‘George Wendt Way’ unveiled in Beverly on ‘Cheers’ actor’s childhood block

The late George Wendt, a son of Beverly and a beloved actor, was celebrated Sunday afternoon with an honorary street sign in the far South Side neighborhood.

Wendt, who got his start on the Second City stage and was best known for playing Norm Peterson on the hit 1980s sitcom “Cheers,” died this year at 76 from a heart attack in his California home.

Several family members spoke fondly of the comedic actor during the dedication.

“George has become loved by the whole world,” niece Erin Muldoon Stetson said. “And we couldn’t be prouder, most of all because he always stayed true to himself behind the scenes.”

Wendt was born and raised in Beverly, where his family has long been a part of the neighborhood’s fabric. His father, George Wendt Sr., was a veteran Navy officer in WWII and a South Side Realtor, according to his Sun-Times obituary. His mom, Loretta Wendt, raised their seven children and was an adored figure in Beverly and at the family parish, Christ the King, her Sun-Times obituary reads.

The idea for the street dedication came from Wendt’s sister, Marti Doherty, who still lives in the neighborhood. She wanted to pay tribute to her brother on the block where they grew up in Beverly and where some of the family still lives.

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th), who grew up a block away from the Wendt family and whose ward includes Beverly, readily agreed to the honorary street sign.

“When Marti Doherty calls, you listen,” he told the Sun-Times.

Despite Sunday’s cool temperatures and intermittent rain, between 150 and 200 friends, family, neighbors and fans filled the intersection at 92nd Street and Bell Avenue to celebrate Wendt. The weather was exactly what Wendt would have wanted, his wife of 46 years, Bernadette Birkett, said.

“He’d be in shorts and a T-shirt,” she told reporters.

Birkett and Wendt met at Second City. Birkett was the voice of Norm’s wife Vera on “Cheers.” And though the two moved to Los Angeles to pursue their acting careers, they would often return to Chicago.

While on tour for his 2009 book, “Drinking with George: A Barstool Professional’s Guide to Beer,” Wendt briefly lived with his niece in Beverly.

“That was a blast. He loved hanging with my kids,” Stetson said during Sunday’s dedication. “He jokingly called himself our gentleman boarder.”

He also remained a daily reader of the Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune, Birkett said. During his summers in college, Wendt worked as a copy boy for the Sun-Times, and his grandfather was a Sun-Times photo editor, Birkett added.

Birkett and her daughter Hilary Wendt unveiled the ‘George Wendt Way’ sign to cheers from the crowd.

“This is just really amazing, the way he touched so many people,” Birkett said. “He deserved to be this loved.”