined the cast for the second season. Danson was nominated for 11 consecutive Emmy Awards for his role as Sam, finally winning Best Actor in a Comedy in 1990 and then again in 1993. He has two children with second wife Cassandra Coates, who he divorced in 1993. He is a pescatarian and is a dedicated advocate of ocean conservation. Kirstie Alley Kirstie Alley came onto the Cheers scene to replace Shelley Long in the start of season six, playing tough business woman Rebecca Howe. She earned an Emmy Award and Golden Globe for her role in 1991. Alley had a successful career before and after Cheers, making her film debut in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and starring alongside John Travolta and the voice of Bruce Willis in the Look Who's Talking series. And she continued working in show business until the final year of her life, with a surprise appearance as Baby Mammoth on The Masked Singer in April 2022, ahead of her death at 72 on December 5 of that year. The actress had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in May of that year, and despite undergoing chemotherapy treatments, she succumbed to the disease at a cancer hospital in Tampa, Florida. Allie had been married twice and has two children. She was also a member of and vocal supporter of the Church of Scientology. In her final years she had come under fire for her political views after making multiple appearances on Fox News to discuss her support for President Donald Trump. Despite previously labeling herself a moderate liberal, she appeared on Tucker Carlson's show claiming CNN was 'terrorizing viewers' with its constant coronavirus coverage. She also blasted the Academy Awards after organizers announced that they would update diversity rules in order for films to be eligible for best picture nominations. '[C]an you imagine telling Picasso what had to be in his ... paintings,' Alley wrote on Twitter. 'You people have lost your minds. Control artists, control individual thought .. OSCAR ORWELL.' Shelley Long Shelley Long, 75, found fame playing intellectual barmaid Diane Chambers in the 1980s sitcom but has also appeared in a string of other hit shows and movies including The Money Pit, Troop Beverly Hills, Hello Again and The Brady Bunch Movie. Her character's on-again, off-again romance with former Red Sox relief pitcher Sam Malone (played by fellow Emmy winner Ted Danson) kept the show on the top of the ratings chart year after year. Shelley quit at the end of Season 5 in 1986, believing her character had run its course. But she reprised her Cheers role to appear as a guest character on Frasier opposite on-screen love interest Kelsey Grammer. In his 1995 biography 'So Far' Kelsey claimed Shelley was unpopular with producers on Cheers. He claimed producers grew tired of her constant complaints about his own character and plotlines. Shelley, who has been divorced twice and is a mother of one, has lived in a $1.3 million condo in the upscale West Los Angeles enclave of Pacific Palisades, California, since divorcing her second husband Bruce Tyson in 2004. But according to locals, she is rarely seen out and about. Kelsey Grammer Kelsey Grammer, 70, entered Cheers as psychiatrist Frasier Crane in season three. What began as simply a guest spot, Grammer's Frasier became a fixture at the bar and a beloved series regular. His career took off with Cheers and he went on to portray the Frasier character for 20 more years with the hugely successful spin off Frasier, for which he won four Emmy Awards. The show ran for 11 seasons between 1993 and 2004, making it one of the most successful TV spin-offs of all time. Frasier won 37 Primetime Emmy Awards, which was then a record for the most Emmys for a scripted series, including five straight wins for Outstanding Comedy Series. After Frasier ended in 2004, Grammer began appearing in more films, and scored roles in blockbusters including X Men: The Last Stand and Transformers: Age of Extinction and was known for his voice work, notably as the evil Sideshow Bob in The Simpsons. Grammer has been married four times and has seven children, including three with current wife Kayte Walsh, a British flight attendant 25 years his junior. He reprised his iconic role as Frasier Crane with a 2023 revival of Fraiser for Paramount+, but critics gave the show mixed reviews and fans derided it for looking cheap and failing to live up to the magic of the original. The series was canceled by Paramount+ after airing its second season in 2024, though CBS said at the time that it was trying to shop the show around to other networks and streaming services. Grammer will return to the big screen when he reprises his long-dormant X-Men role as Beast/Dr. Hank McCoy in the upcoming Marvel film Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to be released in 2026. Woody Harrelson Woody Harrelson, 63, arrived at the bar in season four as the new bartender Woody Boyd. He went on to win an Emmy Award for his role and five nominations. Cheers was the actor's first ever role, yet he is arguably the most successful of the cast, appearing in numerous hit films and television shows, including the Coen Brothers' No Country For Old Men, which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. He also had a major role in the Hunger Games franchise and costarred with Matthew McConaughey in HBO's first season of True Detective, which earned him an Emmy nomination. He has been nominated for an Oscar three times for The People vs Larry Flynt, The Messenger and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and he also played one of the lead roles in Oliver Stones' controversial crime satire Natural Born Killers. Harrelson is a vegan and well known for environmentalism and charity work. He is also an athlete, playing in two Unicef Soccer Aid matches in the UK in 2010 and 2012 for the Rest of the World team. In 2020, Harrelson was seen practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu while filming and is a white belt. He is a father to three daughters with his wife Laura Louie, who he has been with since 1987. Rhea Perlman Rhea Perlman, 77, appeared in every episode of the show as impatient waitress Carla Tortelli, who was well-known for her violent temper and disdain of almost everyone in the bar aside from Sam. Her banter with character Diane was always a comic highlight, as was her ever expanding brood of children. Like the majority of her cast mates, Cheers catapulted her into stardom, although she had a small role on the popular comedy Taxi prior. After the show she reprised her role as Carla on a few occasions, including on The Simpsons and Cheers spinoff Frasier, and made sporadic appearances in films, including 1996's Matilda as the heartless mother, alongside real-life husband Danny DeVito. She's guest starred in hit comedies including The Mindy Project, Mom and Hot in Cleveland. Her recent roles have included guest spots on the Natasha Lyonne–starring Poker Face and on seth Rogen's Apple TV+ comedy The Studio. Her most recent film role was a buzzy part in Greta Gerwig's 2023 mega-hit Barbie. Perlman and DeVito have been married since 1982 and have three children, with eldest daughter Lucy following her parents into acting. The couple had previously separated in late 2012, but reconciled by early 2013. However, the separated again in March 2017 and have been living separately ever since. However, Perlman later clarified that the two remained friends even after their separation, and she has said they have no plans to get divorced. John Ratzenberger John Ratzenberger, 79, played Cliff Clavin in the series. Cliff was a postal worker who lived with his mother and found it hard to talk to women. He saw Ted Danson's Sam as a hero. His character knew useless and questionable facts and happily spoke to anyone who came within a few yards of them. Despite his numerous annoying tendencies, Cliff had a heart of gold, and, although they didn't always show it, the Cheers gang loved him to bits. Born in Connecticut, Ratzenberger made his way into performing while working as a house framer in London. He has been married three times and has a son and daughter. Ratzenberger had small roles in blockbusters Superman, Superman II and The Empire Strikes Back. His voice has made him the most famous as Ratzenberger has appeared in several Pixar films, notably as Hamm the Piggy Bank in the Toy Story series. He has also had voice roles in Cars, A Bug's Life and the Inside Out series. Ratzenberger, who is a Republican and a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, had a guest role on Poker Face in 2023. Nicholas Colasanto World War Two veteran Nicholas Colasanto was the lovable bartender known as Coach. He came into the role after directing episodes of shows including Starsky and Hutch, CHiPs, Columbo and the original Hawaii Five-O. He developed heart disease in the mid-1970s and was set to retire before being offered the role in Cheers. During season three of the show, he was hospitalized. After being released in February 1985, he suffered a fatal heart attack and died at home in Los Angeles at the age of 61. He was written out of the show as having died off-screen and a picture from his dressing room was placed on the set as a tribute.
