# John Ratzenberger

**John Ratzenberger** (born 1947) is an American actor, voice actor, and entrepreneur best known for playing the know-it-all postal carrier [Cliff Clavin](https://www.edgepedia.org/cliff-clavin) on the NBC sitcom *Cheers* and for voicing at least one character in every Pixar Animation Studios feature film from *Toy Story* (1995) through *Onward* (2020).<sup>[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/john-ratzenberger/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001652/)</sup>  His birth name is John Deszo Ratzenberger, and he was born in [Bridgeport, Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/bridgeport-connecticut).<sup>[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/john-ratzenberger/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1947; birth name John Deszo Ratzenberger<sup>[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/john-ratzenberger/)</sup> |
| Signature TV role | Cliff Clavin, the know-it-all postman on *Cheers* (NBC, 1982–1993), for the show's entire 11-year run; multi-Emmy-nominated<sup>[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/john-ratzenberger/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>  |
| Pixar streak | Voiced a character in every Pixar feature from *Toy Story* (1995) through *Onward* (2020)<sup>[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001652/)</sup> |
| Recurring Pixar characters | Hamm in the *Toy Story* films, Mack in the *Cars* films, P.T. Flea in *A Bug's Life*, Yeti in *Monsters, Inc.* and *Monsters University*, The Underminer in *The Incredibles* and *Incredibles 2*<sup>[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/ratzenberger-john/)</sup> |
| Nickname | Called Pixar's "good luck charm" by the studio's filmmakers<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://comicbook.com/movies/news/toy-story-incredibles-2-john-ratzenberger-pixar-voice-roles/)</sup>  |
| Box-office standing | Described in a 2012 Pixar press kit as the sixth most successful actor of all time by total box office, over $3 billion<sup>[6](https://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121219224312/pixar/images/d/dd/MONSTERS_INC_3D_Press_Kit_FINAL_12-11-12.pdf)</sup> |
| Entrepreneurship | Founded Eco-Pack Industries in 1989, a company dedicated to alternative packaging<sup>[7](https://carrosantigos.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/carsprodnotes.pdf)</sup> |

## Early life and stage career

Ratzenberger attended St. Ann's School in Bridgeport and [Sacred Heart University](https://www.edgepedia.org/sacred-heart-university) in [Fairfield, Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/fairfield-connecticut), and in 1969 he worked as a tractor operator at the Woodstock Festival.<sup>[8](https://ratzenberger.com/meet-john-ratzenberger/)</sup> He moved to London in 1971 and lived there for ten years.<sup>[8](https://ratzenberger.com/meet-john-ratzenberger/)</sup>

His performing career began in the early 1970s, when he formed the improvisational theater duo "Sal's Meat Market," which played to standing-room-only crowds throughout Europe for 634 straight performances.<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup> To support himself he worked as a house framer, an archery instructor, and a deck hand on a fishing boat.<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup> His first screen role was a patron in *The Ritz* (1976), followed by minor parts in *[A Bridge Too Far](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-bridge-too-far-film)*, *Firefox*, *Motel Hell* (1980), *[Outland](https://www.edgepedia.org/outland-film)* (1981) as a doomed mine worker named Tarlow, and *Gandhi* (1982).<sup>[8](https://ratzenberger.com/meet-john-ratzenberger/)</sup>

In franchise films of the era he appeared as a missile controller in *Superman*, the NASA control man in *Superman II*, and Major Bren Derlin in *Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back* (1980).<sup>[8](https://ratzenberger.com/meet-john-ratzenberger/)</sup>

## Cheers and the birth of Cliff Clavin

**The audition that created a character.** In 1982, Ratzenberger accepted a writing assignment for CBS in Los Angeles. On the day he was scheduled to return to London, he auditioned for a role on the upcoming *Cheers*. He had read for the part of [Norm Peterson](https://www.edgepedia.org/norm-peterson), but sensing he was not getting it, he asked the creators whether they had written a bar know-it-all. They had not, so he gave them five minutes of improvisation in a [Boston accent](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-accent), and Cliff Clavin was created on the spot.<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://ratzenberger.com/meet-john-ratzenberger/)</sup>

Cliff became known for outlandish stories built on plausible half-truths, irrelevant trivia, and confident misinformation, and Cliff and Norm, the show's primary customer characters, became an iconic bar-buddy pairing.<sup>[8](https://ratzenberger.com/meet-john-ratzenberger/)</sup> Ratzenberger played Cliff for the show's entire 11-year run, from 1982 to 1993, and received multiple Emmy nominations for the role.<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/john-ratzenberger/)</sup>  He also voiced an animated Cliff in *The Simpsons* sixth-season episode "Fear of Flying."<sup>[8](https://ratzenberger.com/meet-john-ratzenberger/)</sup> At the 75th [Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmy-awards) in 2024, he joined fellow *Cheers* cast members [Kelsey Grammer](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelsey-grammer), Rhea Perlman, Ted Danson, and [George Wendt](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-wendt) in a reconstructed bar set to present the Writing and Directing for a Comedy Series award.<sup>[9](https://time.com/6555751/emmys-tv-show-reunions/)</sup>

## Pixar's "good luck charm"

Ratzenberger's second career-defining association began with *Toy Story* (1995), where he first voiced Hamm, the wisecracking piggy bank. He has said he did not expect the role to become a franchise fixture, telling the *San Francisco Chronicle* in 2010, "It was a job... I definitely didn't know I'd be back."<sup>[5](https://comicbook.com/movies/news/toy-story-incredibles-2-john-ratzenberger-pixar-voice-roles/)</sup> He went on to voice a character in every Pixar feature film from *Toy Story* (1995) through *Onward* (2020).<sup>[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001652/)</sup> By 2018 he was credited as the only person to appear in all 20 Pixar films released to that point.<sup>[5](https://comicbook.com/movies/news/toy-story-incredibles-2-john-ratzenberger-pixar-voice-roles/)</sup> Pixar filmmakers call him the studio's "good luck charm."<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>

His better-known Pixar roles include:

- **Hamm** the piggy bank in *Toy Story* (1995), *Toy Story 2* (1999), *Toy Story 3* (2010), and *Toy Story 4* (2019)<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>
- **P.T. Flea**, the circus ringmaster, in *A Bug's Life* (1998)<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>
- **Yeti**, the snow monster, in *Monsters, Inc.* (2001) and *Monsters University* (2013)<sup>[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/ratzenberger-john/)</sup>
- **Moonfish**, the ever-changing school of fish, in *Finding Nemo* (2003)<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>
- **The Underminer** in *The Incredibles* (2004) and *Incredibles 2* (2018)<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>
- **Mack**, the truck, in *Cars* (2006), *Cars 2* (2011), and *Cars 3* (2017)<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>
- **Mustafa**, the head waiter, in *Ratatouille* (2007)<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>
- **John**, a human, in *WALL•E* (2008)<sup>[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/ratzenberger-john/)</sup>
- Construction foreman Tom in *Up* (2009)<sup>[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/ratzenberger-john/)</sup>
- **Gordon** in *Brave* (2012), **Harland** in *Planes* (2013), **Fritz** in *Inside Out* (2015), **Earl** in *[The Good Dinosaur](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-good-dinosaur)* (2015), **Bill the Crab** in *Finding Dory* (2016), and **Juan Ortodoncia** in *Coco* (2017)<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>

The studio plays on the streak itself. In the end credits of *Cars*, Mack watches car-themed parodies of Pixar films, realizes all the characters were played by the same actor, and remarks, "They're just using the same actor over and over."<sup>[8](https://ratzenberger.com/meet-john-ratzenberger/)</sup> Pixar artists also work his recognizable eyebrows and mustache into his characters.<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>

**The streak ends, then partially resumes.** In *Soul* (2020) Ratzenberger had a non-voice cameo in which his likeness was used for a man in the subway, and from *Luca* onward he voiced no characters except Fritz in *Inside Out 2*.<sup>[10](https://pixar.fandom.com/wiki/John_Ratzenberger)</sup> He is set to reprise Hamm in *Toy Story 5* (2026).<sup>[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001652/)</sup>

## Box office standing and other work

According to a 2012 Pixar press kit, his voice roles for Pixar, combined with his appearances in *Superman: The Movie*, *Superman II*, and *The Empire Strikes Back*, ranked him as the sixth highest-grossing actor in history, based on combined box office earnings exceeding $3 billion.<sup>[6](https://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121219224312/pixar/images/d/dd/MONSTERS_INC_3D_Press_Kit_FINAL_12-11-12.pdf)</sup> His own biography likewise describes him as the sixth largest grossing actor of all time based on box-office receipts, and states he has acted in 38 major motion pictures.<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>

Beyond Pixar he has appeared in television series including recurring work on *Legit* on FX and episodes of *Bones*, *CSI*, *Drop Dead Diva*, and *Franklin and Bash*, as well as the starring role of Tom Foy in ABC's *The Pennsylvania Miners Story*. Disney's D23 archive also credits him with the voice of the Assistant Manager in *Spirited Away* and with appearances in Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration and Mickey's 60th Birthday.<sup>[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/ratzenberger-john/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://ratzenberger.com/meet-john-ratzenberger/)</sup>

## Entrepreneurship and advocacy

Ratzenberger founded Eco-Pack Industries in 1989, a company dedicated to creating alternative packaging.<sup>[7](https://carrosantigos.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/carsprodnotes.pdf)</sup> He also developed packaging alternatives made from biodegradable, non-toxic recycled paper as a substitute for [Styrofoam](https://www.edgepedia.org/styrofoam) peanuts and plastic bubble wrap.<sup>[8](https://ratzenberger.com/meet-john-ratzenberger/)</sup> He has served as a spokesperson for M.O.S.T (Mobile Outreach Skills Training), a fast-track program that prepares unemployed and underemployed people for frontline production jobs, and has appeared on FOX Business Network, FOX News Channel, and MSNBC to discuss the program.<sup>[11](https://images.wikia.com/pixar/images/d/dd/MONSTERS_INC_3D_Press_Kit_FINAL_12-11-12.pdf)</sup> His recent projects include a partnership with actor and director [Kevin Sorbo](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-sorbo) in the film *East Texas Miracle*, in the faith-based genre with which he is active.<sup>[3](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)</sup>

## References

1. [John Ratzenberger biography, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/john-ratzenberger/)
2. [John Ratzenberger, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001652/)
3. [About John, JohnRatzenberger.com](https://ratzenberger.com/about-john/)
4. [Ratzenberger, John, Disney D23 archive](https://d23.com/a-to-z/ratzenberger-john/)
5. [From 'Toy Story' to 'Incredibles 2': Every Pixar Character Voiced by John Ratzenberger, ComicBook.com (June 17, 2018)](https://comicbook.com/movies/news/toy-story-incredibles-2-john-ratzenberger-pixar-voice-roles/)
6. [Monsters, Inc. 3D press kit, Pixar Animation Studios (2012)](https://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121219224312/pixar/images/d/dd/MONSTERS_INC_3D_Press_Kit_FINAL_12-11-12.pdf)
7. [Cars production notes, Disney/Pixar](https://carrosantigos.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/carsprodnotes.pdf)
8. [Meet John Ratzenberger, JohnRatzenberger.com](https://ratzenberger.com/meet-john-ratzenberger/)
9. [Emmys TV Show Reunions: Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Grey's Anatomy, TIME](https://time.com/6555751/emmys-tv-show-reunions/)
10. [John Ratzenberger, Pixar Wiki](https://pixar.fandom.com/wiki/John_Ratzenberger)
11. [Monsters, Inc. 3D press kit (M.O.S.T. spokesperson section)](https://images.wikia.com/pixar/images/d/dd/MONSTERS_INC_3D_Press_Kit_FINAL_12-11-12.pdf)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Q to Ri*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

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