As you might have heard, George Wendt died yesterday on the age of 76. Wendt earned iconic standing because of his function as Norm, the beer-loving, quick-witted, incessantly unemployed barfly who greeted each go to to “Cheers” with a one-liner that earned raucous applause. George appeared in all 275 episodes of “Cheers” between 1982 and 1993. He is likely one of the most beloved sitcom characters of all time.
And the place there was Norm, there was normally Cliff Clavin—the know-it-all, trivia-obsessed mailman performed by John Ratzenberger. The two had been inseparable on-screen, delivering laughs from their nook of the bar for greater than a decade.
Speaking of trivia, listed below are two enjoyable information about John Ratzenberger:
#1 He’s One Of The Highest-Grossing Film Actors Ever
If you compiled a listing of the highest-grossing actors of all time (as we have done right here), John not solely ranks within the high 20, he ranks #3! To date, motion pictures that characteristic John have grossed over $20 billion worldwide, after adjusting for inflation.
The solely actors whose motion pictures have grossed extra are Harrison Ford ($25 billion) and Samuel L. Jackson ($30 billion). John outranks field workplace powerhouses together with Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Pratt, The Rock, Vin Diesel…
How? John is a significant voice actor, primarily in Pixar movies. Pixar executives check with him as their “good luck charm.” How a lot good luck? Pixar motion pictures have collectively grossed over $17 billion worldwide. And John has appeared in practically each single one.
That’s not all. Ratzenberger additionally had a small half in 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back,” which provides one other billion to his field workplace whole. Here’s a fast compilation of his Star Wars scenes:
#2: He’s A Surprisingly Successful Eco-Entrepreneur
Back in 1989, on the peak of his “Cheers” fame, John Ratzenberger co-founded an organization referred to as Eco-Pak Industries with inventor Johnny Parker. Their mission? Replace Styrofoam packing peanuts with one thing biodegradable, recyclable, and much better for the surroundings.
Parker had invented a springy, crimped packaging filler constructed from recycled wooden pulp. They referred to as it SizzlePak, dyed it in shiny colours, and pitched it to retailers as a trendy, eco-friendly different for transport and present wrapping.
Ratzenberger wasn’t simply an investor—he hit the highway to advertise the product. He appeared on “Arsenio Hall” and “Entertainment Tonight,” and personally gave plant excursions to potential patrons. Customers began calling in asking for “that packing stuff the mailman from ‘Cheers’ was talking about.”
Retailers cherished it. Nordstrom, The Body Shop, and the Sundance Catalog all turned early adopters. By 1990, the corporate had surpassed $500,000 in annual gross sales, and in accordance with some reviews, Eco-Pak might have been producing as a lot as $30 million per 12 months in income by the point it was acquired, a determine that will embrace contributions from its acquirer, Ranpak, however nonetheless factors to severe industrial traction.
In 1992, Ranpak Corp. acquired Eco-Pak, giving it world scale. Ratzenberger retained an fairness stake and continued selling the product as a marketing consultant. The deal allowed SizzlePak and its sustainable packaging to achieve a a lot wider market.
Was Eco-Pak a success? Absolutely. It proved Ratzenberger had sharp enterprise instincts and a real dedication to fixing environmental issues, many years earlier than “sustainable packaging” turned a buzzword.
And he did not cease there.
Fixing America’s Skilled Labor Shortage
In the early 2000s, after internet hosting the Travel Channel present “Made in America,” Ratzenberger seen one thing alarming: the nation was working out of expert employees. Factory house owners throughout the nation instructed him the identical factor—youngsters weren’t going into trades like welding, carpentry, or machining anymore.
So in 2007, he launched the Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Foundation, a nonprofit designed to encourage younger folks to pursue careers in manufacturing and the trades. The basis organized summer time camps the place teenagers might construct robots, be taught to weld, and work with actual instruments. Scholarships had been awarded to college students pursuing industrial careers.
Eventually, Ratzenberger partnered with the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association to broaden this system nationally. Today, it lives on below their administration, nonetheless working camps and awarding scholarships throughout the nation. It’s a mission Ratzenberger continues to champion: “Somebody has to get up in the morning and put a nut and a bolt together. Otherwise, the rest of us grind to a halt.“
Subscription Boxes and Pandemic Relief
In 2016, Ratzenberger co-founded TheGiftBox.com, a subscription field market that lets prospects subscribe to themed containers—pets, sweet, fishing gear, and extra—all from one account. The web site additionally donated 10% of earnings to charities chosen by the client.
In 2019, he teamed up with political strategist Ryan Erwin to launch American Made Advertising, a digital advertising agency that helps small and midsize American producers attain prospects utilizing campaign-style concentrating on methods.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ratzenberger introduced that the corporate would provide free advert providers to companies that had been struggling to remain afloat. The concept was easy: give American-made firms a combating probability in a digital financial system dominated by huge manufacturers.
Today, John Ratzenberger remains to be finest often known as the trivia-spouting postman and the voice of Pixar. But off-screen, he is quietly constructed a second life as a hands-on entrepreneur, advocate, and enterprise builder. From changing Styrofoam to restoring respect for expert trades, Ratzenberger has spent many years doing actual work with actual influence.
He did not simply play a working-class hero on TV—he turned one in actual life.
