John Ratzenberger | |
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![]() Ratzenberger in 2016 | |
Born | April 6, 1947 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
Alma mater | Sacred Heart University |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1973–present |
Agents |
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Political party | Republican |
Spouses |
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Children | 2 |
Honours | PhD, Humane Letters, Sacred Heart University |
Website | ratzenberger |
John Dezso Ratzenberger (born April 6, 1947)[1] is an American actor. He is best known for playing the character Cliff Clavin on the comedy series Cheers, for which he earned two Primetime Emmy nominations. Ratzenberger also played the role in the short-lived spin-off The Tortellis and in an episode of Wings, which was made by the same creators. He has voiced various characters in several Pixar animated feature films including Hamm in the Toy Story franchise, The Abominable Snowman in the Monsters, Inc. franchise, Mack in the Cars franchise, The Underminer in The Incredibles franchise, Fritz in the Inside Out franchise, and many others.
Ratzenberger began his entertainment career while living in London in the 1970s. He acted in and wrote film and television through the 1970s and early 1980s before returning to America. At an audition for a role in a new sitcom, Ratzenberger created the character of Cliff Clavin. Cheers (1982–1993) was a success and went on to run for 11 years. After Cheers, he began voicing characters for Pixar; Ratzenberger's first role was Hamm in Pixar's debut feature film Toy Story (1995), and he would continue to voice characters in many subsequent Pixar films.