John Dezso Ratzenberger (born April 6, 1947) is an American actor, widely known for his role as Cliff Clavin on the comedy series Cheers (1982–1993), for which he earned two Primetime Emmy nominations. Ratzenberger reprised the role in the short-lived spin-off The Tortellis, an episode of Wings, as well as in an episode of Frasier. He has voiced various characters in Pixar animated feature films including Hamm in the Toy Story franchise, Yeti the Abominable Snowman in the Monsters, Inc. franchise, The Underminer in The Incredibles franchise, Mack in the Cars franchise, Fritz in the Inside Out franchise, and many others.
Ratzenberger began his entertainment career while living in London in the 1970s. He acted in and wrote film and television through the 1970s and early 1980s before returning to America. At an audition for a role in a new sitcom, Ratzenberger created the character of Cliff Clavin. Cheers was a success and went on to run for 11 years. After Cheers, he began voicing characters for Pixar; his first role was Hamm in Pixar's debut feature film Toy Story (1995), and he would continue to voice characters in many subsequent Pixar films. Including voice acting and cameos, he is the fourth highest-grossing actor of all time.
Contents
Early life
John Dezso Ratzenberger was born on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Bertha Veronica (née Grochowski), and Dezso Alexander Ratzenberger, a WWII veteran who had been a Combat Engineer in the Philippines. John's father, Dezso, was of Austrian and Hungarian descent, and John's mother was of Polish ancestry. Ratzenberger attended St. Ann's School, Fairfield Prep, and Bassick High School in Bridgeport and then Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. In 1969, Ratzenberger worked at the Woodstock Festival as a heavy equipment operator and as part of the crew building the stage. He moved to London in 1971, where he began his acting, writing, and directing career.
Career
Ratzenberger began his career in the performing arts while living in London, England. Through the 1970s, he performed with Ray Hassett as the comedic theatrical duo Sal's Meat Market, which toured throughout Europe for eight years. Sal's Meat Market heavily influenced Peter Richardson and Nigel Planer as a duo in The Outer Limits and in The Comic Strip. His first role in a major feature film was as a patron in The Ritz (1976). Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ratzenberger appeared in various roles in feature films throughout Europe including: A Bridge Too Far, filmed in Holland, as Lieutenant James Megellas; Superman, as a missile controller; Superman II, as the NASA control man; Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as Major Derlin; Outland as a doomed mine worker named Tarlow; and Gandhi, filmed in India, playing an American lieutenant.
Cheers
Ratzenberger played mail carrier Cliff Clavin on the sitcom Cheers. As an improv artist, he asked the producers if they had written a bar know-it-all character; the producers decided it was a great idea, and the character of Cliff Clavin was born. Ratzenberger also came up with the idea for Cliff's trademark white socks, which he wore as a tribute to French comedian Jacques Tati. Cliff became known for his outlandish stories, trivia, and his trademarked (and oft repeated), "It's a little known fact..." Cliff and Norm, the primary customer characters of the iconic bar, Cheers, played buddies who met at Cheers to talk about the day or nothing in particular. Ratzenberger was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1985 and again in 1986. Ratzenberger provided the voice for an animated version of Cliff on The Simpsons sixth-season episode "Fear of Flying". He also played the role in the short-lived spin-off The Tortellis and in an episode of Wings, which was made by the same creators.
Voice work
Ratzenberger has contributed voice work for animated projects.
Ratzenberger has voiced characters in 24 Pixar films. His roles include:
Hamm the piggy bank in the Toy Story series (1995, 1999, 2010, 2019, 2026)
P.T. Flea, the Circus Ring Leader in A Bug's Life (1998)
Yeti the Abominable Snowman in the Monsters, Inc. series (2001, 2013)
The school of Moonfish in Finding Nemo (2003)
The Underminer in The Incredibles series (2004, 2018)
Mack the truck in the Cars series (2006, 2011, 2017)
Mustafa the waiter in Ratatouille (2007)
John the Axiom passenger in WALL-E (2008)
Tom the construction worker in Up (2009)
Gordon the Dunbroch palace guard in Brave (2012)
Fritz the mind worker in the Inside Out series (2015, 2024)
Earl the Velociraptor in The Good Dinosaur (2015)
Bill the crab in Finding Dory (2016)
Juan Ortodoncia the deceased dental patient in Coco (2017)
Fennwick the cyclops construction worker in Onward (2020)
Personal life
Ratzenberger lived in London for 10 years. Since 1994, he has lived in Vashon, Washington as well as in Southern California's communities of Calabasas and Westlake Village. Ratzenberger has been married three times; he was married to his first wife Caroline for a year, divorcing in 1983. Ratzenberger married his second wife Georgia Stiny in 1984; during their 18-year marriage they had a daughter together and also adopted a son; after a separation, their divorce finalized in 2004. He married his third wife Julie Blichfeldt in 2012.
Ratzenberger developed a packaging-alternatives product made from biodegradable and non-toxic recycled paper as a safe alternative to foam peanuts and plastic bubble wrap. This product, SizzlePak, was manufactured by his company Eco-Pak Industries, which Ratzenberger co-founded in 1989. In 1992, he sold Eco-Pak to Ranpak Corp.
Political views
Ratzenberger has been a longtime registered Republican. During the 2008 presidential race, Ratzenberger campaigned for John McCain, appearing with former Cheers co-star Kelsey Grammer at several Republican party events. Ratzenberger was outspoken in opposition of the 2010 health care reform bill, referring to it as socialism. On January 17, 2010, he appeared and endorsed Scott Brown for the United States Senate at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. Ratzenberger campaigned for Republican Josh Mandel of Ohio for state treasurer in 2010 and served as master of ceremonies for Mandel's inauguration into the position in 2011. He considered running for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut in 2012.
Ratzenberger endorsed Mitt Romney in 2012. He appeared on Your World with Neil Cavuto to support Donald Trump's candidacy during the 2016 presidential race, shortly after Trump was declared the presumptive Republican nominee. He praised Trump's performance as president in 2017, saying he had done "a wonderful job as far as manufacturing is concerned". Ratzenberger endorsed Trump again in 2024.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ratzenberger expressed his support for the United States Postal Service (USPS) in 2020 via Cameo and suggested people who wished to help them donate and buy presents for Christmas early.
