Rise to Fame
He flunked out of Notre Dame with a 0.00 GPA, finished a degree at Rockhurst College, bummed around Europe and North Africa for two years, then came home and swept floors at Second City. He worked his way onto the stage and spent six years grinding with the troupe. When Cheers cast him as Norm Peterson in 1982, they weren't hiring a comedian. They were hiring a guy who looked like he'd been sitting on that barstool his whole life. He appeared in all 275 episodes, earned six consecutive Emmy nominations, and never won once. Didn't matter. You don't need a trophy when the whole country's yelling your name.
In the Spotlight
Every Thursday for eleven years, a bar full of actors stopped to yell one guy's name at the door. He wasn't the lead, the love interest, or the wisecracking sidekick. He was the guy who showed up every week, and the greeting never went stale. After Cheers ended, he reprised the character on six different shows, from Frasier to Family Guy. His own CBS sitcom lasted one season. Norm didn't need a spinoff. He was exactly the character the show needed.
Side Notes
His real legacy in comedy is the nephew. Jason Sudeikis' mother is Wendt's sister Kathryn, and Sudeikis is also Wendt's godson. When SNL rejected Sudeikis as a cast member, Wendt called a producer and got him hired as a writer in 2003. Not a bad favor to owe.
Final Chapter
Ted Danson called himself 'devastated,' and Kelsey Grammer said America 'waited for him to walk into a bar every Thursday night.' The real-life Cheers bar on Beacon Hill set up a memorial at Norm's seat on the 32nd anniversary of the finale. Chicago designated a block of Bell Avenue as George Wendt Way, and Second City staged a tribute on its Main Stage, fitting for a guy who first showed up there holding a broom.