John started Sal's Meat Market in Bridgeport, Connecticut, while a student at Sacred Heart University, located in Fairfield/Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was later affiliated with the ensemble group "The Downtown Cabaret." Coincidentally, he was a friend of Susan Ryan, the mother of Meg Ryan. A mutual friend, also associated with The Downtown Cabaret, was the daughter-in-law of actress Mabel Albertson, the sister of actor Jack Albertson.


Late 2000: He is going to the Supreme Court with "Cheers" (1982) co-star George Wendt to get control of their characters (Cliff and Norm), which are wanted to be used for commercials for Cheers-like airport bars. Wendt and Ratzenberger say they created their characters and do not want them exploited. The only person to voice a character in all of Pixar Animation's feature films: as Hamm in Toy Story (1995); PT Flea in A Bug's Life (1998); Hamm again in Toy Story 2 (1999); the Abominable Snowman in Monsters, Inc. (2001); Fish School in Finding Nemo (2003); Underminer in The Incredibles (2004); Mack in Cars (2006), Mustafa in Ratatouille (2007), and John in WALL·E (2008) and it has been confirmed that he will appear in both Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010). Holds a Red Belt in karate. Active in the pro-ecological movement, he was owner and operator of Eco-Pak, a conservation-conscious packaging company. 1971: Helped form and organize an improvisational comedy troupe called "Sal's Meat Market". The trading card for his Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) character, Bren Derlin, says that "At the Mos Eisley Cantina, everybody knows his name." Derlin is never seen in the Mos Eisley Cantina. This is an inside joke about his character Cliff Clavin the mailman, who frequents Cheers, "where everybody knows your name". His speaking role in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982), was dubbed by Martin Sheen. Later he went on to become a trademark voice for Pixar Studios. He recently started the Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs Foundation, whose mission is to "Give children tools and watch them build America.". Attended and helped construct the stage at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. Recalls that an unpopular National Guard became vital emergency personnel of the event - distributing water and food to the hundreds of thousands of attendees.