Wendt was a six-time Emmy nominee for his role on the series. He became very close to castmates Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer and Woody Harrelson.
When the series ended in 1993, Wendt’s wife told PEOPLE of the Cheers cast, “They get along like siblings. To somebody peeking in from the outside, they look like they’re having the greatest time in the world.”
In the years that followed, Wendt reportedly maintained his Screen Actors Guild (SAG) pension and supplemental retirement benefits, minimizing hospital costs during routine medical testing and wellness checks.
When Wendt hosted Saturday Night Live in 1991, he joined Bill Swerski’s Super Fans, a sketch about a group of Bears fans discussing their favorite teams, including, iconically, “Da Bears.” Wendt’s episode was the second appearance of the group of fans, and Wendt told the Chicago Tribune in 2019, from there “It took on a life of its own.”
The sketch recurred on the series multiple times, and Wendt and Robert Smigel reprised their roles at actual Bears and Chicago Bulls games for decades. Even Michael Jordan appeared in the sketch when the NBA legend hosted in 1991.
