John Ratzenberger

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.

Early life John Dezso Ratzenberger was born on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Bertha Veronica , 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. He moved to London in 1971, where he began his acting, writing, and directing career. 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) 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 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.

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.

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 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.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1976 The Ritz Patron 1977 Twilight's Last Gleaming Sgt. Kopecki A Bridge Too Far Lt. James Megellas Valentino Newshound 1978 Warlords of Atlantis Fenn Superman Missile controller 1979 Hanover Street Sergeant John Lucas Arabian Adventure Achmed Yanks Corporal Cook The Bitch Hal Leonard 1980 The Empire Strikes Back Major Bren Derlin Motel Hell Drummer Superman II Controller No. 1 1981 Outland Tarlow Ragtime Policeman Reds Communist Leader The Good Soldier Jimmy 1982 Battletruck Rusty AKA Warlords of the 21st Century Firefox Chief Peck Gandhi American Lieutenant 1984 Protocol Security Guard on TV Uncredited 1985 The Falcon and the Snowman Detective 1987 House II: The Second Story Bill Towner: Electrician & Adventurer Timestalkers General Joe Brodsky 1988 She's Having a Baby Himself 1995 Toy Story Hamm Voice 1997 That Darn Cat Dusty Bad Day on the Block Al Calavito One Night Stand Phil 1998 A Bug's Life P.T. Flea Voice 1999 Toy Story 2 Hamm 2001 Monsters, Inc. Yeti 2002 Spirited Away Aniyaku 2003 Finding Nemo Fish School 2004 The Incredibles The Underminer 2006 Something New Brian's Father Cars Mack; Hamm Truck, Yeti the Abominable Snowplow, P.T. Flea Car Voice; Additional Voices 2007 Ratatouille Mustafa Voice Your Friend the Rat P.T. Flea Voice; Short film; direct-to-video; archive footage from A Bug's Life 2008 The Village Barbershop Art Leroldi WALL-E John Voice 2009 Up Construction Foreman Tom 2010 Toy Story 3 Hamm What If... Mike 2011 Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation Hamm Voice; Short film Cars 2 Mack Voice Toy Story Toons: Small Fry Hamm Voice; Short film 2012 The Woodcarver Ernest Brave Gordon Voice Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex Hamm Voice; Short film 2013 Monsters University Yeti Voice Planes Harland Super Buddies Marvin "Gramps" Livingstone Direct-to-video In the Name of God Reverend Thomas 2014 Planes: Fire & Rescue Brodie Voice 2015 Russell Madness Mick Vaughn Inside Out Fritz Voice The Good Dinosaur Earl 2016 Finding Dory Husband Crab (Bill) Pup Star Mutt Voice; direct-to-video 2017 Pup Star: Better 2Gether TBA

Television 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 episodesBob 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 1986