Bernie mac kids

American comedian and actor (–)

Bernie Mac
Mac on the set of Soul Men in March (a months before his death)
Birth&#;name	Bernard Jeffrey McCullough
Born	()October 5, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 9, () (aged&#;50) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Resting place
Medium	Stand-up, film, television
Education	Chicago Vocational High School
Years active	–
Genres	Observational comedy
Spouse	Rhonda McCullough &#; (m.&#;)&#;
Children	1

Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, – August 9, ),^[1] better known by his stage nameBernie Mac, was an American stand up comedian, actor and film producer.

He joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L. Hughley in the film The Original Kings of Comedy.

After briefly hosting the HBO show Midnight Mac, Mac appeared in several films in smaller roles. His most noted film roles were as Frank Catton in the Ocean's film series from through and as the title character of Mr.

.

Biography bernie mac Bernie Mac was an influential comedian and actor whose career spanned standup, television, and film, earning acclaim for his unique comedic style. Growing up in a large family on the South Side of Chicago, Mac's early experiences shaped his comedic voice. He performed his first standup routine at just eight years old, showcasing a talent for humor that would eventually lead him to establish a successful career in comedy and acting. His breakthrough came with his memorable appearances on HBO's "Def Comedy Jam" in the early s, where his edgy and thought-provoking style captured the audience's attention. Mac's illustrious career included notable film roles in major productions like "Ocean's Eleven" and "Bad Santa," as well as the creation of his own sitcom, "The Bernie Mac Show.

He was the star of his eponymous show, which ran from through , earning him two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Mac's other films included starring roles in The Players Club, Head of State, Bad Santa, Guess Who, Pride, and Soul Men.

Early life and education

Bernard Jeffrey McCullough was born on October 5, in Chicago, Illinois.^[2] Mac was the second child of Mary McCullough and Jeffrey Harrison.^[3] Mac was raised by his single mother and his grandparents on the city's south side.^[4]

Mac began his high school career at Chicago Vocational High School.

During , Mac moved to Tampa, Florida, to attend Jesuit High School following the death of his mother during his sophomore year.^[5] Shortly afterward, Mac's older brother and his estranged father both died.

Rhonda mccullough To his fans and a world that adored him, he was comedian Bernie Mac. Always being a leader and not a follower, however, he gained the respect of most of the gang members without ever joining. He was forever the clown and always known for making people laugh. They dated for two years before they were married on September 17, He felt a passion to bring laughter to the world.

Mac later returned to Chicago and graduated from Chicago Vocational in ^[6]

During his 20s and through his early 30s, Mac worked in a variety of jobs, including janitor, coach, professional mover, cook, bus driver, Wonder Bread delivery man, furniture mover, and UPS agent, while doing comedy on the weekends at clubs and parties.^[5]

Career

Mac's influences were from The Three Stooges and listening to stand-up comedians Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx.

Mac started as a stand-up comedian in Chicago's Cotton Club. After he won the Miller Lite Comedy Search at the age of 32, his popularity as a comedian began to grow. In , a performance on the 3rd episode of HBO's Def Comedy Jam thrust him into the spotlight; after Martin Lawrence was unable to calm an increasingly hostile crowd, Mac went onstage and told the audience "I ain't scared o' you mothafuckas" and that he "didn't come here for no foolishness."^[7]

The Bernie Mac Show

In , the Fox network gave Mac his own television sitcom called The Bernie Mac Show portraying a fictional version of himself.

In the show, he suddenly becomes custodian of his sister's three children after she enters rehab. Mac broke the fourth wall to tell his thoughts to the audience.

The show contained many parodies of events in Bernie's actual life. Mac, who grew up on Chicago's South Side, was a fan of the Chicago White Sox, and would often sneak a reference to his favorite team in episodes, including enlisting then-White Sox pitcher Jon Garland to make a guest cameo appearance.

In the season he wore a White Sox jacket and cap, and congratulated his hometown Chicago White Sox and their staff members on their recent World Series championship.

The show was not renewed after the – season. The series finale aired on April 14, Among other awards, the show won an Emmy^[8] for "Outstanding Writing", the Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting, and the Humanitas Prize for television writing that promotes human dignity.^[9] His character on The Bernie Mac Show was ranked No.

47 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time".^[10]

During his run on the show, Mac had co-starring roles in the Ocean's trilogy (–), Head of State () and Bad Santa (), as well as starring roles in the baseball-themed film Mr.

Biography bernie mac death

Bernie Mac's first standup routine was at the age of 8 for his church congregation. Growing up in a large family on Chicago's South Side, his grandfather was the deacon of a Baptist church. Mac performed his first standup routine at the age of eight, impersonating his grandparents at the dinner table for the church congregation. After losing his mother to cancer his brother, father and grandmother died not long after , Mac realized the healing power of laughter. He began telling jokes for spare change in the Chicago subway.

() and Guess Who? (), a remake of the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

Later years

On March 19, , Mac told David Letterman on the CBS Late Show that he would retire from his 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.

Biography bernie mac and wife All All. Sign In. Bernard Jeffrey McCullough. He grew up in the city, in a rougher neighborhood than most others, with a large family living under one roof. This situation provided him with a great insight into his comedy, as his family, and the situations surrounding them would be what dominated his comedy.

I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in and was on the road 47 weeks out of the year."^[11]

During this time, Mac was having success as a popular film actor, starting with an appearance in the film Transformers as the car salesman "Bobby Bolivia", and serving as the voice of Zuba, Alex the Lion's long-lost father in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

He co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson in the musical comedy Soul Men. These last two movies were released months after his death. His final film role was as Jimmy Lunchbox in the film Old Dogs which was released a year after his death.

Personal life

Mac married his high school sweetheart Rhonda Gore on September 17, , and together they had a daughter in ^[12][13]

Health and death

In the last 20 years of his life, Mac publicly disclosed that he had severe sarcoidosis, a disease of unknown origin that causes inflammation in tissue.^[14] On July 19, , Mac was admitted to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in his hometown of Chicago.^[15] After being treated in the ICU for three weeks, Mac went into cardiac arrest and subsequently died during the early morning hours on August 9, at the age of However, the complications were not attributed to his sarcoidosis, according to his publicist.^[16]

Legacy and tributes

Mac's public memorial was held a week after his death at the House of Hope Church, with nearly 7, people in attendance.^[17] Notable mourners at Mac's funeral were Chris Rock, Chicago MayorRichard M.

Daley, Samuel L. Jackson, Ashton Kutcher, Don Cheadle, the cast members from The Bernie Mac Show, and his Kings of Comedy fellows D. L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Steve Harvey.

The first two of Mac's posthumous films, Soul Men and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, were released three months after his death and were dedicated to him.

Mac's third posthumously released and final film, Old Dogs, was released a year after his death. The Bud Billiken Parade, which was held in Chicago on the day of Mac's death, was also dedicated to his memory.^[14] On the day of Mac's funeral, his hometown's local television station WCIU-TV aired an exclusive television special, A Tribute to Bernie Mac, and had interviews with his former colleagues including Camille Winbush, Chris Rock, Joe Torry, Cameron Diaz, Don Cheadle, and some of his family members & close friends.

During Steve Harvey's television show which aired November 14, , Harvey read a proclamation from Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel proclaiming November 14 as "Bernie Mac Day".^[18] Steve Harvey's guests included Bernie's wife Rhonda, their daughter Je'Niece, granddaughter Jasmine, and Bernie's The Original Kings of Comedy co-stars D.

L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Guy Torry (who was the original host at the beginning of the tour). Mike Epps, appearing via satellite, along with the principal of Bernie and Rhonda's alma mater Chicago Vocational High School (CVS), revealed and unveiled the renaming of CVS Auditorium to the "Bernie Mac Auditorium".^[19]

On February 14, , Rolling Stone named Bernie Mac #41 of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time.^[20]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links