While he enjoyed modest success in professional baseball (he played on the St. Louis Cardinals 1964 World Championship team) and has won numerous awards as a play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers (a job he still holds), Uecker owes his notoriety to his flourishing career in show business. His series of beer commercials made Uecker's face famous and the line "I must be in the front row!" a part of the American vernacular. Those ads led to a starring role in "Mr. Belvedere," a series which ran for six years. His natural wit and ability to laugh at himself have made him a favorite guest on the late-night talk shows; he made 84 appearances on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson.

In 1997, he teamed with Bob Costas, announcing special event baseball telecasts for NBC Sports, including such events as the playoffs, the All Star game and the World Series.