Who is George Wendt's wife Bernadette Birkett and how long was she married to the Cheers TV star?
BERNADETTE Birkett is an actress, and wife of the late sitcom star George Wendt.
As the world looks back on George's legacy following his death on May 20, 2025, here's everything we know about his wife's life, career, and relationship with her husband of almost 47 years.
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Husband and wife Bernadette Birkett and George Wendt in 2024
Credit: Getty
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Bernadette Birkett in one of her best-known roles as Rachael in 1985 film St. Elmo's Fire
Credit: Columbia Pictures
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George and Bernadette in 1993
Credit: Getty
Who is Bernadette Birkett?
Bernadette Birkett is a 78-year-old actress, born on July 8, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois.
Not much is known about her earlier years, but according to her IMDB profile, she is the oldest of ten brothers and sisters.
The most notable of her younger siblings is Illinois Appellate Court Justice Joseph Birkett, whose term runs from 2012 to 2032.
What does Bernadette Birkett do for a living?
Much like her husband George, who was best-known for his role as Norm in Cheers, Bernadette is a film and television actress who trained and specialized in comedy.
Some of her career highlights have included co-starring as Jackie Schumaker on the self-aware sitcom parody It's Gary Shandling's Show, appearing alongside Demi Moore in the 1985 movie St. Elmo's Fire, and as Jack's mother in 2001's Heartbreakers, which starred Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Bernadette also guest starred on plenty of iconic television shows from the seventies and eighties: such as Family Ties, The Van Dyke Show, and The Twilight Zone, to name a few.
And although she wasn't actually seen on-screen for this role, she did also provide the voice of Vera: the wife of her real-life husband's character in Cheers.
Bernadette most recently appeared as a guest star on two episodes of Arrested Development's fifth and final season, which aired between 2018 and 2019, and is currently available to stream on Netflix.
How long was Bernadette Birkett married to George Wendt?
Bernadette and George first met while they were both training with Chicago's iconic improv troupe and theater, Second City, in 1974.
Four years later, the couple tied the knot on Bernadette's 32nd birthday: July 8, 1978.
The pair would have celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary in 2025.
Did Bernadette Birkett and George Wendt have children?
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George Wendt, Bernadette Birkett, and their children attending a film premiere in 1993
Credit: Getty
Bernadette and George shared three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel, who are all in their mid thirties to early forties.
Their daughter Hilary has shared several sweet snaps to her Instagram page over the years, celebrating the couple's wedding anniversaries with throwback images.
Bernadette also has two older children from a previous relationship: Joshua and Andrew.
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