Jason Sudeikis Remembers Uncle George Wendt as “an Incredible Influence”

Jason Sudeikis took some time to remember his late uncle, Cheers star George Wendt, while participating in his annual Big Slick charity event in Kansas City.

Wendt, who portrayed the beer-loving Norm Peterson in all 11 seasons of the NBC sitcom, died peacefully in his sleep at home last month. He was 76. 

The Ted Lasso star was asked about Wendt at a press conference, where he accepted condolences from a reporter on Wendt’s death and said, in part, “We miss him greatly, and I love him dearly.”

“There’s that old saying of like, ‘Don’t meet your heroes,’ usually ’cause ‘they let you down,’ I assume, is the back half of that statement. But he’s not one of those people,” Sudeikis said during the Friday event. “He’s as fun and kind and as warm as any character he played on television or in films. He was an incredible influence to me, both as someone that blazed the trail, being from the Midwest and teaching me that acting was a career you could actually have, if you really care about it.”

“He also always kept connected to his family, to his roots, both in Chicago, of course, where he’s from, but then also the time he spent here,” Sudeikis said, referring to Kansas City. “And to a bar called Mike’s a whole bunch, where I think he logged maybe 18 credit hours,” he then joked. “But it was all in preparation of a job that we all know him for, Cheers. All time well spent.”

When his microphone started malfunctioning, Sudeikis quipped, “that’s him messing with the sound board. He’s like, ‘don’t talk about me’ … just good Midwestern humility.’”

Wendt, a six-time Emmy nominee, was the brother of Sudeikis’ mother, Kathryn. With both actors having prominent careers, Wendt said he was “very proud” of his nephew during a 2024 appearance on the Still Here Hollywood podcast. 

“[Sudeikis is] such a great kid. Very proud,” Wendt said. “Proud especially, you know, not only of the success, but he’s solid. Have you read profiles and stuff? I mean he is such a mensch, so smart, so thoughtful. I mean, it all comes out in the show.” 

Similarly, Sudeikis raved about his uncle in a 2011 profile with Playboy, where he commended Wendt’s career as an actor.

“[Wendt] was just a good example that being an actor was a viable option,” the Ted Lasso star said, via Huffington Post. “Here’s a guy from the Midwest, in my family, who took the road less traveled and it worked out for him. The advice he gave me, and I say this jokingly, is ‘Get on one of the best sitcoms of all time and then ride it out.’”

After Wendt’s death, many of his Cheers co-stars paid tribute to the late actor. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Ted Danson said, “I am devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us. I am sending all my love to Bernadette and the children. It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie.”

John Ratzenberger, who also acted alongside Wendt in Cheers as Cliff Clavin, said in a statement to THR, “I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of my friend George Wendt. For eleven years on Cheers, we shared a stage, a lot of laughs and a front-row seat to one of television’s most beloved friendships. George brought Norm to life with a subtle brilliance — the kind that made it look easy. That was his gift.”

Cheers star Rhea Perlman also reflected on their time on the series together in a statement to THR: “George Wendt was the sweetest, kindest man I ever met. It was impossible not to like him. As Carla, I was often standing next to him, as Norm always took the same seat at the end of the bar, which made it easy to grab him and beat the crap out of him at least once a week. I loved doing it and he loved pretending it didn’t hurt. What a guy! I’ll miss him more than words can say.”