In "Fletch", what Cheers cast member plays Fat Sam?

In “Fletch,” Cheers cast member George Wendt plays Fat Sam. Wendt appears in the 1985 comedy as a local drug dealer whom investigative reporter Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher encounters while working undercover.

The role is a memorable contrast with Wendt’s best-known character, Norm Peterson, the genial bar regular he played throughout Cheers. Wendt had joined Cheers in 1982, and by the time Fletch was released, audiences strongly associated him with Norm. Fat Sam allowed him to play a more suspicious and criminal figure while retaining his recognizable comic presence.

Fletch stars Chevy Chase as a newspaper reporter who uses disguises and invented identities to investigate a drug operation. The film was directed by Michael Ritchie and adapted from Gregory Mcdonald’s 1974 novel Fletch. Wendt’s character is part of the beachside drug storyline that drives the investigation.

The likely confusion comes from the film’s large supporting cast, which includes several recognizable performers, including Geena Davis, M. Emmet Walsh, Joe Don Baker, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, Fat Sam is specifically played by George Wendt.