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Photo courtesy of Second City
By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
STONY LAKE — George Wendt, who played the beloved beer-chugging bar regular on the TV sitcom “Cheers,” died Tuesday, May 20, at the age of 76.
Wendt, a Chicago native, spent time over the years during the summer months at a cottage in the small Oceana County lakeshore community of Stony Lake.
“He married Bernadette Birkett whose family has had a cottage at the lake since at least the early ’60s,” said Ross Field of Shelby. “She and George had a cottage in the Cobmoosa association north of Stony, but sold it some years ago. His brother-in-law Ray Birkett owns and operates Stony Lake Cutlery.”
“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” a statement from his family said. “He will be missed forever.”
Wendt with “Cheers” co-stars Rhea Perlman and John Ratzenberger. Photo courtesy of NBC Universal/Getty Images
Wendt was known to occasionally visit the Stony Lake Bar — now called the Stony Lake Inn — in sync with his beer-drinking character Norm. A picture of Wendt hangs inside.
In “Cheers,” Norm was an often-out-of-work accountant and loyal customer of the tavern “where everybody knows your name.” Patrons and employees always yelled out “Norm!” in unison whenever he entered the bar. Norm was known and loved for his one-liner jokes, like, “It’s a dog-eat-dog world, Sammy, and I’m wearing Milk Bone underwear.”
Wendt began his career at The Second City comedy theater in Chicago. He joined the improvisational group after he dropped out of the University of Notre Dame with a 0.0 grade-point average, according to his Second City biography.
“After leaving Second City in 1980, Wendt landed a few film roles before taking on the much-beloved role of Norm Peterson on ‘Cheers.’ The iconic show ran for 11 seasons, with Wendt appearing in all 275 episodes, earning him six Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series,” states his bio. “Cheers” aired from 1982-1993, also starring Ted Danson, Rhea Pearlman, Woody Harrelson, Shelley Long, Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger and the late Kirstie Alley and the late Nicholas Colasanto.
Photo courtesy of NBC Universal/Getty Images
In addition to his hilarious portrayal of Norm Peterson, Wendt played other characters in movies and TV shows including Chicago Bears superfan Bob Swerski on “Saturday Night Live,” giving rise to the famous “Da Bears!” distinctive pronunciation. He acted with the late Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Joe Mantegna and Robert Smigel in “Da Bears” skits.
Wendt had been married to Birkett, a fellow Second City alum, since 1978, his bio states.
A message left with Wendt’s brother-in-law was not immediately returned. Attempts to contact the Stony Lake Inn for further information were also unsuccessful.
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