Overview (3)

Mini Bio (1)

George Robert Wendt III was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, USA, to Loretta Mary (Howard) and George Robert Wendt, who was a realtor and navy officer. He attended a strict Jesuit prep school and then dropped out of Notre Dame University after a few uneventful years. He worked with the Windy City's famed Second City comedy troupe from 1974-1980. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the hit televison series, Cheers (1982). He is married to actress Bernadette Birkett, who provided the rare offscreen voice of Norm's unseen wife Vera. The couple have two sons and a daughter. They met while working at the Second City in Chicago.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse (1)

Trade Mark (2)

Short, stocky frame



Heavy Chicago accent



Trivia (16)

Graduate of Rockhurst College (now known as Rockhurst University) in Kansas City, MO.



Attended University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana for 2 years.



Wendt's maternal grandfather was Tom Howard, a photographer for the Washington bureau of P & A Photographs, who took one of the most famous news photos ever: of murderess Ruth Snyder as she was executed at Sing Sing Prison on January 12, 1928. He modified his miniature plate camera with a long shutter release, then smuggled it into the witness room by strapping it onto his left ankle. The photo was on the front page of the next morning's New York Daily News under the headline: DEAD! The camera is at the Smithsonian Institution.





Along with Ted Danson and Rhea Perlman , he is one of only three actors to appear in all 273 episodes of Cheers (1982).

In a tribute George wrote for the Second City book, he said that when he joined Second City, it wasn't directly through the troupe as a performer. He had studied the shows for a while and befriended an employee whom he asked about joining. She told him to show up after a performance one day in the afternoon, which he subsequently did. The stage area was littered with cigarette butts, when the woman handed him a broom and said "Welcome to the theater, kid."



Is an avid Notre Dame football fan. Always attends the Notre Dame-vs.-USC game when held in Pasadena, California, every two years.





Children: Hilary Wendt (b. 1985), Joe Wendt (b. 1987) and Daniel Wendt (b. 1990) with Bernadette Birkett

He is of German (from his paternal grandfather) and Irish descent.



Playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray on Broadway [March 2008]





Opened in the play, "12 Angry Men" in Dallas, co-starring Richard Thomas . [February 2007]

Was Originally going to play Steve Harvey's roommate on The Steve Harvey Show(1996) but the role had went to Cedric The Entertainer.



Personal Quotes (1)

Improvising is best left to those who really love it. Improvising itself is kind of fun, but the apprehension before the improv is not. I don't think that fast; I can't write that fast. Some people can look at a bunch of suggestions and can come up with a premise, but that was never my long suit.

