Biography
Who is John Ratzenberger?
Early life and education
John Dezso Ratzenberger was born on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His mother was Bertha Veronica, and his father was Dezso Alexander Ratzenberger, who served as a Combat Engineer in the Philippines during World War II. John grew up with a heritage of Austrian, Hungarian, and Polish ancestry.
For his education, John attended St. Ann's School, Fairfield Prep, and Bassick High School in Bridgeport. He later went to Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Before his acting career took off, John worked at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 as a heavy equipment operator and helped build the stage.
Rise to fame on Cheers
John moved to London in 1971 to start his career in the performing arts, film, and television. Through the 1970s, he performed across Europe with Ray Hassett as part of the comedic theatrical duo Sal's Meat Market. He also appeared in various European feature films, including A Bridge Too Far, Superman, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Outland, and Gandhi.
While auditioning for a role in a new sitcom in America, John created the character of Cliff Clavin after asking producers if they had written a know-it-all bar patron. The character became a major part of the hit sitcom Cheers, which ran for eleven years from 1982 to 1993. John earned two Primetime Emmy nominations for his memorable work on the show.
Voice acting and Pixar films
Following the success of Cheers, John established a productive voice acting career in animated films. He became widely known for voicing Hamm the piggy bank in the Toy Story franchise, starting with the studio's debut feature film in 1995. His voice work extended to many other Pixar projects over the years.
Some of his well-known Pixar roles include Yeti the Abominable Snowman in the Monsters, Inc. Series, The Underminer in The Incredibles, Mack in the Cars franchise, and Fritz in the Inside Out films. He also worked on non-Pixar animated projects, including Disneytoon Studios films and English dubs of Studio Ghibli features.
Personal life and height
John Ratzenberger stands at a height of 177 centimeters. Outside of his acting work, he developed a packaging product made from biodegradable and non-toxic recycled paper as an alternative to foam peanuts and plastic bubble wrap.
John has lived in Vashon, Washington, as well as in the Southern California communities of Calabasas and Westlake Village since 1994. He has been married three times and has one child named James Ratzenberger.
Birthday and age
John Ratzenberger was born on April 6, 1947, which makes John 79 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. John shares the date with 21 other famous people.
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