The Honorable George Wendt Way Unveiling Sunday Recognizes Generosity of Beverly Friend to All

When actor George Wendt died, fans gathered at Boston’s iconic “Cheers” pub to pay tribute to the beloved actor because “everyone knew his name” and as “Norm” the Beverly native epitomized the show’s tag line as well as any of the actors for 11 seasons on the hit NBC sitcom.

Everyone gathering for Sunday’s unveiling of “Honorary George Wendt Way” on Bell from 9100 South to 92nd Place in North Beverly will know his name, his upbringing and the impact he’s had on their respective lives, because it was George Wendt's way.

The Wendt family statement said it all in May of 2025:

“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever.”

Local George Wendt will always be superior to fictional Norm, who nursed beers from a mug and traded barbs as the tavern anchor; the beloved Norm was the final character to order a beer as the show’s final curtain came down.

The man being honored Sunday is all Beverly, Christ the King and South side, which may explain why he was so worshiped by a following that watched his character evolve with each episode and season as he tapped his Beverly roots. The successful run would earn him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Arguably, he was even funnier to his six sisters and two brothers born to Loretta Mary and George Wendt Sr.

Tales of George’s favorite local bartender “who was blind” and the time he “hired a busboy to cater one of his parties” are a peek into his mischievous nature as well as his everyman reputation.

“George’s humor was beyond that of most,” said George’s younger brother Paul, one of the family’s youngest. “One time he pranked everyone by locking the whole family in the back room of the house. I don’t why.”

As a mentor, Wendt’s door was always open.

Nephew Bill Healy, an award-winning podcast producer and 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner was scheduled to accept a Peabody Award in Los Angeles. Of course, George insisted they stay with him in California.

“Their home was not Hollywood - it was very nice version of who they were and lovely with the kind of comfort you’d expect if the home were in Beverly,” said Healy. “George was so supportive and excited for us. He wanted to turn our work into a TV show.

“It’s amazing to think he had so much success at such at a relatively young age and was able to go through that world so young and navigate that business side. And for forty years he was there to help out others.”

Healy recalls being at the Wendt home at 92nd and Bell with George and Paul, who announced they were going to order in Chinese food for everyone.

“Well the doorbell kept ringing and food kept coming because they ordered Chinese from three different places all because one place has better egg rolls than another,” said Healy.

So synonymous with Chicago was Wendt that on October 1, 2009, Wendt appeared on “The Colbert Report” the day before the International Olympic Committee announced which city would host the 2016 Summer Olympics. In their way of supporting Chicago's bid for the games, Wendt and host Stephen Colbert, who graduated from Northwestern, humorously fired insults at the three other bidding cities, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, and Tokyo, all while drinking a Chicago's favorite - Old Style Beer.

Any call to Wendt in California from his Beverly friends was answered with a “yes.”

When plans were in put in place for friends to gather at McNally’s on Western Avenue May 10, 2022 to memorialize long-time Beverly resident Mike Hagerty -- whose tenure at Second City followed Wendt’s – George initiated a Zoom call from his location to McNally’s that evening to honor his friend, hoist a beer for a toast and lead the group back in Chicago in a hearty “Happy Birthday” serenade.

The gathering occurred on what would have been Hagerty’s 68th birthday.

“George was a true Southsider,” said Maggie Duffy, one of the Hagerty organizers. “Even with all his time away from Chicago working in Cheers, on stage and SNL he took time out to call Mike Hagerty's friends to share some mutual memories and offer a toast to a fellow South sider.

“And how classy, he even had his brother Paul to represent him at the event, in person. Very gracious of George.”

Another Second City Alum, Peter Burns, was thrilled that Wendt flew in from California into Chicago three years running for the Beverly Arts Center’s holiday fundraisers.

“George helped sell out the theater three years in a row at a time when it helped keep the BAC going,” said Burns.

When Christ the King Parish was raising monies to build its gymnasium in the late 1990s, Wendt was all about helping with the fundraiser party by flying to Chicago. What he was asked to do to promote the party was offbeat even for a graduate of the Second City stage.

WFLD FOX "First Thing in the Morning" featured a stunt "In Bed With" in which a celebrity would return to their childhood home and bedroom for an interview while under the covers of their little bed. Ever the good sport, Wendt returned to 92nd and Bell and pretended to be awakened by FOX personality Bob Sirott.

Wendt's appearance along with other promotional stops helped build awareness and raise important funds for a new gymnasium in his family’s parish.

“Honorary George Wendt Way” will be unveiled Sunday, Oct. 19, at noon on South Bell Avenue, between 9100 South and 92nd Place.

Family, friends and 19th Ward Ald. Matt O’Shea will unveil street signs to be installed on light poles at 9157 and 9243 S. Bell Ave.

Before the unveiling, a Mass will be celebrated at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church, 9235 S. Hamilton Ave., at 11 a.m.