George Wendt Was a “Doting Family Man” — Details on His Marriage and Kids

To many sitcom fans, George Wendt will always be known for his beloved character as dedicated bar patron Norm Peterson. When it was announced that he died in his sleep at his home on May 20, 2025, many felt like they lost a family member.

George may have felt familiar to many because of his real-life love for being, as his publicist described when he died, a "doting family man." Before he died, he was gathered by his family, who are collectively mourning his loss.

Here's what to know about George's wife and kids.

George met the love of his life, Bernadette Birkett, in 1974. They met at The Second City Theater in Chicago, where he began studying comedy. They started dating soon after they met and tied the knot on July 8, 1978.

Throughout their marriage, the couple collaborated on several projects. According to Bernadette's IMDb, she starred in several Cheers episodes, once as Tinker Bell and four episodes as the voice of George's character's wife, Vera Peterson.

Bernadette also worked on multiple television shows and films, including a guest starring role on her husband's show, The George Wendt Show, Heartbreakers, St. Elmo's Fire, and Arrested Development. Additionally, Bernadette has some political ties, as her brother, Joseph E. Birkett, is an appellate court judge on the Illinois Appellate Court – Second District and has been in his role since 2010.

Bernadette and George often used joy and humor into their marriage. In 1998, the couple appeared in an interview/skit for The Conan O'Brien Show. The segment showed George pacing between his interview with Conan and his family, signaling how busy his life had become.

After they wed in 1978, George and Bernadette became parents to three children: Hilary, born in 1985, Daniel, born in 1987, and Joe Wendt, who was born in 1990. The family remained tight-knit until The Goldbergs actor died.

His daughter, Hilary, would often share fond memories of her mom and dad together, including multiple throwback photos of them out and about to commemorate their wedding anniversary. Hilary's last post of the couple before George died came in July 2023 when she celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary.

George and Bernadette's children keep their lives pretty private, though Hilary often flaunts her love and pride for her family. However, one of the family's other famous family members, Jason Sudeikis, shared in 2011 how being related to a star of one of the greatest sitcoms of all time showed him he could make it big one day.

"He’s always been very encouraging, but there was no 'Tuesdays With Morrie' kind of relationship between him and I," Jason told HuffPost.

"He was just a good example that being an actor was a viable option," he continued. "Here’s a guy from the Midwest, in my family, who took the road less traveled and it worked out for him. The advice he gave me, and I say this jokingly, is 'Get on one of the best sitcoms of all time and then ride it out.'"

George's Cheers co-stars knew of his favorite role as a family man. Per Variety, upon the news of his death surfacing, Ted Danson wrote he was "devastated" to learn of his friend's death and was "sending all my love to Bernadette and the children." We're taking Ted's lead!