Cheers legend George Wendt died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 76, his family confirmed on Wednesday.
And while the actor was known worldwide for playing the iconic role of Norm Peterson, he also had another very famous relative he was always “proud” of – his nephew and godson, Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis.
In fact, in one of the final major interviews Wendt did was to praise Sudeikis, 49, and all he had achieved throughout his career.
Watch the video above.
READ MORE: Cheers star George Wendt dies aged 76: ‘He will be missed forever’
Speaking on the podcast Still Here Hollywood with Steve Kmetko in 2024, Wendt said: “It was Letterman or Conan, he said, ‘Did your uncle George have any advice for you?'”
“And Jason goes – he’s so sharp – he goes, ‘Yeah he told me just get on the best show on television and one of the greatest shows of all time and just pretty much take it from there.’ And he goes, ‘So I did.'”
Wendt added: “He got on SNL.”
Wendt described Sudeikis, who is the son of his sister Kathy, as “such a great kid”.
“[I’m] very proud. Proud especially, you know, not only of the success, but he’s solid,” he said.
“Have you read profiles and stuff? I mean he is such a mesh, so smart, so thoughtful. I mean, it all comes out in the show. Right?”
Wendt also said that he didn’t originally want to get into the industry, but he always knew one thing: “I didn’t want to be in a job I hated for the rest of my life.”
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The actor and comedian, who earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for his performance, died peacefully in his sleep his family confirmed in a statement.
“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” a rep for Wendt said.
“He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.”
Wendt started his career as a comedian in the 1970s before moving into TV and that’s where he became a household name.
Cheers cast: Then and now
He was a main cast member across the entire 11-season run of Cheers and went on to reprise his iconic role on the short-lived spinoff The Tortellis, and the other Cheers spinoff, Frasier.
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After Cheers ended in 1993, he pivoted and starred in his own show, called The George Wendt Show. Unfortunately the sitcom never really took off, and was cancelled after just six of the eight episodes filmed went to air.
Of course his love for comedy also led to regular appearances on Saturday Night Live in the ’90s too.
Wendt married actress Bernadette Birkett in July 1978 and she was also the unseen, offscreen voice of Norm’s wife, Vera, on Cheers.
He also has two children, Hilary, Joe and Daniel; and stepchildren, Joshua and Andrew.
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