george wendt

Veteran actor George Wendt, who plays the role of Harold Gorton, Roger Cobb's nosy neighbour in 'House' is, in addition to being an accomplished comedy actor and writer, a keen student of current events who reads a minimum of four papers daily. "Newspapers are in my blood" he says.

"My Grandfather was a superstar of yellow journalism; the equipment he used to take the famous hidden-camera photograph of the execution of Ruth Snyder is in the Smithsonian."

Born in Chicago, Illinois on 17th October 1948, Wendt earned a Degree in Economics from Rockhurst College in Kansas City, MO. However, unsure of what he wanted to do with his life and "not motivated to do anything but have fun," Wendt spent the ensuing two years travelling throughout Europe and Africa. "I had the typical youth wanderlust," he says.

At the end of the two years, he decided he'd had enough and returned to the United States. The next step was to find an occupation -- so he asked himself the question "What dont i hate?" Comedy was the answer.

After attending performances of Chicago's famed improvisational company, Second City, and encouraged by his friends who were constantly amused by his comedic antics, Wendt enrolled in a Second City workshop.

A year later, in 1974, he was hired by the company and became "a professional satirist." For the next six years he honed his theatrical skills both as an actor and as a comedy writer with Second City, where he met his wife, fellow comic Bernadette Birkett.

'Nothing but Comedy,' an NBC-TV pilot featuring Second City players, brought Wendt to the attention of NBC executives. With their interest and the strong encouragement of his wife, who felt they could both do better in Los Angeles, the couple packed up their two sons and moved west.

Wendt recalls that the first six months in Hollywood were "traumatic." The transition from Second City to sitcoms was a difficult one. "I went kind of crazy," he says. But eventually things began to happen. Since Wendt has guest-starred in such TV-series as 'Alice,' 'Soap,' 'Taxi,' 'Hart to Hart,' 'American Dream,' St.Elsewhere,' M*A*S*H' and the CBS TV series 'Making the Grade.'

In addition to the above, it is the role of Norm in NBC-TV's enormously popular TV series 'Cheers' which has propelled Wendt to stardom and earned him critical acclaim.

Wendt and his wife Bernadette reside in Los Angeles, they have three children.

Actor

Outside Providence (1999) .... Joey

Alice in Wonderland (1999) (TV) .... Tweedledee

Lakeboat (1999)

Pooch and the Pauper, The (1999) .... Dog Catcher

Thanks for the Memories (1999)

Rupert's Land (1998) .... Ivan Bloat

Dennis the Menace Strikes Again (1998) (V) (uncredited) .... Policeman

Spice World (1997) .... Martin Barnfield

Lovemaster, The (1997) .... Therapist

Price of Heaven, The (1997) (TV) .... Sam

aka Blessed Assurance (1997) (TV) (USA: syndication title)

Space Truckers (1997) .... Keller

aka Star Truckers (1997)

Alien Avengers II (1997) (TV) .... Charlie

aka Aliens Among Us (1997) (TV)

aka Roger Corman Presents Alien Avengers II (1997) (TV)

aka Welcome to Planet Earth II (1997) (TV) (video title)

Anarchy TV (1997) .... Abbey Archer

Alien Avengers (1996) (TV) .... Charlie

aka Roger Corman Presents Alien Avengers (1996) (TV)

aka Welcome to Planet Earth (1996) (TV) (video title)

Bye Bye Birdie (1995) (TV) .... Harry MacAfee

"Naked Truth, The" (1995/I) TV Series .... Les Polonsky (1997)

aka "Wilde Again" (1995)

Columbo: Strange Bedfellows (1995) (TV) .... Graham McVeigh

"George Wendt Show, The" (1995) TV Series .... George Coleman

aka "Under the Hood" (1995)

Man of the House (1995) .... Chet Bronski

aka Pals Forever (1995)

Little Rascals, The (1994) .... Lumberyard Clerk

Hostage for a Day (1994) (TV) .... Warren Kooey

Forever Young (1992) .... Harry

Guilty by Suspicion (1991) .... Bunny Baxter

Masters of Menace (1990) .... Special Appearance

Cranium Command (1989) .... Stomach

Never Say Die (1988) .... Mr. Witten

Plain Clothes (1988) .... Chet Butler

House (1986) .... Harold Gorton

Gung Ho (1986) .... Buster

aka Working Class Man (1986)

Fletch (1985) .... Fat Sam

Dreamscape (1984) .... Charlie Prince

No Small Affair (1984) .... Jake

Ratings Game, The (1984) (TV) .... Mr. Sweeney

aka Mogul, The (1984) (TV)

Thief of Hearts (1984) .... Marty Morrison

Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) (uncredited) .... Ticket Agent

aka Flying High II (1982)

"Cheers" (1982) TV Series .... Norm Peterson

"Making the Grade" (1982) TV Series .... Gus Bertoia

Jekyll & Hyde... Together Again (1982) .... Injured Man

Avery Schreiber Live From the Second City (1980) (TV)

Bill Murray Live From the Second City (1980) (TV)

Gift of the Magi, The (1980) .... Shopkeeper

My Bodyguard (1980) .... Engineer

Somewhere in Time (1980) .... Student

Notable TV guest appearances

"Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (1988) playing "Himself"(episode # 9.7) 1997

"Spin City" (1996) playing "Dan Donaldson" in episode: "High and the Mighty, The" (episode # 1.8) 11/12/1996

"Simpsons, The" (1989) playing "Norm Peterson"(voice) in episode: "Fear of Flying" (episode # 6.11) 12/18/1994

"Larry Sanders Show, The" (1992) playing "Himself" in episode: "Hank's Night in the Sun" (episode # 3.6) 7/27/1994

"Seinfeld" (1990) playing "Himself" in episode: "Trip, The: Part 1" (episode # 4.1) 8/12/1992

"Wings" (1990) playing "Norm Peterson" in episode: "Story of Joe, The" (episode # 2.2) 10/5/1990

"Tales from the Crypt" (1989)

"St. Elsewhere" (1982) playing "Norm" in episode: "Cheers" (episode # 3.24) 3/27/1985

"Cheers" (1982) playing "George"(as George R. Wendt) in episode: "Behind Every Great Man" (episode # 3.19) 2/21/1985

"M*A*S*H" (1972) playing "Pvt. La Roche" in episode: "Trick or Treatment" (episode # 11.2) 11/1/1982

"Taxi" (1978) playing "the exterminator" in episode: "Latka the Playboy" 5/21/1981

"Soap" (1977) playing "Short-order cook" 1981

"Alice" (1976) playing "Monty" in episode: "Monty Falls for Alice" (episode # 6.8) 1981