Clifford "Cliff" Clavin is a fictional TV character who appears on Nantucket. He was played by actor John Ratzenburger, having originated the role on the TV-series, "Cheers," and continuing the role on the TV-series, "Frasier."
Bio[]
Not much is known about Cliff's past, but what is known about him has been gleaned from his conversations from hanging out at the Cheers Tavern in nearby Boston. He is the son of Clifford Clavin Sr, and Esther Clavin, living with his mother for several years after his father abandoned him. He seems to have some self-esteem issues and possible near-autistic difficulties toward socializing, especially toward the opposite sex. He covers this insecurity by endlessly passing on inane and irrelevant trivia in public, establishing himself as a "know-it-all mailman" and Cheers' resident trivia expert, a trait he picked up from his mother.
As an adult, Cliff took a job in the Boston Post Office system to help support his mother. He very proud of his job, even though there are parts of the job that earn his ire. He spends much of his life at Cheers sitting next to his best friend, Norm Peterson amidst the other cronies. Most of the bar clientele don't take him very seriously, making him the butt of several jokes. He also considers himself friends with Dr. Frasier Crane, another patron, and Sam Malone, the owner of the bar, supporting Sam in his attempts to re-buying the bar after making the mistake of selling it. He also had an intense dislike with Carla Tortelli, the waitress, for constantly tormenting him, but he still manages his hostility towards her on different occasions. A huge highlight of his life was appearing on the TV game show, "Jeopardy." In 1985, he again meets up with his father only to realizes that he was a fraudster and a fugitive from justice before separating once more.
Due to his insecurities, Cliff doesn't date much. He's been intimate with only two women, one named Maggie and several years later, another girl Sheila. Mostly, he just hangs with Norm in the bar watching the activity in the bar and being a part of the revelry. In 1990, he and Norm headed to Nantucket for what was supposed to be a fishing trip, but they instead ended up enjoying the the local tavern after annoying Helen Chapel at the airport.
At some point in the 1990s, Cliff read an article about flesh-eating bacteria and didn't go into Cheers for a while, which turned out to be good for the bar as several regulars started coming back. He also almost married a mail-order bride, but she decided to go back to Bosnia after spending a few days with him. In 2002, he reaches his retirement from the post office and starts making plans to move to Florida, but at the last minute, he changes his mind and decides to stay in Boston.
Trivia[]
- Cliff Clavin also has a bio on the "Cheers" Wiki.
