- John Ratzenberger
Infobox actor
name = John Ratzenberger
imagesize = 230px
caption = Ratzenberger at the 1992 Primetime Emmy Awards
birthdate = birth date and age|1947|4|6
birthplace = Bridgeport,Connecticut ,United States
deathdate =
birthname = John Deszo Ratzenberger
othername = Ratz, J-Rat
homepage = |http://www.ratzenberger.comJohn Deszo Ratzenberger (born
April 6 1947 ) is an Americanactor . He is perhaps best known for his role as Clifford C. 'Cliff' Clavin, Jr. in the classic sitcom "Cheers " (1982) and appearing in allPixar feature length films.Personal life
Ratzenberger was born in
Bridgeport, Connecticut , the son of Bertha (née Grohowski) and Deszo Alexander Ratzenberger. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/91/John-Ratzenberger.html John Ratzenberger Biography (1947-) ] ] His father wasGerman-American and his motherPolish-American .Fact|date=April 2008 He was raised as aRoman Catholic and attended St. Ann's School in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.On the
May 8 ,2008 airing of "TheMark Levin Show", Ratzenberger reported that he was a tractor operator for theWoodstock Festival . He related the disdain that the audience and numerous musical acts had expressed for government authority, a looming threat of logistical problems (such as shortages of medical staff, medical supplies and portable toilets) and the heroic (and ironic) efforts of the National Guard in handling various logistical emergencies and alleviating logistical problems. [mms://abcrad.wmod.llnwd.net/a49/external/0102cABAAHQAAAAcDle6yKhvE1c0LnEJnNwFajD8QD92LOnSD/levin/levin_insider/levin05082008.wma]Ratzenberger has a great love of music, especially the drums, which he can be seen playing in the show he hosts and produces, "John Ratzenberger's Made in America". He developed packaging alternatives made from biodegradable and non-toxic recycled paper as a safe alternative to
Styrofoam "peanuts" and plastic bubble wrap. [http://www.ratzenberger.com/about/innovator.html Official Website for John Ratzenberger - A Man About America ] ]Career
His acting credits include 47 productions and an additional 22 notable
television appearances. His first role was a Patron in "The Ritz" (1976), before appearing in minor roles in movies including" Firefox"; "A Bridge Too Far"; "Superman" as a missile controller; "Superman II " as the NASA control man; ' (1980) as "Major Bren Derlin";Motel Hell (1980) as a punk rocker; "Gandhi" (1982) as an American Lieutenant; and ' (1987) as Bill Towner."Cheers"
Ratzenberger is best known for playing mail carrier
Clifford Clavin on the classic sitcom "Cheers ". Ratzenberger had read for the part ofNorm Peterson , but was rejected. Sensing an opportunity, he asked if they had written a bar know-it-all, which the producers decided was a great idea. Cliff became known for his outlandish stories of plausible half-truths, irrelevant trivia, and ignorantmisinformation , and Cliff and Norm, the primary customer characters, became iconic bar buddies. Though Ratzenberger enjoyed his time on "Cheers", he was critical of the series'spin-off , "Frasier ", which he described as a "snob" show that lacked the working-class appeal of "Cheers". While several "Cheers" cast members made guest appearances on "Frasier", Ratzenberger did not appear until a special "Cheers" reunion episode of "Frasier". Ratzenberger, however did reprise his role along with most of the "Cheers" cast on "The Simpsons " episode "Fear of Flying".When
Paramount Television licensed the look of the Cheers bar to another company for use in airports, the group also createdanimatronic barflies. They were called "Hank" and "Bob," but bore an obvious resemblance to Cliff and Norm. Ratzenberger andGeorge Wendt sued Paramount and the bar owners for using their likenesses without permission, and the case languished in court for eight years before all sides settled in 2001. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001652/news IMDb.com] ]Pixar
All of
Pixar 's feature films include Ratzenberger, who has become something of a "good luck charm" to the studio (and, according toAndrew Stanton , Pixar actually has a rule stating that Ratzenberger must be in all Pixar films). John has voiced the following roles in Pixar films:
* Hamm The Piggy Bank in "Toy Story (1995)", "Toy Story 2 (1999)" and "Toy Story 3 " (2010)
* P.T. Flea, the Circus Ring Leader in "A Bug's Life " (1998)
* The Abominable Snowman in "Monsters, Inc. " (2001)
* School of Silver Fish in "Finding Nemo " (2003)
*The Underminer in "The Incredibles " (2004)
* Mack the tractor-trailer in "Cars" (2006) and "Cars 2 " (2012)
* Mustafa the Waiter in "Ratatouille" (2007)
* John in "WALL-E " (2008) [ [http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35724 WonderCon: Quint sees some WALL-E and PRINCE CASPIAN footage at Disney's panel! Plus Q&A with Andrew Stanton! - Ain't It Cool News] ] cite news
title = The Walt Disney Studios Rolls Out Slate of 10 New Animated Motion Pictures Through 2012
publisher =Walt Disney Company
date = 2008-04-08
url = http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-08-2008/0004789174&EDATE=
accessdate = 2008-04-21 ]It is confirmed that he will play roles in Pixar's "Up" (2009), "Newt" (2011) and "
The Bear and the Bow " (2011), though is yet to be determined who he will play. He also voiced the bathhouse's assistant manager, Ao-gaeru, in the English dub of "Spirited Away ", overseen by Pixar's John Lasseter. He has become such a stable part of the company that he plays on its softball team. It seemed that luck had come to him when he worked onIrvin Kershner 's "The Empire Strikes Back " asBren Derlin whichGeorge Lucas supervised. Coincidentally,George Lucas would later help start Pixar four years after the release of "Return of the Jedi ". Ratzenberger had the chance to make fun of his tenure at Pixar during the end credits of "Cars", where his character, Mack, watching car-themed versions of Pixar movies ("Toy Car Story", "Monster Trucks, Inc.", and "A Bug's Life"), notes that all the characters Ratzenberger has played were excellent, until he realizes that they're the same actor, at which point he asks, "What kind of a cut-rate production is this? They're just using the same actor over and over again".Other television and voice work
Ratzenberger hosts the
Travel Channel TV series about things made in the USA called "John Ratzenberger's Made in America " (2003-present). Ratzenberger also hosts the Wildcard section inAtari 's PC game based on the popular board game, "Trivial Pursuit ".Additionally, Ratzenberger appeared on television commercials promoting the
Pitney Bowes personal post office. His sign off tag line is "Hey, I look good in red!" Also, Ratzenberger appeared in the first season of fellowsitcom veteranJohn Ritter 's sitcom "8 Simple Rules ", Ratzenberger guest-starred in four episodes. He played Fred Doyle, Ritter's character's pesky and annoying neighbor. For the "Doyle Wedding" episode, ex-Cheers co-starShelley Long played Fred's wife Mary Ellen. For his other two appearances "Laverne and Shirley "'sCindy Williams played Mary Ellen. Ratzenberger's last appearance on "8 Simple Rules " was on the first segue of the "Goodbye" episode following Ritter's death from anaortic dissection in 2003.John also appeared on "
That 70's Show " as Glen, a sad man stuck in an awful marriage with his high school sweetheart whose negative example gives Eric second thoughts about marrying Donna.Ratzenberger played Thomas Foy in the TV movie "The Pennsylvania Miners' Story".
Ratzenberger has co-authored a book, "We've Got it Made in America: A Common Man's Salute to an Uncommon Country" (ISBN 1-931722-84-6). Ratzenberger co-founded the Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs Foundation, dedicated to raising awareness of skilled trades and engineering disciplines among young people.
Ratzenberger also appeared on the covers of the "
The Complete Idiot's Guide to... " series of how-to books for a while.During season 6 of "
Last Comic Standing " John was a talent scout with his former "Cheers " costar "George Wendt "."Dancing with the Stars"
On
March 2 ,2007 , Ratzenberger was announced to be a replacement forVincent Pastore on ABC's fourth season of the American version of "Dancing with the Stars".cite news |title='Dancing' adds Cliff from 'Cheers'| last=unknown|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/02/people.ratzenberger.ap/index.html
work=CNN.com|date=February 20, 2007|accessdate=2007-03-02] He was partnered with professional ballroom dancerEdyta Sliwinska , who was also Pastore's partner. With the debut of the season onMarch 19 , Ratzenberger had the least training prior to the start of the season. OnMay 1 ,2007 , Ratzenberger and Sliwinska were the sixth couple to be eliminated from the show.References
External links
* [http://www.ratzenberger.com/ John Ratzenberger's official site]
* [http://www.nutsandboltsfoundation.org Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Foundation]
* [http://www.bocceintheorchard.org John Ratzenberger's Bocce in the Orchard]
*imdb name|id=0001652|name=John Ratzenberger
* [http://www.thebookstandard.com/bookstandard/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003319881 Interview with John Ratzenberger] at [http://www.thebookstandard.com The Book Standard]
* [http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/jrmia/jrmia.html John Ratzenberger's Made in America]Persondata
NAME= Ratzenberger, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Ratzenberger, John Deszo
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= 1947-4-6
PLACE OF BIRTH= Bridgeport,Connecticut ,United States
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=
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