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Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008[1]), better known by the stage name Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and D.L. Hughley as The Original Kings of Comedy.

After briefly hosting the HBO show Midnight Mac, Mac appeared in several movie in smaller roles. His most notable movie role was as Frank Catton in the remake of Ocean's Eleven and its two sequels. Mac also starred in several movies, including Mr. 3000. He was the star of The Bernie Mac Show , which ran from 2001-2006, and earned two Emmy Award nominations.
Contents
[show]
* 1 Early life
* 2 Career
* 3 Personal life
* 4 Illness and death
* 5 Filmography
* 5.1 Awards and nominations
* 6 References
* 7 External links

Early life

Mac was born in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised by a single mother, Mary, who died of cancer when he was sixteen.[2] Mac attended Chicago Vocational Career Academy, and started his career during high school, when he would put on shows for neighborhood kids in Chicago's South Side until moving to Tampa, Florida. During his 20s he worked in a variety of jobs, including furniture mover, UPS agent, and bread delivery sales rep.

Career

Mac started as a stand-up comedian in Chicago's Cotton Pickin' Club. He won the Miller Lite Comedy Search at the age of 32, at which point his popularity as a comedian began to grow. A performance on HBO's Def Comedy Jam thrust him into the spotlight. He opened for Dionne Warwick, Redd Foxx and Natalie Cole. He also had a short-lived talk show on HBO titled Midnight Mac. Later, Mac also began acting in minor roles, and received his big break as Pastor Clever in Ice Cube's 1995 film Friday. Following that role, Mac also worked in many other movies and had some television appearances in titles including Booty Call, How to Be a Player, Life and What's the Worst That Could Happen?. Mac was one of the few African American comedic actors to be able to break out of the traditional "black comedy" genre, having roles in the 2001 remake of Ocean's Eleven and becoming the new Bosley for the Charlie's Angels sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. In 2003, he also turned in an impressive performance in a small but important role as Gin "The Store Dick" in Bad Santa. He also starred in Guess Who?, a comedic remake of the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. He also made an appearance in the 2007 movie Transformers as the car salesman Bobby Bolivia.

In 2000, Mac returned to his stand-up comedy roots, touring the country as one of The Original Kings of Comedy, along with Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and D.L. Hughley. The comedy act was filmed by Spike Lee and was included later in the movie The Original Kings of Comedy.

In 2001, Fox gave Mac his own sitcom called The Bernie Mac Show, somewhat based on his own life. In the show, he suddenly becomes custodian over his sister's three children after she enters rehab. It was a success, in part because it allows Mac to stay true to his stand-up comedy roots, breaking the fourth wall to communicate his thoughts to the audience. The show contained many parodies of events in Bernie's actual life. However, the show was not renewed after the 2006 season. Viewers were left without a conclusion for the series, and no ending to the storyline where Bernie and Wanda were trying to have a baby. His character on The Bernie Mac Show was ranked #47 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [June 20, 2004 issue].

In 2004, Mac had his first starring role as a retired baseball player in the movie Mr. 3000. In the 2003 National League Championship Series, Mac sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs leading the Florida Marlins in the series 3-2 and in Game 6 by a 3-0 score. Instead of saying "root, root, root for the Cubbies" Mac said, "root, root, root for the champions!" The Cubs went on to lose the game and the series, with some fans claiming that Mac helped to jinx the Cubs. Mac later admitted that he had hated the North Side's Cubs his whole life, being a die-hard fan of the South Side's White Sox, and was seen during the White Sox' 2005 World Series victory at U.S. Cellular Field.

Mac was number 72 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time. On March 19, 2007, Mac told David Letterman on the CBS Late Show that he would retire from his 30-year career after he finished shooting the comedy film The Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Mac. "I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know".[3]

Personal life

Mac married Rhonda McCullough in 1977. They had one daughter, Je'Niece (born 1978), who attended Xavier University of Louisiana, where she received both her bachelor's degree in Psychology and master's degree in Mental Health Counseling. She has been married for three years and has one daughter, Jasmine.

Illness and death
Wikinews
Wikinews has related news:

* American comedian Bernie Mac has pneumonia
* American actor and comedian Bernie Mac dies at age 50

Mac suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005.[1]

On August 1, 2008, Mac was hospitalized with - according to his publicist - pneumonia. The next day, responding to rumors that the actor was in "very, very critical condition", his publicist said that he was responding well to treatment, and should be released soon.[4] On August 9, Bernie Mac died from - according to his publicist - complications of pneumonia.[1]

The 2008 Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago, on the day he died, was dedicated to his memory.[citation needed]

Filmography

* 1993 - Who's the Man?
* 1994 - Above the Rim
* 1994 - House Party 3
* 1995 - Friday
* 1996 - Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
* 1996 - Get on the Bus
* 1997 - B*A*P*S
* 1997 - Booty Call
* 1997 - How to Be a Player
* 1998 - The Players Club
* 1999 - Life
* 2001 - Head of State
* 2001 - Ocean's Eleven
* 2001 - What's the Worst That Could Happen?
* 2003 - Bad Santa
* 2003 - Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
* 2004 - Mr. 3000
* 2004 - Ocean's Twelve
* 2005 - Guess Who
* 2007 - Ocean's Thirteen
* 2007 - Pride
* 2007 - Transformers
* 2008 - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - Zuba (voice)
* 2008 - Soul Men
* 2009 - Old Dogs

Awards and nominations
Emmy Awards
Year Category Show Result
2003 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show Nominated
2002 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show Nominated
Golden Globe Awards
Year Category Show Result
2004 Outstanding Actor in a Comedy/Musical Series The Bernie Mac Show Nominated
2003 Outstanding Actor in a Comedy/Musical Series The Bernie Mac Show Nominated
NAACP Image Awards
Year Category Show Result
2007 Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show Nominated
2006 Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show Winner
2005 Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show Winner
2004 Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show Winner
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Head of State Nominated
2002 Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show Winner
2001 Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show Nominated

 

Source : Wikipedia

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