Born April 6, 1947 in Black Rock, near Bridgeport, CT, Ratzenberger’s interest in performing began while in grade school. He continued to act on stage throughout his college years at Sacred Heart University. While there, he co-founded an improvisational troupe called Sal’s Meat Market, directing numerous student productions. In 1971, Ratzenberger parlayed a tax refund check into a one-way ticket to England, where he re-established Sal’s Meat Market and performed throughout Europe to considerable acclaim, as well as a British Arts Council Grant. While on the continent, Ratzenberger began appearing in minor and supporting roles in film and television. He could be spotted as a soldier in Robert Aldrich’s alarming nuclear thriller “Twilight’s Last Gleaming” (1977), the Harrison Ford WWII romance “Hanover Street” (1979), and “Yanks” (1979). But among film nerds, he was most famously spotted as an air traffic controller in “Superman: The Movie” (1978) and as a Rebel military officer on the Hoth ice planet in the opening scenes of “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” (1980). When not appearing in two of the biggest movies of all time, Ratzenberger also produced and wrote for several theater companies while in Europe, as well as for the BBC and Granada Television.

More supporting roles came his way during the early 1980s, with Ratzenberger popping up in any number of successful projects. He was a punk drummer who meets a terrible fate in the cult horror film “Motel Hell” (1980); played a cop in “Ragtime” (1981); and a Communist leader in an uncredited turn in Warren Beatty’s critical masterpiece, “Reds” (1981). With an eye for landing roles in monumental movies, he also appeared in the Oscar-winning Best Picture, “Gandhi” (1982) as Candice Bergen’s military driver – though his voice was later dubbed by Martin Sheen.

While on a writing assignment in Los Angeles that same year, Ratzenberger auditioned for a role on an upcoming sitcom for NBC titled “Cheers.” While there, he suggested to producers that a character like Cliff Clavin – a self-involved postman who talks just to hear himself talk – might make an excellent addition to the show’s line-up. After the pitch, he performed a Cliffy improvisation that earned him the part. Ratzenberger stayed with the show for its entire 11-season run, earning him two Emmy nominations in 1985 and 1986. He also played Cliff on five other television series – “St. Elsewhere” (NBC, 1982-88); the “Cheers” spin-offs, “The Tortellis” (NBC, 1987) and “Frasier” (NBC, 1993-2004); “Wings” (NBC, 1990-97); and “The Simpsons” (Fox, 1989-).

While on “Cheers,” Ratzenberger guested on several other series, including “Magnum, P.I.” (CBS, 1980-88), and turned up in films like 1987’s “House II: The Second Story” (essentially playing a variation on a role played by his “Cheers” co-star George Wendt in the original film), as well as uncredited performances in “The Falcon and the Snowman” (1985) and “Protocol” (1984). During this period, Ratzenberger also moved behind the camera as well, directing commercials – one of which earned a Clio Award – and episodic television, including multiple episodes of “Cheers,” as well as “Evening Shade” (CBS, 1990-94) and “Sister Sister” (ABC/Paramount, 1994-99). In 1989, the globally conscious actor founded Eco-Pack Industries, which became an international success by providing the recycled paper product Quadrapak as a replacement for plastic packaging.

In 1995, Ratzenberger began a long and fruitful relationship with Pixar Animation Studios by providing the voice of the inquisitive (and Cliff Clavin-like) Hamm the piggy bank in “Toy Story.” Since then, he contributed a vocal performance in every Pixar film to date – in addition to voicing Hamm in both “Toy Story” sequels, Ratzenberger played the bombastic head of a flea circus in “A Bug’s Life” (1998); a nervous Yeti in “Monsters, Inc.” (2001); a school of moonfish in “Finding Nemo” (2003); the super-villain The Underminer, who turns up at the conclusion of “The Incredibles (2004); and as a helpful truck in “Cars” (2006). Ratzenberger also recorded the voices for many these characters for the numerous tie-in video games.

In addition to his voice-over work, Ratenzberger’s live-action appearances included a role as Simon Baker’s father in the romantic comedy “Something New” (2006) and a recurring role on the ABC sitcom “8 Simple Rules…” (2002-05). In 2007, Ratzenberger gallantly stepped into the dancing shoes of former "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999- ) star, Vincent Pastore, as a celebrity contestant on the fourth season of the popular competition, "Dancing with the Stars."