Actor who played Norm Peterson in the hugely popular American sitcom Cheers

George Wendt, who has died aged 76, made his name in the American sitcom Cheers as the popular, beer-guzzling Norm Peterson. He appeared in all 275 episodes of the series, which ran from 1982 to 1993, starred Ted Danson as the Cheers bar owner, Sam Malone, and gained a worldwide following.

His character’s arrival was a running gag. He would swing through the doors, bidding the regulars a good evening (or afternoon), and they would yell back in unison: “Norm!” It chimed with the lyrics from the programme’s theme song: “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.”