00:00George Wendt, who played Norm Peterson in all 11 seasons of NBC's Cheers, has died. He was 76.
00:08Wendt's family confirmed early Tuesday morning that he died peacefully in his sleep at home.
00:13A representative for Wendt said in a statement,
00:15George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him.
00:22He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.
00:26Born in Chicago, Wendt got his start in the 1970s with Second City.
00:30The famed improvisational comedy troupe that was based in his hometown.
00:34After six years of Second City, Wendt worked in the 1980 films My Bodyguard and Somewhere in Time
00:39and played an exterminator on a 1981 episode of Taxi that was written and directed by the three soon-to-be creators of Cheers.
00:47Wendt's guy-next-door persona and easy delivery won him appreciation from fans and his castmates
00:52as he played the lovable lug Norm, an accountant by trade.
00:55He received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the role for six consecutive years from 1984 to 1989.
01:04Wendt also appeared in 1985's Fletch, 1986's Gung Ho, 1988's Plain Clothes, 1991's Guilty by Suspicion,
01:131992's Forever Young, 1995's Man of the House, and 1997's Spice World, among other films as well as television shows.
01:21Survivors include his nephew Jason Sudeikis, the only son of one of his six sisters.
01:25For much more on George Wendt's life and career, go to THR.com.
01:30This is The Hollywood Reporter News.
