‘Cheers’: Where is Cliff Clavin Actor John Ratzenberger Now?
Since the NBC comedy Cheers lasted 11 seasons, you could always check in with the regulars. John Ratzenberger played Cliff Clavin on all 11 seasons of the show. Cheers ended in 1993 and Ratzenberger hasn’t stopped working since. Showbiz Cheat Sheet is here to catch you up and tell you where to find him now.
John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin on ‘Cheers’
Cliff was in all but one or two episodes of Cheers. He was not a character in the original pilot and Ratzenberger was initially hired as a guest star before they made him a regular.
The story goes that Ratzenberger actually auditioned for the role of Norm. Sensing he was wrong for the part and the audition went badly, Ratzenberger pitched creators Glen and Les Charles on “a bar know-it-all.” They agreed and his first episodes proved Cliff was a vital part of the Cheers gang.
Cliff sat at the bar next to Norm often sharing facts whether they were right or wrong. Cliff sometimes got his own episodes, like his affair with a fellow postal worker and his stint in Jeopardy!.
John Ratzenberger today
Peacock subscribers can see Ratzenberger on an episode of the new mystery show Poker Face. This is a return to the NBC family, as NBCUniversal owns the streaming service.
Last year, Apple subscribers may have heard Ratzenberger’s voice in the animated movie Luck. This marked a reunion between Ratzenberger and former Pixar founder John Lasseter. Pixar gave Ratzenberger a role in each of their movies following his role as Hamm in Toy Story. When Lasseter left Pixar after a misconduct scandal, he was hired by Skydance Animation and apparently took Ratzenberger with him.
Between ‘Cheers’ and now
In the 30 years since Cheers ended, Ratzenberg hardly slowed down. He was never on 11 seasons of something again, but Cliff did visit Frasier in Seattle. Cliff flew Sandpiper Air with Norm (George Wendt) in a Cheers crossover too. The doctors of St. Elsewhere ended up at Cheers in Boston once and Cliff was there. Ratzenberger continued acting in episodes of television and voiceover roles, as well as hosting gigs as himself.
As the host of Made in America, Ratzenberger visited American towns where factories thrived. The Travel Channel show highlighted American manufacturing. Ratzenberger competed in the fourth season of Dancing with the Stars in 2007. Partnered with Edyta Sliwinska, Ratzenberger was eliminated in episode 7.
Even before Cheers, you likely saw Ratzenberger show up in some of your favorite movies. He had small roles in The Empire Strikes Back, Superman, and Ghandi. Ratzenberger was always a working actor and he hasn’t stopped since he said goodbye to the place where everybody knows your name.
Ratzenberger has also used his platform for political causes. In 2020 Ratzenberger voiced his support of the real U.S. Postal Service in a cameo that went viral. You may have seen him on the campaign trail for presidential candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney too.
