Ratzenberger’s Character
John Ratzenberger created his own role on the show — Cliff Claven. Initially, Ratzenberger auditioned for the role of Norm Peterson, which he failed to get. After that, the actor suggested to the producers that it would be a cool idea to include a kind of a know-it-all character, so Claven was born. When the first few seasons wrapped up, the producers allowed Ratzenberger to ad-lib facts during the episodes.