John Ratzenberger
American actor (born 1947) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 reprised the role in the short-lived spin-off The Tortellis, an episode of Wings, as well as in an episode of Frasier. 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.
John Ratzenberger | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) 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 |
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. Including voice acting and cameos, he is the third highest-grossing actor of all time.
Early life
John Dezso Ratzenberger was born on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947,[3] in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Bertha Veronica (née Grochowski), and Dezso Alexander Ratzenberger, a WWII veteran who had been a combat engineer in the Philippines.[4][5] John's father, Dezso, was of Austrian and Hungarian descent, and John's mother was of Polish ancestry.[6] Ratzenberger attended St. Ann's School and Bassick High School in Bridgeport and then Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.[1] In 1969, Ratzenberger worked at the Woodstock Festival as a heavy equipment operator and as part of the crew building the stage.[7] John moved to London in 1971, where he began his acting, writing, and directing career.[1]
Career
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Perspective
Ratzenberger began his career in the performing arts while living in London, England.[1] Through the 1970s, he performed with Ray Hassett as the comedic theatrical duo Sal's Meat Market, which toured throughout Europe for eight years.[8] Sal's Meat Market heavily influenced Peter Richardson and Nigel Planer as a duo in The Outer Limits and in The Comic Strip.[9] His first role in a major feature film was as a patron in The Ritz (1976). Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ratzenberger appeared in various roles in feature films throughout Europe including: A Bridge Too Far, filmed in Holland, as Lieutenant James Megellas; Superman, as a missile controller; Superman II, as the NASA control man; Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as Major Derlin; Outland as a doomed mine worker named Tarlow; and Gandhi, filmed in India, playing an American lieutenant.
Cheers
Ratzenberger played mail carrier Cliff Clavin on the sitcom Cheers. As an improv artist, he asked the producers if they had written a bar know-it-all character; the producers decided it was a great idea, and the character of Cliff Clavin was born.[10] Ratzenberger also came up with the idea for Cliff's trademark white socks, which he wore as a tribute to French comedian Jacques Tati.[11] Cliff became known for his outlandish stories, trivia, and his trademarked (and oft repeated), "It's a little known fact..." Cliff and Norm, the primary customer characters of the iconic bar, Cheers, played buddies who met at Cheers to talk about the day or nothing in particular. Ratzenberger was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1985 and again in 1986.[12][13] Ratzenberger provided the voice for an animated version of Cliff on The Simpsons sixth-season episode "Fear of Flying". He 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.
Voice work
Ratzenberger has contributed voice work for several animated projects, most notably Pixar productions.
Ratzenberger has voiced characters in 23 Pixar films.[14] His roles include:
- Hamm the piggy bank in the Toy Story series (1995, 1999, 2010, 2019)
- P.T. Flea, the Circus Ring Leader in A Bug's Life (1998)
- Yeti the Abominable Snowman in the Monsters, Inc. series (2001, 2013)
- The school of Moonfish in Finding Nemo (2003)
- The Underminer in The Incredibles series (2004, 2018)
- Mack the truck in the Cars series (2006, 2011, 2017)
- Mustafa the waiter in Ratatouille (2007)
- John the Axiom passenger in WALL-E (2008)
- Tom the construction worker in Up (2009)
- Gordon the Dunbroch palace guard in Brave (2012)
- Fritz the mind worker in the Inside Out series (2015, 2024)
- Earl the Velociraptor in The Good Dinosaur (2015)
- Bill the crab in Finding Dory (2016)
- Juan Ortodoncia the deceased dental patient in Coco (2017)
- Fennwick the cyclops construction worker in Onward (2020)
According to Ratzenberger, Pixar's tradition of including him as a good luck charm in every film beginning with the studio's first film, Toy Story, was due to him being good friends with former Pixar filmmaker John Lasseter,[15] who directed or executive-produced each of the first 20 Pixar films. Ratzenberger's tenure at Pixar was parodied during the end credits of Cars, where his character, Mack, watches car-themed versions of Pixar films (Toy Car Story, Monster Trucks, Inc., and A Bug's Life, the latter of which references the Volkswagen Beetle). Mack notes that all the characters that John Ratzenberger has played had excellent voice actors until he realizes that they are performed by the same actor, at which point he remarks, "They're just using the same actor over and over," and asks, "What kind of a cut-rate production is this?!" Ratzenberger stated his favorite Pixar role was Hamm from the Toy Story series,[16] and he has given honorable mention to P.T. Flea from A Bug's Life.[17]
Following Lasseter's exit from Pixar, Ratzenberger revealed he was not a fan of the regime that replaced Lasseter or the studio's subsequent films, claiming "[...] they suck", and was critical of the political messaging that he felt was being placed in the films.[15][18] Pixar's 23rd feature film, Soul (2020), was the first Pixar film that did not involve Ratzenberger himself, though it featured a character animated in his likeness as a cameo according to the film's co-director Kemp Powers;[19] the cameo was also confirmed by director Pete Docter on the film's audio commentary track. After having voiced a character in every Pixar film from Toy Story (1995) through Onward (2020), Ratzenberger would not have another role in any Pixar film with the exception of their 28th feature film, Inside Out 2 (2024).[15][20]
Ratzenberger has continued to work with Lasseter, who produces all feature films and executive-produces all series at Skydance Animation.[18][21][22] His roles include:
- Rootie the bad luck root in Luck (2022),[23] the studio's first feature film
- Caruncle the alien in the first season of WondLa (2024),[24] the studio's first series
- Milo the monster handler in Spellbound (2024),[25] the studio's second feature film
Aside from the Pixar and Skydance productions, Ratzenberger voiced Harland the jet tug in Disneytoon Studios' Planes (2013)[26] and Brodi the plane in its sequel, Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014),[27][28] which are spin-offs of Pixar's Cars series and executive-produced by Lasseter.[29] Additionally, Ratzenberger provided the voice for Aniyaku the assistant manager in the English dub version of Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away (2002),[30] which Lasseter also executive-produced.
Ratzenberger also reprised his role as Yeti (now named Adorable) and voiced a new character named Bernard in the Disney Television Animation series Monsters at Work, which is set after the main events of Pixar's Monsters, Inc.[31]
Personal life
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Ratzenberger lived in London for 10 years.[32] Since 1994, he has lived in Vashon, Washington.[33] Ratzenberger married Georgia Stiny in 1984; during their 20-year marriage they had two children together before divorcing in 2004.[4] He then married Julie Blichfeldt in November 2012.[34]
Ratzenberger developed a packaging-alternatives product made from biodegradable and non-toxic recycled paper as a safe alternative to foam peanuts and plastic bubble wrap. This product, SizzlePak, was manufactured by his company Eco-Pak Industries, which Ratzenberger co-founded in 1989.[35] In 1992, he sold Eco-Pack to Ranpak Corp.[35]
Political views
Ratzenberger is a Republican. During the 2008 presidential race, Ratzenberger campaigned for John McCain, appearing with former Cheers co-star Kelsey Grammer at several Republican party events.[36][37] Ratzenberger was outspoken in opposition of the 2010 health care reform bill, referring to it as socialism.[38] On January 17, 2010, he appeared and endorsed Scott Brown for the United States Senate at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. Ratzenberger campaigned for Republican Josh Mandel of Ohio for state treasurer in 2010 and served as master of ceremonies for Mandel's inauguration into the position in 2011.[39] He considered running for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut in 2012.[40]
Ratzenberger endorsed Mitt Romney in 2012.[41] He appeared on Your World with Neil Cavuto to support Donald Trump's candidacy during the 2016 presidential race, shortly after Trump was declared the presumptive Republican nominee.[42] He praised his performance as president in 2017, saying he had done "a wonderful job as far as manufacturing is concerned".[43]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ratzenberger expressed his support for the United States Postal Service (USPS) in 2020 via Cameo and suggested people who wished to help them donate and buy presents for Christmas early.[44][45]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Ritz | Patron | |
| 1977 | Twilight's Last Gleaming | Sgt. Kopecki | |
| A Bridge Too Far | Lt. James Megellas | ||
| Valentino | Newshound | ||
| 1978 | Warlords of Atlantis | Fenn | |
| Superman | Missile controller | ||
| 1979 | Hanover Street | Sergeant John Lucas | |
| Arabian Adventure | Achmed | ||
| Yanks | Corporal Cook | ||
| The Bitch | Hal Leonard | ||
| 1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | Major Bren Derlin | |
| Motel Hell | Drummer | ||
| Superman II | Controller No. 1 | ||
| 1981 | Outland | Tarlow | |
| Ragtime | Policeman | ||
| Reds | Communist Leader | ||
| The Good Soldier | Jimmy | ||
| 1982 | Battletruck | Rusty | AKA Warlords of the 21st Century |
| Firefox | Chief Peck | ||
| Gandhi | American Lieutenant | ||
| 1984 | Protocol | Security Guard on TV | Uncredited |
| 1985 | The Falcon and the Snowman | Detective | |
| 1987 | House II: The Second Story | Bill Towner: Electrician & Adventurer | |
| Timestalkers | General Joe Brodsky | ||
| 1988 | She's Having a Baby | Himself | |
| 1995 | Toy Story | Hamm | Voice |
| 1997 | That Darn Cat | Dusty | |
| Bad Day on the Block | Al Calavito | ||
| One Night Stand | Phil | ||
| 1998 | A Bug's Life | P.T. Flea | Voice |
| 1999 | Toy Story 2 | Hamm | |
| 2001 | Monsters, Inc. | Yeti | |
| 2002 | Spirited Away | Aniyaku | |
| 2003 | Finding Nemo | Fish School | |
| 2004 | The Incredibles | The Underminer | |
| 2006 | Something New | Brian's Father | |
| Cars | Mack; Hamm Truck, Abominable Snowplow, P.T. Flea Car | Voice; Additional Voices | |
| 2007 | Ratatouille | Mustafa | Voice |
| Your Friend the Rat | P.T. Flea | Voice; Short film; direct-to-video; archive footage from A Bug's Life | |
| 2008 | The Village Barbershop | Art Leroldi | |
| WALL-E | John | Voice | |
| 2009 | Up | Construction Foreman Tom | |
| 2010 | Toy Story 3 | Hamm | |
| What If... | Mike | ||
| 2011 | Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation | Hamm | Voice; Short film |
| Cars 2 | Mack | Voice | |
| Toy Story Toons: Small Fry | Hamm | Voice; Short film | |
| 2012 | The Woodcarver | Ernest | |
| Brave | Gordon | Voice | |
| Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex | Hamm | Voice; Short film | |
| 2013 | Monsters University | Yeti | Voice |
| Planes | Harland | ||
| Super Buddies | Marvin "Gramps" Livingstone | Direct-to-video | |
| In the Name of God | Reverend Thomas | ||
| 2014 | Planes: Fire & Rescue | Brodie | Voice |
| 2015 | Russell Madness | Mick Vaughn | |
| Inside Out | Fritz | Voice | |
| The Good Dinosaur | Earl | ||
| 2016 | Finding Dory | Husband Crab (Bill) | |
| Pup Star[46] | Mutt | Voice; direct-to-video | |
| 2017 | Pup Star: Better 2Gether[46] | Salty | |
| Cars 3 | Mack | Voice | |
| Coco | Juan Ortodoncia | ||
| 2018 | Shifting Gears | Conrad Baines | |
| Incredibles 2 | The Underminer | Voice | |
| 2019 | Toy Story 4 | Hamm | |
| 2020 | Onward | Construction Worker Fennwick | |
| 2022 | Luck | Rootie | |
| 2024 | Inside Out 2 | Fritz | |
| Spellbound | Milo the Monster Handler |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Secret Army | Staff Sergeant Drexler | Episode: "The Execution" |
| 1980 | ITV Playhouse | Tom Phillips | Episode: "Friends in Space" |
| 1981 | The Good Soldier | Jimmy | Television film |
| Goliath Awaits | Bill Sweeney | ||
| Private Schulz | American Newsreel Commentator | Uncredited voice; episode #1.5 | |
| Code Red | Inspector Ray Allen | Episode: "All That Glitters" | |
| 1982 | Hill Street Blues | Phony Cop | Episode: "Some Like it Hot-Wired" |
| 1982–93 | Cheers | Cliff Clavin | 274 episodes; directed 4 episodes |
| 1983 | Wizards and Warriors | Archie | Episode: "The Dungeon of Death" |
| 1984 | Magnum, P.I. | Walt Brewster | Episode: "The Legacy of Garwood Huddle" |
| 1985 | St. Elsewhere | Cliff Clavin | Episode: "Cheers" |
| The Love Boat | Marty Elder | Episode: "A Day in Port" | |
| 1986 | Combat Academy | Mr. Barnett | Television film |
| 1987 | Timestalkers | General Joe Brodsky | |
| The Tortellis | Cliff Clavin | Episode: "Frankie Comes to Dinner" | |
| 1988 | Small World | Morris Zapp | 6 episodes |
| Mickey's 60th Birthday | Cliff Clavin | Television film | |
| 1990 | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color | Episode: "Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration" | |
| Wings | Episode: "The Story of Joe" | ||
| The Earth Day Special | Television film | ||
| Camp Cucamonga | Marvin Schector | ||
| 1990–92 | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Rigger | Voice; 24 episodes |
| 1992 | Nurses | Mr. Hafner | Episode: "Illicit Transfers" |
| 1993 | Bill Nye the Science Guy | Host of Ferns | Episode: “Dinosaurs" |
| 1993 | Moon Over Miami | Norman Rust | Episode: "Farewell, My Lovelies" |
| 1994, 2014 | The Simpsons | Cliff Clavin, CGI Homer Simpson | Voices; 2 episodes: "Fear of Flying", "Treehouse of Horror XXV" |
| 1995 | Murphy Brown | Felix | Episode: "A Rat's Tale" |
| Sister, Sister | Gus Kiamilikimaka | 2 episodes | |
| 1996 | Caroline in the City | Mr. Berman | Episode: "Caroline and Richard's Mom" |
| Toy Story Treats | Hamm | Voice; Interstitials | |
| 1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Hinky | Voice; episode: "The Pied Piper" |
| Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Bob/Santa Claus | Episode: "Sabrina Claus" | |
| The Detectives | Edsel | Episode: "Go West Old Man" | |
| 1998 | Remember WENN | Mr. Abernathy | Episode: "And If I Die Before I Sleep" |
| 2000 | Touched by an Angel | Merl | Episode: "Monica's Bad Day" |
| Pigs Next Door | Ike Stump | Recurring voice | |
| 2001 | That '70s Show | Glen | Episode: "Holy Craps" |
| The Drew Carey Show | Himself/Various | Episode: "Drew Live III" | |
| 2002 | Frasier | Cliff Clavin | Episode: "Cheerful Goodbyes" |
| The Pennsylvania Miners' Story | Thomas "Tucker" Foy | Television film | |
| 2003 | 8 Simple Rules | Fred Doyle | 4 episodes |
| 2004–08 | Made in America | Himself | Host; 97 episodes |
| 2006 | Rodney | Episode: "Celebrity" | |
| Mystery Woman: Redemption | Jim Carter | Hallmark movie | |
| 2008 | Our First Christmas | Joe Noll | |
| 2011 | Melissa & Joey | Arnie | Episode: "A House Divided" |
| 2012 | Matchmaker Santa | George | Hallmark movie |
| 2012–14 | Drop Dead Diva | Larry Kaswell | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Bones | Bill Schumacher | Episode: "The Cheat in the Retreat" |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Stu Kirchoff | Episode: "Torch Song" | |
| 2013, 2014 | Legit | Walter Nugent | 10 episodes |
| Franklin & Bash | Judge Elliot Reid | 3 episodes | |
| 2014 | How Murray Saved Christmas | Officer Bender | Voice; television special |
| 2015 | The McCarthys | Charlie Ellis | Episode: "Hall of Fame" |
| Hell's Kitchen | Himself | Episode: "11 Chefs Compete" | |
| 2017 | Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures | Major Bren Derlin | Voice; episode: "The Storms of Taul" |
| 2019 | Mom | Stan | Episode: "Audrey Hepburn and a Jalapeño Pepper"[47] |
| The Goldbergs | Digby Yates | Episode: "Food in a Geoffy"[48] | |
| Forky Asks a Question | Hamm | Voice; Short films: "What is Money?", "What is a Friend?" | |
| 2020 | Just Roll with It | Grandpa | 4 episodes |
| Bob Hearts Abishola | Hank | Episode: "Randy's a Wrangler" | |
| 2021–24 | Monsters at Work | Adorable (Yeti) / Bernard | Voices; 8 episodes |
| 2023 | Poker Face | Abe | Episode: "The Night Shift" |
| 2024 | WondLa | Caruncle | Voice; Episodes: "Chapter 3: Bargain", "Chapter 4: Ghosts" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Toy Story | Hamm |
| 1996 | Toy Story: Activity Center | |
| Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story | ||
| 1999 | Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue | |
| 2001 | Toy Story Racer | |
| 2002 | Monsters, Inc. | Yeti |
| 2004 | Trivial Pursuit: Unhinged | Himself |
| 2005 | The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer | The Underminer |
| 2006 | Cars | Mack |
| 2009 | Cars Race-O-Rama | |
| 2010 | Toy Story 3: The Video Game | Hamm |
| 2012 | Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure | |
| 2013 | Disney Infinity | |
| 2014 | Disney Infinity 2.0 | |
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | |
| 2016 | Disney Magic Kingdoms | |
| 2018 | Lego The Incredibles | The Underminer |
| 2019 | Kingdom Hearts III | Hamm |
Musical
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–16 | Toy Story: The Musical | Hamm | Voice |
Production credits
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Crown Court | No | No | Yes | 1 episode |
| 1980 | ITV Playhouse | No | No | Yes | |
| 1990 | Sydney | Yes | No | No | |
| 1988–91 | Cheers | Yes | No | No | 4 episodes |
| 1990, 1991 | Down Home | Yes | No | No | |
| 1994 | Madman of the People | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes |
| Locals | No | Yes | No | TV Movie | |
| Evening Shade | Yes | No | No | 1 episode | |
| Sister, Sister | Yes | No | No | ||
| 1996 | Pearl | Yes | No | No | |
| The World's Most Incredible Animal Rescues | No | Yes | No | TV Special | |
| 1997 | The World's Most Incredible Animal Rescues: Part 2 | No | Yes | No | |
| 1998 | The World's Most Incredible Animal Rescues: Part 3 | No | Yes | No | |
| 2010 | Industrial Tsunami | No | Yes | No | Documentary |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Project | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Cheers | Nominated | [49] |
| 1986 | Nominated | [50] | |||
References
External links
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