April 6 - John Ratzenberger

On this day, in 1947, John Dezso Ratzenberger was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. After graduating from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, John somehow wrangled himself a job at Woodstock as a tractor operator in 1969, then, two years later, moved to London. While working as a house framer in England, he met up with an old classmate from Sacred Heart, Ray Hassett, who was also living in Britain. John and Ray had spent a good chunk of their college years doing improv comedy together, first in the school’s cafeteria and later in the actual theater. In 1973, the boys teamed up again, creating a two man troupe known as Sal’s Meat Market. They based themselves at London’s Oval House but would tour all over Europe for the next four years. The British troupe The Comic Strip, which hit their stride in the Eighties and included Jennifer Saunders, Robbie Coltrane and Dawn French, among others, credited Sal’s as being a major influence on them. As the Seventies came to a close, Sal’s Meat Market closed its proverbial doors as both its members returned to the United States. Ray turned to a career in law enforcement, but John was destined for more fame and fortune.

Image courtesy starwars.com

John's first onscreen appearance was in the 1976 movie version of the 1975 play The Ritz, starring Rita Moreno. He continued in small roles throughout the rest of the decade and into the Eighties, showing up in classics like A Bridge Too Far (Lt. James Megallas), Superman (missile controller), Superman II (NASA controller), The Empire Strikes Back (Major Bren Derlin) and Ghandi (American Lieutenant). It wasn't until he made the switch to the small screen that he became a household face.

Image courtesy alchetron.com

In 1982, when John auditioned for a new sitcom that took place in a neighborhood bar, he was asked to read for the role of one of the establishment's best patrons, Norm Peterson. The audition went well enough, but John could tell he wasn't going to get the part. Figuring he had nothing to lose, he asked the producers of Cheers if they'd cast the role of a bar know-it-all. They hadn't even considered having that part but thought it was a great idea. And thus the legend of Clifford Clavin was born. Cliff was part of Cheers from episode one (although John didn't officially become a series regular until season two) straight through to the end, eleven seasons later. John's last appearance as Cliff didn't happen until nine years after the end of Cheers, when he showed up on an episode of Frasier. Over the course of the series, John earned two Prime Time Emmy nominations for his work as the insufferable barfly.

Image copyright Pixar

John first became part of the Disney family in 1995 and if we're being specific, he's a ubiquitous part of the Pixar clan. For Pixar's first feature film, Toy Story, John was cast in the role of Hamm, a piggy bank who has trouble keeping his money safely inside. Three years later, he played the role of P.T. Flea, the Ring Leader of the traveling circus, in A Bug's Life. From then on, he's been considered Pixar's lucky charm and has had a least a cameo in almost every movie the studio has done since. You've heard his voice as: Hamm in Toy Story 2 and 3, The Abominable Snowman in Monsters, Inc and Monsters University, the school of Moonfish in Finding Nemo, The Underminer in The Incredibles (1 and 2), Mack the Truck in all three Cars pictures, Mustafa the Waiter in Ratatouille, John in WALL-E, Tom the Construction Worker in Up, Gordon the Guard in Brave, Fritz in Inside Out, Earl the Velociraptor in The Good Dinosaur, Bill the Crab in Finding Dory and Juan Ortodoncia in Coco. He also appears in the Planes movies, which are set in the world of Cars but not Pixar films, as Harland the Jet Tug and Brodi.

Image copyright Pixar

Outside of Pixar, John hosted his own reality show on the Travel Channel from 2003-08, John Ratzenberger's Made in America, that highlighted products produced by American companies. He guest starred on four episodes of 8 Simple Rules during the first season. He's been in commercials for everything from Quality Hotels to Zaxby's chicken to Pitney Bowes. John has also made guest appearances on dozens of television shows as varied as Bones and Lego Star Wars (reprising Major Derlin from Empire). His next project is also a reprisal: later this year you'll be able to hear him once again as Hamm when Toy Story 4 hits the big screen.