| John Ratzenberger | |
|---|---|
Ratzenberger at the 2011 Time 100 gala |
|
| Born | John Deszo Ratzenberger[1] April 6, 1947 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | St. Ann's School |
| Alma mater | Sacred Heart University |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor, entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Known for | Pixar |
| Television | Cheers, John Ratzenberger's Made in America |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Georgia Stiny (1985-2004; divorced) |
| Children | James John (b. 1987), Nina Kathrine (b. 1989) |
| Website | |
| http://www.ratzenberger.com/ | |
John Deszo Ratzenberger (born April 6, 1947)[1] is an American actor, voice actor, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his role as Cliff Clavin in Cheers and his recurring supporting cast roles in Pixar films.
Contents |
Ratzenberger was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Bertha (née Grohowski) and Deszo Alexander Ratzenberger.[2] He attended St. Ann's School in Bridgeport and Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.[1] In 1969 Ratzenberger was a tractor operator at the Woodstock Festival.[3] He moved to London in 1971, living there for ten years.[1]
Ratzenberger was a house framer[4] living in London when he began his career in the performing arts.[1] His first role was a patron in The Ritz (1976). Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s Ratzenberger appeared in various minor roles in major feature films, including Firefox; A Bridge Too Far; Superman as a missile controller; Superman II as the NASA control man; Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back as "Major Bren Derlin"; Motel Hell as a drummer; Outland as a doomed mine worker named Tarlow; and Gandhi, playing an American Lieutenant.
Ratzenberger is well known for playing mail carrier Cliff Clavin on the sitcom Cheers. He had read for the part of Norm Peterson, but after the audition, he could tell they weren't going to give him the part. Sensing an opportunity, he asked if they had written a bar know-it-all, which the producers decided was a great idea.[5] Cliff became known for his outlandish stories of plausible half-truths, uninteresting trivia, and misinformation, and in general for being a pretentious blowhard. Cliff and Norm, the primary customer characters, became iconic bar buddies. Ratzenberger provided the voice for an animated version of Cliff on The Simpsons 6th season episode "Fear of Flying".
When Paramount Television licensed the look of the Cheers bar to the Host International subsidiary of Host Marriott Services for use in airports in the U.S. and New Zealand, the group also created animatronic barflies. They were called "Hank" and "Bob"; Ratzenberger and George Wendt claimed Hank and Bob resembled them, and in January 1993 sued Host for using their likenesses without permission.[6] The case languished in court for eight years before all sides settled in 2001.[7]
Ratzenberger has had a voice part in all of Pixar's feature films made to date.[8] His roles include:
He also voiced the bathhouse's assistant manager, Aogaeru, in the English dub of Spirited Away, a film whose U.S. executive producer was Pixar's John Lasseter.
Ratzenberger had the chance to make fun of his tenure at Pixar 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). Mack notes that all the characters Ratzenberger has played were excellent, until he realizes that they're performed by the same actor, at which point he remarks, "They're just using the same actor over and over. What kind of cut-rate production is this?"
Ratzenberger's favorite of his Pixar characters was P.T. Flea, because "in real life I always get a kick out of those kinds of characters, people who just go into a rage for [no] explicable reason. He was always on edge. His blood pressure was always way over the top, and everything that he did was done in a panicked state. So it was a lot of fun to play him."[4]
During season 6 of Last Comic Standing, Ratzenberger was a talent scout with his former Cheers co-star George Wendt.
On March 2, 2007, it was announced that Ratzenberger would replace Vincent Pastore on the fourth season of the American version of Dancing with the Stars.[9] He was partnered with professional ballroom dancer Edyta Sliwinska, who had been Pastore's partner; the two were the sixth couple to be eliminated from the show.
On December 3, 2009, Ratzenberger appeared on an episode of American Chopper to help promote awareness of the Iraq Star Foundation.
Ratzenberger developed a packaging-alternatives product made from biodegradable and non-toxic recycled paper as a safe alternative to styrofoam "peanuts" and plastic bubble wrap and then sold the Eco-Pak Company.[12]
Ratzenberger co-authored We've Got it Made in America: A Common Man's Salute to an Uncommon Country (ISBN 1-931722-84-6), published in 2006.
Ratzenberger co-founded the Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs Foundation,[13] dedicated to raising awareness of skilled trades and engineering disciplines among young people.[14]
In 2010, Ratzenberger became affiliated with and now represents the Foundation for Fair Civil Justice to further develop his work and increase awareness about the skilled worker shortage facing the United States and the changes needed to positively impact and increase the number of skilled workers.[15] He joined the Foundation for Fair Civil Justice, as a Board Member in 2010.[15] "The Foundation for Fair Civil Justice (FFCJ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (www.foundationforfairciviljustice.org). Their mission is to "educate, motivate and empower the American people to understand they have the greatest stake in removing obstacles to a fair civil justice system, innovation, entrepreneurism, and job creation."[16] FFCJ creates multi-media educational programs, publications and website features that reach millions of Americans through radio, television and the internet."[16]
Ratzenberger is also on the University Board at Pepperdine University and the Board of Directors at Sacred Heart University.
Ratzenberger has two children, James John born in 1987, and Nina Kathrine born in 1989, both from a 19-year marriage to Georgia Stiny that ended in divorce in 2004.
Ratzenberger, a Republican, has been asked to consider running for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut in 2012.[17]
During the 2008 presidential race, Ratzenberger campaigned for John McCain, appearing with former Cheers co-star Kelsey Grammer at several Republican party events.[18][19] He also has been outspoken in opposition of the 2010 health care reform bill, referring to it as socialism.[20]
On January 17, 2010, he appeared and endorsed Scott Brown for the United States Senate at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA.
Ratzenberger campaigned for Republican Josh Mandel of Ohio for the State Treasurer position during the 2010 election and on January 10, 2011, served as master of ceremonies for Mandel's swearing into office.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Ritz | Patron | |
| 1977 | A Bridge Too Far | Lt James Megellas | |
| 1978 | Superman: The Movie | Missile controller | Cameo |
| 1980 | Superman II | NASA control man | |
| Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | Major Bren Derlin | ||
| Motel Hell | Drummer | ||
| 1982 | Firefox | Chief Peck | |
| Warlords of the 21st Century | Rusty | ||
| 1982-1993 | Cheers | Cliff Clavin | TV Series |
| 1990-1992 | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Rigger | Voice TV Series |
| 1995 | Toy Story | Hamm, the piggy bank | Voice |
| 1997 | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Bob/Santa Claus | TV Series |
| 1998 | A Bug's Life | P.T. Flea, the Circus Ring Leader | Voice |
| 1999 | Toy Story 2 | Hamm, the piggy bank | |
| 2001 | Monsters, Inc. | The Abominable Snowman | |
| 2001 | That '70s Show | Glen[21] | TV Series |
| 2001 | Spirited Away | Assistant Manager | Voice |
| 2002 | Frasier | Cliff Clavin | TV Series |
| 2002-2005 | 8 Simple Rules | Paul Hennessy's neighbor | |
| 2003 | Finding Nemo | School of Fish | Voice |
| 2004 | The Incredibles | The Underminer | |
| 2006 | Cars | Mack the truck/Hamm Car/Yeti Snowplow/P.T. Flea Car | |
| Mater and the Ghostlight | Mack the truck | ||
| 2007 | Ratatouille | Mustafa the waiter | |
| 2008 | The Village Barbershop | Art Leroldi | |
| WALL-E | John | Voice | |
| 2009 | Up | Tom, the construction worker | |
| 2010 | Toy Story 3 | Hamm, the piggy bank | |
| What If... | Mike the Angel | ||
| 2011 | Hawaiian Vacation | Hamm, the piggy bank | Voice |
| Cars 2 | Mack the truck | ||
| 2011 | Melissa & Joey | Arnie | TV Series |
| 2011 | Small Fry | Hamm, the piggy bank | Voice |
| 2012 | Brave | TBA |
|
|
|||||