John Ratzenberger

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.

• Birth Name — John Dezso Ratzenberger • Born — 6 April 1947 • Birthplace — Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. • Alma Mater — Sacred Heart University • Occupation — * Actor • director • Years Active — 1973–present • Agent — * Saskia Delp-Kullock • Global Artists • Political Party — Republican • Website — Ratzenberger.com

John Dezso Ratzenberger was born on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Bertha Veronica (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.

• Illustration — Ratzenberger on the set of the series "Made in America" 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.

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.

Ratzenberger has contributed voice work for animated projects, many of which are Pixar productions. 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) According to Ratzenberger, Pixar's tradition of including him as a good luck charm in every film beginning with the studio's first film, Toy Story, was due to him becoming good friends with former Pixar filmmaker John Lasseter, who directed or executive-produced each of the first 20 Pixar films. Ratzenberger's tenure at Pixar was parodied 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, the latter of which references the Volkswagen Beetle). Mack notes that all the characters that John Ratzenberger has played had excellent voice actors until he realizes that they are performed by the same actor, at which point he remarks, "They're just using the same actor over and over," and asks, "What kind of a cut-rate production is this?!" The practice of regularly casting Ratzenberger in Pixar films was so well-known that his characters also occasionally shared the same voice actor in languages other than English, notably Renato Cecchetto who dubbed nearly all of Ratzenberger's Pixar roles for the Italian versions of the respective films. Ratzenberger has stated that his favorite Pixar roles were Hamm from the Toy Story series and P.T. Flea from A Bug's Life. Following Lasseter's exit from Pixar, Ratzenberger revealed at Motor City Comic Con in May 2024 that he was not a fan of the regime that replaced Lasseter or the studio's subsequent films, claiming "[...] they suck", and was critical of the political messaging that he felt was being placed in the films. Pixar's 23rd feature film, Soul (2020), was the first Pixar film that did not involve Ratzenberger himself, though it featured a character animated in his likeness as a cameo according to the film's co-director Kemp Powers; the cameo was also confirmed by director Pete Docter on the film's audio commentary track. After voicing a character in each of Pixar's first 22 films, Toy Story (1995) through Onward (2020), Ratzenberger would not have another role in any Pixar film except for sequels in which he reprised roles he previously played such as Fritz in Inside Out 2 (2024) and Hamm in Toy Story 5 (2026). Ratzenberger would also reprise previous Pixar roles in new television series produced by Disney Television Animation rather than Pixar, including Yeti (now named Adorable) and a new character named Bernard in Monsters at Work (2021–24), and Mack in the upcoming Cars: Lightning Racers (2027). Ratzenberger has also continued to work with Lasseter, who produces all feature films and executive-produces all series at Skydance Animation. Ratzenberger has appeared in every Skydance Animation feature film and series to date. His roles include: • Rootie the tropical juice bar-owning bad luck root in Luck (2022) • Caruncle the alien shopowner in WondLa (2024, 2025) • Milo the monster handler in Spellbound (2024) • An elder Javan bird in Swapped (2026) • An undisclosed role in Ray Gunn (2026) Aside from Pixar and Skydance animated productions, Ratzenberger voiced Harland the jet tug in Disneytoon Studios' Planes (2013), and Brodi the plane in its sequel, Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014), which are spin-offs of Pixar's Cars series and executive-produced by Lasseter. Additionally, Ratzenberger provided the voice for Aniyaku the assistant manager in the English dub version of Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away (2002), which Lasseter also executive-produced. • Illustration — Ratzenberger at the 2008 Rhode Island International Film Festival

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.

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.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1979 — Secret Army — Staff Sergeant Drexler — Episode: "The Execution" • 1980 — ITV Playhouse — Tom Phillips — Episode: "Friends in Space" • 1981 — The Good Soldier — Jimmy — Television film • Goliath Awaits — Bill Sweeney • Private Schulz — American Newsreel Commentator — Uncredited voice; episode #1.5 • Code Red — Inspector Ray Allen — Episode: "All That Glitters" • 1982 — Hill Street Blues — Phony Cop — Episode: "Some Like it Hot-Wired" • 1982–1993 — Cheers — Cliff Clavin — 274 episodes; directed 4 episodes • 1983 — Wizards and Warriors — Archie — Episode: "The Dungeon of Death" • 1984 — Magnum, P.I. — Walt Brewster — Episode: "The Legacy of Garwood Huddle" • 1985 — St. Elsewhere — Cliff Clavin — Episode: "Cheers" • The Love Boat — Marty Elder — Episode: "A Day in Port" • 1986 — Combat Academy — Mr. Barnett — Television film • 1987 — Timestalkers — General Joe Brodsky • The Tortellis — Cliff Clavin — Episode: "Frankie Comes to Dinner" • 1988 — Small World — Morris Zapp — 6 episodes • Mickey's 60th Birthday — Cliff Clavin — Television film • 1990 — Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color — Episode: "Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration" • Wings — Episode: "The Story of Joe" • The Earth Day Special — Television film • Camp Cucamonga — Marvin Schector • 1990–1996 — |Captain Planet and the Planeteers — Rigger — Voice; 24 episodes • 1992 — Nurses — Mr. Hafner — Episode: "Illicit Transfers" • 1993 — Bill Nye the Science Guy — Host of Ferns — Episode: "Dinosaurs" • 1993 — Moon Over Miami — Norman Rust — Episode: "Farewell, My Lovelies" • 1994, 2014 — The Simpsons — Cliff Clavin, CGI Homer Simpson — Voices; episodes: "Fear of Flying", "Treehouse of Horror XXV" • 1995 — Murphy Brown — Felix — Episode: "A Rat's Tale" • Sister, Sister — Gus Kiamilikimaka — 2 episodes • 1996 — Caroline in the City — Mr. Berman — Episode: "Caroline and Richard's Mom" • Toy Story Treats — Hamm — Voice; Interstitials • 1997 — Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child — Hinky — Voice; episode: "The Pied Piper" • Sabrina, the Teenage Witch — Bob/Santa Claus — Episode: "Sabrina Claus" • The Detectives — Edsel — Episode: "Go West Old Man" • 1998 — Remember WENN — Mr. Abernathy — Episode: "And If I Die Before I Sleep" • 2000 — Touched by an Angel — Merl — Episode: "Monica's Bad Day" • Pigs Next Door — Ike Stump — Recurring voice • 2001 — That '70s Show — Glen — Episode: "Holy Craps" • The Drew Carey Show — Himself/Various — Episode: "Drew Live III" • 2002 — Frasier — Cliff Clavin — Episode: "Cheerful Goodbyes" • The Pennsylvania Miners' Story — Thomas "Tucker" Foy — Television film • 2003 — 8 Simple Rules — Fred Doyle — 4 episodes • 2004–2008 — Made in America — Himself — Host; 97 episodes • 2006 — Rodney — Episode: "Celebrity" • Mystery Woman: Redemption — Jim Carter — Hallmark movie • 2008 — Our First Christmas — Joe Noll • 2011 — Melissa & Joey — Arnie — Episode: "A House Divided" • 2012 — Matchmaker Santa — George — Hallmark movie • 2012–2014 — Drop Dead Diva — Larry Kaswell — 3 episodes • 2013 — Bones — Bill Schumacher — Episode: "The Cheat in the Retreat" • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — Stu Kirchoff — Episode: "Torch Song" • 2013–2014 — Legit — Walter Nugent — 10 episodes • Franklin & Bash — Judge Elliot Reid — 3 episodes • 2014 — How Murray Saved Christmas — Officer Bender — Voice; television special • Secret Past (aka A Christmas Mystery) — Logan Walker — Television film • 2015 — The McCarthys — Charlie Ellis — Episode: "Hall of Fame" • Hell's Kitchen — Himself — Episode: "11 Chefs Compete" • 2017 — Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures — Major Bren Derlin — Voice; episode: "The Storms of Taul" • 2019 — Mom — Stan — Episode: "Audrey Hepburn and a Jalapeño Pepper" • The Goldbergs — Digby Yates — Episode: "Food in a Geoffy" • Forky Asks a Question — Hamm — Voice; Short films: "What is Money?", "What is a Friend?" • 2020 — Just Roll with It — Grandpa — 4 episodes • Bob Hearts Abishola — Hank — Episode: "Randy's a Wrangler" • 2021–2024 — Monsters at Work — Adorable (Yeti) / Bernard — Voices; 8 episodes • 2023 — Poker Face — Abe — Episode: "The Night Shift" • 2024–2025 — WondLa — Caruncle — Voice; 3 episodes • 2027 — Cars: Lightning Racers — Mack — Voice; upcoming series

• Year — Title — Voice role • 1995 — Toy Story — Hamm • 1996 — Toy Story: Activity Center • Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story • 1999 — Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue • 2001 — Toy Story Racer • 2002 — Monsters, Inc. — Yeti • 2004 — Trivial Pursuit: Unhinged — Himself • 2005 — The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer — The Underminer • 2006 — Cars — Mack • 2009 — Cars Race-O-Rama • 2010 — Toy Story 3: The Video Game — Hamm • 2012 — Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure • 2013 — Disney Infinity • 2014 — Disney Infinity 2.0 • 2015 — Disney Infinity 3.0 • 2016 — Disney Magic Kingdoms • 2018 — Lego The Incredibles — The Underminer • 2019 — Kingdom Hearts III — Hamm

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2008–2016 — Toy Story: The Musical — Hamm — Voice

• Year — Title — Director — screenWriter — Executive Producer — Notes • 1978 — Crown Court — Serial: "Scalped" • 1980 — ITV Playhouse — Episode: "Friends in Space" • 1990 — Sydney — Episode: "Georgie" • 1988–1991 — Cheers — 4 episodes • 1990–1991 — Down Home • 1994 — Madman of the People — 3 episodes • Locals — TV Movie • Evening Shade — Episode: "Mama Knows Best" • 1996 — Sister, Sister — Episode: "The Candidate" • Pearl — Episode: "The Tutor" • 1997 — The World's Most Incredible Animal Rescues — TV Special • The World's Most Incredible Animal Rescues: Part 2 • 1998 — The World's Most Incredible Animal Rescues: Part 3 • 2010 — Industrial Tsunami — Documentary

John Ratzenberger was recorded at birth as John Dezso Ratzenberger. The authorities additionally record the heading John Dezso Ratzenberger. His recorded language was English. One child is recorded: James Ratzenberger.