Did you know Cheers star John Ratzenberger launched a career in Europe, too?

Many know John Ratzenberger as America's favorite bar buddy on Cheers. He played Cliff Clavin, the know-it-all who loved grabbing a drink at the classic TV bar, usually sitting next to Norm, played by George Wendt.

While Cheers was an all-American classic, Ratzenberger's career originally took him elsewhere.

According to a 1985 interview with the Houston Post, Ratzenberger was working as a blacksmith's apprentice in Vermont when he received a tax refund equal to the cost of a one-way ticket to London.

And if there's one thing Ratzenberger had in common with his onscreen character, it was a knack for telling a good story.

"I still had it in my head that I wanted to be an actor," Ratzenberger said. "I bought a ticket to London, but I didn't have anything left. I borrowed $20 from a friend in New York so I could rent earphones on the plane and buy a drink. I landed in London with long hair, a backpack and $5."

He stayed in England for about 10 years. While there, he met an American, and the two put together an improv comedy act. They performed in parks in working-class neighborhoods, winning over some tough audiences. When the crowds weren't pleased, Ratzenberger said, they sometimes threw bricks at him. The experience taught him how to win over an audience.

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Eventually, the British Arts Council gave the duo permission to take their act around the country.

"Nothing will replace that experience," Ratzenberger said. "It was not an American experience. We worked all over Europe and England. I didn't have mommy and daddy to fall back on."

According to the interview, Ratzenberger returned to the United States in 1981. Before coming home, he had started doing comedy writing in England for a couple of series. That experience gave him the confidence to pursue an audition for Cheers.

At the audition, he launched into an improvisation of a character he'd enjoyed playing in London. The character, however, was based on a real person in America.

"He was based mostly on a cop I knew in my hometown," Ratzenberger said. "He was a nice guy, but a know-it-all. All people who wear uniforms and have keys hanging from their belts tend to be that way."

Ratzenberger landed the role of Cliff, forever changing his career and legacy. According to the actor, Cliff was originally supposed to be a security guard, but two days before filming, the character was changed to a mail carrier.

"Cliff is the kind of guy who wishes he'd been a combat Marine," Ratzenberger said. "But maybe he was nearsighted or had flat feet and became a mailman. He loves the respect he gets."