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Actor George Wendt died Tuesday, May 20, at age 76.
Wendt was best-known for playing barfly Norm Peterson on the sitcom Cheers. His performance earned him six Emmy nominations across the show’s 11-season run on NBC. He appeared in all 275 episodes of the show.
“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” Wendt’s publicists Melissa Nathan told Variety. “He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.”
George Wendt’s estimated net worth was $10 million
Wendt’s long career in showbiz also included appearances in shows such as Fresh Off the Boat, Portlandia, Franklin & Bash, Ghost Whisperer, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. His film roles included Outside Providence, Plain Clothes, Fletch, and No Small Affair. A Chicago native, he appeared periodically on Saturday Night Live as one of Bill Swerski’s Superfans. He also starred in the short-lived sitcom The George Wendt Show, which aired in 1995.
Wendt’s net worth at the time of his death was an estimated $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
In an interview, Wendt recalled the moment when he realized that he might be able to turn his talent for comedy into a career.
“I remember going to see Second City [in Chicago] when I was in college,” Wendt told the Kansas City Star in 2016, according to NBC News. (Wendt later joined the legendary comedy troupe.) “It looked for all the world like a bunch of young men and women goofing off onstage, and I was pretty sure they got paid. So I thought, wow, if I could do that.”
After Cheers pushed him into the spotlight, Wendt found that his job came with other benefits.
“I get a lot of free beers. It’s one of the great perks of employment history,” he told The Washington Post in 1985. “Whenever I go out, people are always sending over a beer, or a round, for me and my friends.”
Wendt is survived by his wife, Bernadette, and their three children. His surviving family also includes his nephew, actor Jason Sudeikis.
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