John Dezso Ratzenberger (April 6, 1947, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA) is an American actor, voice actor, and entrepreneur. He is best known as Cliff Clavin in Cheers. He is also known for his extensive vocal work in Pixar Animation Studios' films, notably Hamm in the Toy Story franchise and Mack in the Cars franchise.
Ratzenberger was a house framer living in London when he began his career in the performing arts. Through the 1970s, he performed with Ray Hassett as the comedic theatrical duo Sal's Meat Market, which toured across the UK. Peter Richardson and Nigel Planer as The Outer Limits and in The Comic Strip were heavily influenced by Sal's Meat Market. His first role was a patron in The Ritz (1976). Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ratzenberger appeared in various minor roles in major feature films, including Firefox; A Bridge Too Far, as Lieutenant James Megellas; Superman, as a missile controller; Superman II, as the NASA control man; Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as Major Bren Derlin; Motel Hell as a drummer; Outland as a doomed mine worker named Tarlow; and Gandhi, playing an American lieutenant.
Ratzenberger is well known for playing mail carrier Cliff Clavin on the sitcom Cheers. He had read for the part of Norm Peterson, but after the audition, he sensed that they were not going to give him the part. Sensing an opportunity, he asked if they had written a bar know-it-all, which the producers decided was a great idea. 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 of plausible half-truths, uninteresting trivia, and misinformation, and in general for being a pretentious blowhard. Cliff and Norm, the primary customer characters, became iconic bar buddies. Ratzenberger provided the voice for an animated version of Cliff on The Simpsons sixth-season episode "Fear of Flying".
When Paramount Television licensed the look of the Cheers bar to the Host International subsidiary of Host Marriott Services for use in airports in the U.S. and New Zealand, the group also created animatronic barflies. They were called "Hank" and "Bob"; Ratzenberger and George Wendt claimed Hank and Bob resembled them, and in January 1993, sued Host for using their likenesses without permission. The case languished in court for eight years before all sides settled in 2001.
Ratzenberger has had a voice part in all of Pixar's feature films made to date, ranging from main characters to characters who appear in only one scene.
| Year | Image | Character | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 
|
Hamm | Toy Story 4 |
| 2018 | 
|
Underminer | Incredibles 2 |
| 2017 | 
|
Juan Ortodoncia | Coco |
| 2017 | 
|
Mack | Cars 3 |
| 2016 | 
|
Bill | Finding Dory |
| 2015 | 
|
Earl | The Good Dinosaur |
| 2015 | 
|
Fritz | Inside Out |
| 2013 | 
|
Yeti | Monsters University |
| 2012 | 
|
Gordon the Guard | Brave |
| 2011 | 
|
Mack | Cars 2 |
| 2010 | 
|
Hamm | Toy Story 3 |
| 2009 | 
|
Construction Foreman Tom | Up |
| 2008 | 
|
John | WALL·E |
| 2007 | 
|
Mustafa | Ratatouille |
| 2006 | 
|
Mack | Cars |
| 2006 | 
|
Hamm | Cars |
| 2006 | 
|
Abominable Snow Plow | Cars |
| 2006 | 
|
P.T. Flea | Cars |
| 2004 | 
|
Underminer | The Incredibles |
| 2003 |  
|
Fish School | Finding Nemo |
| 2001 | 
|
Yeti | Monsters, Inc. |
| 1999 | 
|
Hamm | Toy Story 2 |
| 1998 | 
|
P.T. Flea | A Bug's Life |
| 1995 | 
|
Hamm | Toy Story |