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Bernie Mac

Bernie Mac

Overview
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008), better known by his stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

 Bernie Mac, was an American actor
Actor
An actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain members of an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...

. Born and raised on the South Side
South Side (Chicago)
The South Side is a major part of the City of Chicago, which is located in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Much of it has evolved from the city's incorporation of independent townships, such as Hyde Park Township which voted along with several other townships to be annexed in the June 29,...

 of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...

, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a style of comedy where a comedian performs for a live audience, usually speaking directly to them. It is usually performed by a single comedian with the aid of a microphone, either hand-held or mounted on a stand...

. He joined comedians Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey
Broderick Steven "Steve" Harvey is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, and radio personality. He is probably best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy...

, Cedric the Entertainer
Cedric the Entertainer
Cedric Antonio Kyles , best known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known as the co-star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, as Eddie in the Barbershop films, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The...

, and D.L. Hughley as The Original Kings of Comedy
The Original Kings of Comedy
The Original Kings of Comedy is a 2000 stand-up comedy film, directed by Spike Lee, and featuring the comedy routines of Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Bernie Mac. Filmed in front of an audience in Charlotte, North Carolina, the comedians give the audience their views about...

.

After briefly hosting the HBO show Midnight Mac, Mac appeared in several films in smaller roles. His most noted film role was as Frank Catton in the remake Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven (2001 film)
Ocean's Eleven is a 2001 remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film of the same name. The 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an ensemble cast. The film was a success at the box office and with critics. Soderbergh directed two sequels, Ocean's Twelve in 2004 and Ocean's Thirteen in...

and the titular character of Mr. 3000
Mr. 3000
Mr. 3000 is a 2004 Touchstone Pictures/Dimension Films/Spyglass Entertainment/The Kennedy/Marshall Company film starring Bernie Mac and Angela Bassett.-Plot:Stan Ross was a Milwaukee Brewers baseball star...

.
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Encyclopedia
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008), better known by his stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

 Bernie Mac, was an American actor
Actor
An actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain members of an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...

. Born and raised on the South Side
South Side (Chicago)
The South Side is a major part of the City of Chicago, which is located in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Much of it has evolved from the city's incorporation of independent townships, such as Hyde Park Township which voted along with several other townships to be annexed in the June 29,...

 of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...

, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a style of comedy where a comedian performs for a live audience, usually speaking directly to them. It is usually performed by a single comedian with the aid of a microphone, either hand-held or mounted on a stand...

. He joined comedians Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey
Broderick Steven "Steve" Harvey is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, and radio personality. He is probably best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy...

, Cedric the Entertainer
Cedric the Entertainer
Cedric Antonio Kyles , best known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known as the co-star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, as Eddie in the Barbershop films, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The...

, and D.L. Hughley as The Original Kings of Comedy
The Original Kings of Comedy
The Original Kings of Comedy is a 2000 stand-up comedy film, directed by Spike Lee, and featuring the comedy routines of Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Bernie Mac. Filmed in front of an audience in Charlotte, North Carolina, the comedians give the audience their views about...

.

After briefly hosting the HBO show Midnight Mac, Mac appeared in several films in smaller roles. His most noted film role was as Frank Catton in the remake Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven (2001 film)
Ocean's Eleven is a 2001 remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film of the same name. The 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an ensemble cast. The film was a success at the box office and with critics. Soderbergh directed two sequels, Ocean's Twelve in 2004 and Ocean's Thirteen in...

and the titular character of Mr. 3000
Mr. 3000
Mr. 3000 is a 2004 Touchstone Pictures/Dimension Films/Spyglass Entertainment/The Kennedy/Marshall Company film starring Bernie Mac and Angela Bassett.-Plot:Stan Ross was a Milwaukee Brewers baseball star...

. He was the star of The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. Towards the end of the series, Bryana's long-lost father returns and drops by from time to time to help Bernie and Wanda with the kids...

, which ran from 2001-2006, earning him two Emmy Award
Emmy Award
The Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...

 nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. His other films included starring roles in Booty Call, Friday
Friday (film)
Friday is a 1995 dramatic comedy-buddy film directed by F. Gary Gray. Starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Bernie Mac, Tommy Lister, Jr...

, The Players Club
The Players Club
For the New York actor's club, see Players Club.The Players Club is a 1998 comedy/drama film from New Line Cinema starring Bernie Mac, LisaRaye McCoy, and Jamie Foxx. Ice Cube, who has a small role in the film, wrote and made his directorial debut. The movie made over $18 million in the opening week...

, Head of State
Head of State (film)
Head of State is a 2003 comedy movie directed, written by, and starring Chris Rock and also co-starring Bernie Mac.-Plot:Mays Gilliam is an alderman of the 9th Ward in the Washington D.C. area...

, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a action-comedy film. It is the sequel to the film, Charlie's Angels. It opened in the United States on June 27, 2003, and was number one at the box office for that weekend and made a worldwide total of more than $259 million.-Plot:The Angels are hired to...

, Bad Santa
Bad Santa
Bad Santa is a 2003 comedy film directed by Terry Zwigoff, produced by Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star...

, Guess Who
Guess Who (film)
Guess Who is a 2005 American comedy film about race relations, directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. It is a loose remake of the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, in the form of a romantic comedy. The films stars Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher...

, Pride
Pride (2007 film)
Pride is a biopic drama feature film released by Lionsgate Entertainment on March 23, 2007 . Loosely based upon the true story of Philadelphia swim coach James "Jim" Ellis, Pride stars Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, and Kimberly Elise, and was directed by Sunu Gonera.Pride is a film that depicts...

, Soul Men
Soul Men (film)
Soul Men is a 2008 American music-comedy-drama film directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Matthew Stone and Rob Ramsey. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Sharon Leal, Isaac Hayes and John Legend. It was released on November 7, 2008....

, and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

Mac suffered from sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis , also called sarcoid or Besnier-Boeck disease, is a multisystem granulomatous inflammatory disease characterized by non-caseating granulomas . The cause of the disease is still unknown...

, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the solid organs, but had said the condition was in remission in 2005. Despite having the disease, his death on August 9, 2008 was caused by complications from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the lung. Frequently, it is described as lung parenchyma/alveolar inflammation and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid ....

.

Early life


Mac was born in Chicago where he was raised by a single mother, Mary, who died of cancer when he was 16. He put on shows for neighborhood kids on Chicago's South Side and eventually he moved to Tampa, Florida. During his 20s he worked in a variety of jobs, including furniture mover, and a UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , commonly referred to as UPS, is the world's largest package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the world...

 agent.

Career


Mac started as a stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a style of comedy where a comedian performs for a live audience, usually speaking directly to them. It is usually performed by a single comedian with the aid of a microphone, either hand-held or mounted on a stand...

 in Chicago's Cotton Club. After he won the Miller Lite Comedy Search
Miller Lite Comedy Search
The Miller Lite Comedy Search Contest a nationally known contest which identifies up-and-coming comedians in the Chicago metropolitan area as well as nationwide. Even though the contest is not limited to African-American contestants, the vast majority of those who have competed have been...

 at the age of 32, his popularity as a comedian began to grow. A performance on HBO
Home Box Office
HBO is a premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner, offers two 24/7 pay television services to over 38 million U.S...

's Def Comedy Jam
Def Comedy Jam
Def Comedy Jam is a HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons. The series had its original run from July 1, 1992 to January 1, 1997. The show has returned on HBO's fall lineup in 2006. Def Comedy Jam helped to launch the careers of several African-American stand-up comedians.- Some...

thrust him into the spotlight. He opened for Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress, activist, United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, former United States Ambassador of Health, and humanitarian. She is best known for her partnership with songwriters and producers Burt Bacharach and Hal David...

, Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx , born John Elroy Sanford, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life and career:...

 and Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole is an American singer, songwriter and performer. She achieved success in her early career as an R&B star, but smoothly changed her repertoire toward a more pop and jazz oriented musical style in the early 1990s...

. He also had a short-lived talk show on HBO titled Midnight Mac. Later, Mac also acted in minor roles and got his big break as "Pastor Clever" in Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper, actor, screenwriter, and producer.He began his career as a member of the rap group N.W.A along with group leader Eazy-E, and later launched a successful solo career in music and cinema. In 1992, he married Kimberly...

's 1995 film Friday
Friday (film)
Friday is a 1995 dramatic comedy-buddy film directed by F. Gary Gray. Starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Bernie Mac, Tommy Lister, Jr...

. Following that role, Mac also worked in many other films and had some television appearances in titles including, Booty Call
Booty Call
Booty Call is a 1997 comedy film, written by J. Stanford Parker and Takashi Bufford, and directed by Jeff Pollack. The film stars Jamie Foxx , Tommy Davidson, Tamala Jones, and Vivica A...

, How to Be a Player
How to Be a Player
Def Jam's How to Be a Player is a 1997 comedy film, starring Bill Bellamy, Natalie Desselle and Bernie Mac. The film was directed by Lionel C. Martin, and written by Mark Brown and Demetria Johnson...

, Life
Life (film)
Life is a 1999 drama-comedy film starring Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence and Obba Babatundé. The film was directed by Ted Demme. Others in the cast include Bernie Mac, Anthony Anderson, Miguel A. Núñez Jr...

and What's the Worst That Could Happen?
What's the Worst That Could Happen?
What's the Worst That Could Happen? is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and starring Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito. Loosely based on the book of the same name by Donald Westlake, the film's supporting cast includes John Leguizamo, Bernie Mac, Larry Miller, Nora Dunn, GQ, and...

. Mac was one of the few African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...

 comedic actors able to break from the traditional "black comedy" genre, having roles in the 2001 remake of Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven (2001 film)
Ocean's Eleven is a 2001 remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film of the same name. The 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an ensemble cast. The film was a success at the box office and with critics. Soderbergh directed two sequels, Ocean's Twelve in 2004 and Ocean's Thirteen in...

and becoming the new Bosley
Bosley
Bosley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 406. The village is on the A523 road about six miles south of Macclesfield...

 for the Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels (film)
Charlie's Angels is a American action comedy film, co-produced Tall Trees Productions and Flower Films, distributed by Columbia Pictures, and directed by McG. The film is based on the same-titled television series from the late 1970s, which was adapted by screenwriters Ryan Rowe, Ed Solomon and...

sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a action-comedy film. It is the sequel to the film, Charlie's Angels. It opened in the United States on June 27, 2003, and was number one at the box office for that weekend and made a worldwide total of more than $259 million.-Plot:The Angels are hired to...

. In 2003, he gave an impressive performance in a supporting role as the villain "Gin Slagel, The Store Dick" in Bad Santa
Bad Santa
Bad Santa is a 2003 comedy film directed by Terry Zwigoff, produced by Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star...

. He also starred in Guess Who?
Guess Who (film)
Guess Who is a 2005 American comedy film about race relations, directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. It is a loose remake of the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, in the form of a romantic comedy. The films stars Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher...

, a comedic remake of the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a drama film starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn, and featuring Hepburn's niece Katharine Houghton. It was produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, and written by William Rose...

, and made an appearance in the 2007 film Transformers as the car salesman "Bobby Bolivia." He served as the voice of Zuba in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

In 2001, Fox gave Mac his own semi-autobiographical sitcom called The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. Towards the end of the series, Bryana's long-lost father returns and drops by from time to time to help Bernie and Wanda with the kids...

portraying a fictional version of himself
Bernie McCullough
Bernie "Mac" McCullough is a character loosely based on comic actor Bernie Mac from the Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show which ran from 2001-2006.-Character Biography:...

. In the show, he suddenly becomes custodian of his sister's three children after she enters rehab. It was a success, in part because it allowed Mac to stay true to his stand-up comedy roots, breaking the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. The term also applies to the boundary between any fictional setting and its audience...

 to communicate his thoughts to the audience. The show contained many parodies of events in Bernie's actual life. It was not renewed after the 2006 season. Viewers were left without a conclusion for the series, and no ending to the storyline of Bernie and Wanda trying to have a baby. Among other awards, the show won an Emmy for ‘Outstanding Writing’, the Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards are annual, international awards for excellence in radio and television broadcasting. First awarded in 1941 for programs from the previous year, they are one of the oldest honors in electronic media...

 for excellence in broadcasting, and last but not least, the Humanitas Prize for television writing that promotes human dignity. His character on The Bernie Mac Show was ranked #47 in TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a North American weekly magazine about television programming.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews. Some issues have also featured horoscope listings and crossword puzzles.-Annenberg/Triangle era: The...

list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time".

In 2004, Bernie Mac had his first starring role as a retired baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...

 player in the film Mr. 3000
Mr. 3000
Mr. 3000 is a 2004 Touchstone Pictures/Dimension Films/Spyglass Entertainment/The Kennedy/Marshall Company film starring Bernie Mac and Angela Bassett.-Plot:Stan Ross was a Milwaukee Brewers baseball star...

. In the 2003 National League Championship Series
2003 National League Championship Series
The National League Championship Series was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 7 to October 15 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion Chicago Cubs and the wild-card qualifying Florida Marlins. The Cubs, by virtue of being a...

, Mac sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...

 with the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago , the Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the...

 leading the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Florida Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

 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 lost the game and the series, with some fans claiming that Mac helped jinx
Jinx
A jinx, in popular superstition and folklore, is:* A sort of curse placed on a person that makes them prey to large numbers of minor misfortunes and other forms of bad luck;...

 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
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

, and was seen during the White Sox' 2005 World Series
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros 4 games to 0 in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home field advantage...

 victory at U.S. Cellular Field
U.S. Cellular Field
U.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park...

.
He was number 72 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time. On March 19, 2007, Mac told David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman...

 on the CBS Late Show
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and bandleader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra,...

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. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977."

Death


Mac died early in the morning on August 9, 2008 of complications due to pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the lung. Frequently, it is described as lung parenchyma/alveolar inflammation and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid ....

, his publicist said. He was 50 years old (two months away from his 51st birthday). Mac had been hospitalized for about a week at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to his spokeswoman. A few years before, Mac disclosed that he suffered from sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis , also called sarcoid or Besnier-Boeck disease, is a multisystem granulomatous inflammatory disease characterized by non-caseating granulomas . The cause of the disease is still unknown...

, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in tissue, most often in the lungs.

Mac's public funeral was held on a week later at the House of Hope church in his hometown of Chicago with over 7,000 people in attendance. Notable mourners were Jeremy Suarez
Jeremy Suarez
Jeremy Steven Suarez is an American actor perhaps best known for his starring role of Jordan Thomkins, Bernie Mac's nephew, on The Bernie Mac Show. His first major movie role was in the 1996 film, Jerry Maguire, in which he played Tyson Tidwell, son of Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character Rod Tidwell...

 who played his nerdy nephew "Jordan" on The Bernie Mac Show, Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted by Comedy Central as the fifth greatest stand-up comedian of all time....

, Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley
Richard M. Daley
Richard Michael Daley is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party and current Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007...

, Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor. After Jackson became involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then, films. He had several small roles, before meeting his mentor, Morgan Freeman, and the director Spike Lee...

, his fellow Ocean's Eleven comrade Don Cheadle
Don Cheadle
Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle is an American actor, film producer, philanthropist, and author. Cheadle rose to prominence for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...

, the other cast members from his series and his fellow Kings of Comedy: D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer
Cedric the Entertainer
Cedric Antonio Kyles , best known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known as the co-star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, as Eddie in the Barbershop films, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The...

, and Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey
Broderick Steven "Steve" Harvey is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, and radio personality. He is probably best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy...

. His ashes are buried at Washington Memory Gardens Cemetery in Homewood, Illinois
Homewood, Illinois
Homewood is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,543 at the 2000 census.- Geography :According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.3 square miles , of which, 5.2 square miles of it is land and 0.1 square miles of...

.

Just prior to his death, Mac had finished working on the film Soul Men
Soul Men (film)
Soul Men is a 2008 American music-comedy-drama film directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Matthew Stone and Rob Ramsey. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Sharon Leal, Isaac Hayes and John Legend. It was released on November 7, 2008....

with Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor. After Jackson became involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then, films. He had several small roles, before meeting his mentor, Morgan Freeman, and the director Spike Lee...

 and singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American singer-songwriter, actor and musician. Hayes was one of the main creative forces behind southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served as both an in-house songwriter and producer with partner David Porter during the mid-1960s...

, the latter of whom died the following day of a stroke. He was also working on the films Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Old Dogs
Old Dogs (film)
Old Dogs is an upcoming American comedy film directed by Wild Hogs Walt Becker and starring John Travolta and Robin Williams with supporting roles played by Kelly Preston, Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Seth Green, Rita Wilson, Dax Shepard and Bernie Mac. It is set to be released on November 25, 2009...

; both were dedicated to his memory. The 2008 Bud Billiken Parade, held in Chicago on the day he died, was also dedicated to his memory. On the day of his funeral, his hometown's local TV station WCIU-TV
WCIU-TV
WCIU-TV is an independent television station, located in Chicago, Illinois. It operates on UHF digital channel 27 and is Chicago's oldest UHF station, signing on the air in 1964. WCIU-TV is the flagship station of Weigel Broadcasting, a locally-based broadcaster which has owned the station...

 aired an exclusive TV special, "Tribute to Bernie Mac", and had interviews with former colleagues such as Camille Winbush
Camille Winbush
Camille Winbush is an American actress. Her work in television has earned her three Image Awards and a Young Artist Award.-Biography:...

, Tommy Davidson
Tommy Davidson
Tommy Davidson is an American comedian, film and television actor.Born in Washington, D.C., Davidson was adopted when he was 2-years-old. He is the product of an interracial adoption, with his parents being white and he being black. He attended high school at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, in...

, Guy Torry
Guy Torry
Robert Guy Torry is an African-American actor and comedian.-Early life:Guy Torry was born and raised along with his brother, actor and comedian Joe Torry, in St. Louis, Missouri. Guy is the 5th child out of 6 children by his parents Robert & Rebecca Torry. He attended Southeast Missouri State...

 and some of his close family members and friends.

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1992 Mo' Money
Mo' Money
Mo' Money is a 1992 romantic-crime-dramedy film, starring Damon Wayans, Marlon Wayans and Stacey Dash, and directed by Peter MacDonald. The screenplay was also written by Damon Wayans.-Synopsis:...

Club doorman
1993 Who's the Man?
Who's the Man?
Who's the Man? is a 1993 comedy film, directed by Ted Demme. The film stars Yo! MTV Raps hosts Doctor Dré and Ed Lover as its two main protagonists...

G-George
1994 Above the Rim
Above the Rim
Above the Rim is a 1994 drama film, directed by Jeff Pollack. The screenplay was written by Pollack and journalist-turned-screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper , from a story by Pollack and Benny Medina....

Flip
House Party 3
House Party 3
House Party 3 is a 1994 comedy film, starring Kid 'n Play and Bernie Mac. It is the third installment of the House Party film series, and the last film in the series to feature Kid 'n Play.-Plot:...

Uncle Vester
1995 Friday
Friday (film)
Friday is a 1995 dramatic comedy-buddy film directed by F. Gary Gray. Starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Bernie Mac, Tommy Lister, Jr...

Pastor Clever
1996 Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood is a 1996 hood film/comedy film. Similar to the Wayans' previous effort I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, the film spoofs a number of black, coming-of-age, 'hood films' such as Juice, Jungle Fever, South Central, Higher Learning, Do...

Officer Self Hatred
Get on the Bus
Get on the Bus
Get on the Bus is a 1996 film about a group of African-American men who are taking a cross-country bus trip in order to participate in the Million Man March. The film was directed by Spike Lee and premiered on the one-year anniversary of the march....

Jay
1997 B*A*P*S
B*A*P*S
B*A*P*S is a 1997 comedy film written by Troy Beyer, directed by Robert Townsend, and starring Halle Berry and Martin Landau.-Plot:Nisi and Mickey have dreams of opening the world's first combination hair salon/soul food restaurant...

Mr. Johnson
Booty Call
Booty Call
Booty Call is a 1997 comedy film, written by J. Stanford Parker and Takashi Bufford, and directed by Jeff Pollack. The film stars Jamie Foxx , Tommy Davidson, Tamala Jones, and Vivica A...

Judge Peabody
How to Be a Player
How to Be a Player
Def Jam's How to Be a Player is a 1997 comedy film, starring Bill Bellamy, Natalie Desselle and Bernie Mac. The film was directed by Lionel C. Martin, and written by Mark Brown and Demetria Johnson...

Buster
1998 The Players Club
The Players Club
For the New York actor's club, see Players Club.The Players Club is a 1998 comedy/drama film from New Line Cinema starring Bernie Mac, LisaRaye McCoy, and Jamie Foxx. Ice Cube, who has a small role in the film, wrote and made his directorial debut. The movie made over $18 million in the opening week...

Dollar Bill
1999 Life
Life (film)
Life is a 1999 drama-comedy film starring Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence and Obba Babatundé. The film was directed by Ted Demme. Others in the cast include Bernie Mac, Anthony Anderson, Miguel A. Núñez Jr...

Jangle Leg
2000 The Original Kings of Comedy
The Original Kings of Comedy
The Original Kings of Comedy is a 2000 stand-up comedy film, directed by Spike Lee, and featuring the comedy routines of Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Bernie Mac. Filmed in front of an audience in Charlotte, North Carolina, the comedians give the audience their views about...

Himself
2001 Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven (2001 film)
Ocean's Eleven is a 2001 remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film of the same name. The 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an ensemble cast. The film was a success at the box office and with critics. Soderbergh directed two sequels, Ocean's Twelve in 2004 and Ocean's Thirteen in...

Frank Catton
What's the Worst That Could Happen?
What's the Worst That Could Happen?
What's the Worst That Could Happen? is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and starring Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito. Loosely based on the book of the same name by Donald Westlake, the film's supporting cast includes John Leguizamo, Bernie Mac, Larry Miller, Nora Dunn, GQ, and...

Uncle Jack
2003 Bad Santa
Bad Santa
Bad Santa is a 2003 comedy film directed by Terry Zwigoff, produced by Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star...

Gin Slagel
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a action-comedy film. It is the sequel to the film, Charlie's Angels. It opened in the United States on June 27, 2003, and was number one at the box office for that weekend and made a worldwide total of more than $259 million.-Plot:The Angels are hired to...

Jimmy Bosley
Head of State
Head of State (film)
Head of State is a 2003 comedy movie directed, written by, and starring Chris Rock and also co-starring Bernie Mac.-Plot:Mays Gilliam is an alderman of the 9th Ward in the Washington D.C. area...

Mitch Gilliam
2004 Mr. 3000
Mr. 3000
Mr. 3000 is a 2004 Touchstone Pictures/Dimension Films/Spyglass Entertainment/The Kennedy/Marshall Company film starring Bernie Mac and Angela Bassett.-Plot:Stan Ross was a Milwaukee Brewers baseball star...

Stan Ross
Ocean's Twelve
Ocean's Twelve
Ocean's Twelve is a 2004 heist film that takes place after the events of Ocean's Eleven , which was a remake of the 1960 film of the same name. Like its predecessor, the film is directed by Steven Soderbergh and used a celebrity ensemble cast. The film was released in the United States on December...

Frank Catton
2005 Guess Who
Guess Who (film)
Guess Who is a 2005 American comedy film about race relations, directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. It is a loose remake of the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, in the form of a romantic comedy. The films stars Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher...

Percy Jones
2007 Ocean's Thirteen
Ocean's Thirteen
Ocean's Thirteen is a 2007 heist film directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring an ensemble cast. It is the third in the Soderbergh series following the 2004 sequel Ocean's Twelve and the 2001 film Ocean's Eleven, which itself was a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack film of the same name...

Frank Catton
Pride
Pride (2007 film)
Pride is a biopic drama feature film released by Lionsgate Entertainment on March 23, 2007 . Loosely based upon the true story of Philadelphia swim coach James "Jim" Ellis, Pride stars Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, and Kimberly Elise, and was directed by Sunu Gonera.Pride is a film that depicts...

Elston
Transformers Bobby Bolivia
2008 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Zuba Released posthumously
Soul Men
Soul Men (film)
Soul Men is a 2008 American music-comedy-drama film directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Matthew Stone and Rob Ramsey. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Sharon Leal, Isaac Hayes and John Legend. It was released on November 7, 2008....

Floyd Released posthumously
2009 Old Dogs
Old Dogs (film)
Old Dogs is an upcoming American comedy film directed by Wild Hogs Walt Becker and starring John Travolta and Robin Williams with supporting roles played by Kelly Preston, Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Seth Green, Rita Wilson, Dax Shepard and Bernie Mac. It is set to be released on November 25, 2009...

Jimmy Lunchbox Released posthumously
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1996-2000 Moesha
Moesha
Moesha is an American situation comedy/drama series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in Los Angeles.-Overview:...

Uncle Bernie 11 episodes
2001-2006 The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. Towards the end of the series, Bryana's long-lost father returns and drops by from time to time to help Bernie and Wanda with the kids...

Bernie McCullough
Bernie McCullough
Bernie "Mac" McCullough is a character loosely based on comic actor Bernie Mac from the Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show which ran from 2001-2006.-Character Biography:...

103 episodes
2003 King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997 to September 13, 2009 on Fox. It centers on the Hills, a small-town Methodist family in Arlen, Texas...

Mack (Voice) 1 episode

Awards and nominations

Year Award Result Category Film or series
2005 Black Reel Awards
Black Reel Awards
The Black Reel Awards began in 2000 and were designed to annually recognize and celebrate the achievements of black people in feature, independent and television films...

Won Best Actor, Musical or Comedy Mr. 3000
2002 Emmy Award Nominated Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show
2003 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show
2003 Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in motion pictures and television...

Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy The Bernie Mac Show
2004 Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy The Bernie Mac Show
2002 NAACP Image Awards Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series:-Stats:*Most Wins**Bernie Mac & Steve Harvey- 4 wins*Most Nominations**1. Bernie Mac- 6 nominations, 4 wins...

The Bernie Mac Show
2003 Won Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show
2004 Nominated Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
-Stats:*Most Wins**Morgan Freeman- 4 wins*Most Nominations**1. Morgan Freeman, Don Cheadle- 5 nominations , **2. Charles S. Dutton- 4 nominations **3...

Head of State
Won Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show
2005 Won Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show
2006 Won Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show
2007 Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show
2003 PRISM Award Won Performance in a Comedy Series The Bernie Mac Show
2003 Satellite Award Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical The Bernie Mac Show
2004 Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical The Bernie Mac Show
2005 Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical The Bernie Mac Show
2002 Television Critics Association Award Won Individual Achievement in Comedy The Bernie Mac Show

External links