George Wendt, a.k.a. Norm From ‘Cheers,’ Is Dead at 76

George Wendt, who earned six consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his role as the bearish, beer-quaffing Everyman Norm Peterson on the enduring sitcom “Cheers,” died on Tuesday at his home in Studio City, Calif. He was 76.

His death was confirmed by his manager, Geoff Cheddy, who did not specify a cause.

Over more than four decades, Mr. Wendt racked up about 170 film and television credits. But he was best known for “Cheers.” He appeared on every episode of the sitcom during its 11-year run on NBC, beginning in 1982. His streak of Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series began in 1984.

Mr. Wendt, a native of the South Side of Chicago, started his entertainment career in inglorious fashion, sweeping the floors at the Second City, the famed improvisational comedy club in his hometown that helped launch the careers of generations of stars, including John Belushi, Mike Myers, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

He was soon attending workshops with the troupe and, from the mid-1970s to 1980, was a part of the Second City’s resident and touring and companies. “I had no acting experience in my background,” he said in a 2013 interview with the newspaper The Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, N.Y., “but something just clicked.”

With his easy charm and lunch-pail demeanor, Mr. Wendt headed for Hollywood to appear in the pilot for an NBC comedy featuring other Second City colleagues. He showed up on popular television shows like “Taxi,” “Alice” and “Hart to Hart” before becoming one of America’s favorite barflies on “Cheers.”