A man walked into a bar – and every Cheers episode, George Wendt’s Norm made it funny

The actor, who has died aged 76, was best known for the perpetually sweaty character to whom the bar gave a huge cheer each episode – ‘NOOOORM!’

Cheers  cast, L-R: George Wendt, Shelley Long, Kelsey Grammer, Ted Danson and John Ratzenberger. Picture: NBC Television/Fotos International/Getty Images

From the first episode of Cheers to the very last, a decade later, George Wendt’s teddy bear barfly Norm Peterson was a fully formed sitcom dream. 

Like Howard Borden before him and Cosmo Kramer after him, his entrance alone was a highlight in every episode – and Wendt, who has died aged 76, appeared in all 275 episodes of Cheers, a feat matched by only Ted Danson and Rhea Perlman.