As you may have heard, George Wendt died yesterday at the age of 76. Wendt earned iconic status thanks to his role as Norm, the beer-loving, quick-witted, frequently unemployed barfly who greeted every visit to “Cheers” with a one-liner that earned raucous applause. George appeared in all 275 episodes of “Cheers” between 1982 and 1993. He is one of the most beloved sitcom characters of all time.
And where there was Norm, there was usually Cliff Clavin—the know-it-all, trivia-obsessed mailman played by John Ratzenberger. The two were inseparable on-screen, delivering laughs from their corner of the bar for more than a decade.
Speaking of trivia, here are two fun facts about John Ratzenberger:
#1 He’s One Of The Highest-Grossing Film Actors Ever
If you compiled a list of the highest-grossing actors of all time (as we have done right here), John not only ranks in the top 20, he ranks #3! To date, movies that feature John have grossed over $20 billion worldwide, after adjusting for inflation.
The only actors whose movies have grossed more are Harrison Ford ($25 billion) and Samuel L. Jackson ($30 billion). John outranks box office powerhouses including Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Pratt, The Rock, Vin Diesel…
How? John is a major voice actor, mainly in Pixar films. Pixar executives refer to him as their “good luck charm.” How much good luck? Pixar movies have collectively grossed over $17 billion worldwide. And John has appeared in nearly every single one.
That’s not all. Ratzenberger also had a small part in 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back,” which adds another billion to his box office total. Here’s a quick compilation of his Star Wars scenes:
#2: He’s A Surprisingly Successful Eco-Entrepreneur
Back in 1989, at the height of his “Cheers” fame, John Ratzenberger co-founded a company called Eco-Pak Industries with inventor Johnny Parker. Their mission? Replace Styrofoam packing peanuts with something biodegradable, recyclable, and far better for the environment.
Parker had invented a springy, crimped packaging filler made from recycled wood pulp. They called it SizzlePak, dyed it in bright colors, and pitched it to retailers as a stylish, eco-friendly alternative for shipping and gift wrapping.
Ratzenberger wasn’t just an investor—he hit the road to promote the product. He appeared on “Arsenio Hall” and “Entertainment Tonight,” and personally gave plant tours to potential buyers. Customers started calling in asking for “that packing stuff the mailman from ‘Cheers’ was talking about.”
Retailers loved it. Nordstrom, The Body Shop, and the Sundance Catalog all became early adopters. By 1990, the company had surpassed $500,000 in annual sales, and according to some reports, Eco-Pak may have been generating as much as $30 million per year in revenue by the time it was acquired, a figure that may include contributions from its acquirer, Ranpak, but nonetheless points to serious commercial traction.
In 1992, Ranpak Corp. acquired Eco-Pak, giving it global scale. Ratzenberger retained an equity stake and continued promoting the product as a consultant. The deal allowed SizzlePak and its sustainable packaging to reach a much wider market.
Was Eco-Pak a hit? Absolutely. It proved Ratzenberger had sharp business instincts and a genuine commitment to solving environmental problems, decades before “sustainable packaging” became a buzzword.
And he didn’t stop there.
Fixing America’s Skilled Labor Shortage
In the early 2000s, after hosting the Travel Channel show “Made in America,” Ratzenberger noticed something alarming: the country was running out of skilled workers. Factory owners across the country told him the same thing—kids weren’t going into trades like welding, carpentry, or machining anymore.
So in 2007, he launched the Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Foundation, a nonprofit designed to inspire young people to pursue careers in manufacturing and the trades. The foundation organized summer camps where teens could build robots, learn to weld, and work with real tools. Scholarships were awarded to students pursuing industrial careers.
Eventually, Ratzenberger partnered with the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association to expand the program nationally. Today, it lives on under their management, still running camps and awarding scholarships across the country. It’s a mission Ratzenberger continues to champion: “Somebody has to get up in the morning and put a nut and a bolt together. Otherwise, the rest of us grind to a halt.“
Subscription Boxes and Pandemic Relief
In 2016, Ratzenberger co-founded TheGiftBox.com, a subscription box marketplace that lets customers subscribe to themed boxes—pets, candy, fishing gear, and more—all from one account. The site also donated 10% of profits to charities chosen by the customer.
In 2019, he teamed up with political strategist Ryan Erwin to launch American Made Advertising, a digital marketing firm that helps small and midsize American manufacturers reach customers using campaign-style targeting strategies.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ratzenberger announced that the company would offer free ad services to businesses that were struggling to stay afloat. The idea was simple: give American-made companies a fighting chance in a digital economy dominated by big brands.
Today, John Ratzenberger is still best known as the trivia-spouting postman and the voice of Pixar. But off-screen, he’s quietly built a second life as a hands-on entrepreneur, advocate, and business builder. From replacing Styrofoam to restoring respect for skilled trades, Ratzenberger has spent decades doing real work with real impact.
He didn’t just play a working-class hero on TV—he became one in real life.
