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George Robert Wendt was born on October 17, 1948 in Chicago Illinois. One of six siblings, he was raised in a well to do Chicago suberb. He graduated from Campion Jesuit High School in 1966. After high school he attended the university of Notre Dame but flunked out with a 0.00 GPA due to missing all of his finals. George spent some time in his fathers Real Estate office in Chicago eventually putting forth enough effort to get a B.A from Rockhurst College in Kansas City MI. After college Wendt spent the next 2 years trvelling through Europe and Africa.
When Wendt returned to the states he enrolled in workshops for Chicago's famed Second City. He was hired by the company in 1974 and worked there for 6 years. During this time he met Bernadette Birkett who he wed in 1978. In 1980 NBC's pilot "Nothing But Comedy" featuring second city players brought him to Los Angeles. The show didnt work out but Wendt started landing guest spots on tv shows. In 1981 he appeared on both Alice and Taxi and was invited by James Burrows to read for his new sitcom, "Cheers". Wendt landed the role and portrayed the beer swelling Norm Peterson from 1982-93.
During the Cheers run alot happened to George. He landed many roles in movies and made alot of special guest appearances. He had 3 kids in addition to his 2 stepsons Joshua and Andrew. Hilary 85', Joseph 87' and Daniel 90'. After Cheers ended, George continued to make movies and starred in his own show "The George Wendt Show" in 1995. The show only lasted 7 episodes and was cancelled before the end of the first season. He also appeared regularly on "The Naked Truth" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch". In 2001 George and John Ratzenberger(Cliff on "Cheers") won a lawsuit against paramount for illegally using there likenesses for Cheers-themed airport bars.
Today Wendt resides in Studio City, CA with his wife and kids. Continuing to make films and special guest appearences.
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