After briefly hosting theHBO showMidnight Mac, Mac appeared in several films in smaller roles. His most noted film roles were as Frank Catton in theOcean's film series from 2001 through 2007 and as the title character ofMr. 3000. He was the star ofThe Bernie Mac Show, which ran from 2001 through 2006, earning him twoEmmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough was born on October 5, 1957 inChicago, 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 atChicago Vocational High School. During 1973, Mac moved toTampa, Florida, to attendJesuit 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. Mac later returned to Chicago and graduated from Chicago Vocational in 1975.[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, andUPS agent, while doing comedy on the weekends at clubs and parties.[5]
Mac's influences were fromThe Three Stooges and listening to stand-up comediansRichard Pryor andRedd Foxx. Mac started as a stand-up comedian in Chicago's Cotton Club. After he won theMiller Lite Comedy Search at the age of 32, his popularity as a comedian began to grow. In 1992, a performance on the 3rd episode ofHBO'sDef Comedy Jam thrust him into the spotlight; afterMartin 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 show contained many parodies of events in Bernie's actual life. Mac, who grew up on Chicago's South Side, was a fan of theChicago White Sox, and would often sneak a reference to his favorite team in episodes, including enlisting then-White Sox pitcherJon Garland to make a guest cameo appearance. In the 2005 season he wore a White Sox jacket and cap, and congratulated his hometownChicago White Sox and their staff members on their recent World Series championship.
The show was not renewed after the 2005–2006 season. The series finale aired on April 14, 2006. Among other awards, the show won anEmmy[8] for "Outstanding Writing", thePeabody Award for excellence in broadcasting, and theHumanitas Prize for television writing that promotes human dignity.[9] His character onThe Bernie Mac Show was ranked No. 47 inTV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time".[10]
On March 19, 2007, Mac toldDavid Letterman on the CBSLate 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. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977 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 2007 filmTransformers as the car salesman "Bobby Bolivia", and serving as the voice of Zuba, Alex the Lion's long-lost father inMadagascar: Escape 2 Africa. He co-starred withSamuel L. Jackson in the 2008 musical comedySoul Men. These last two movies were released months after his death. His final film role was as Jimmy Lunchbox in the 2009 filmOld Dogs which was released a year after his death.
In the last 20 years of his life, Mac publicly disclosed that he had severesarcoidosis, a disease of unknown origin that causes inflammation in tissue.[14] On July 19, 2008, Mac was admitted to theNorthwestern Memorial Hospital in his hometown ofChicago.[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 50. However, the complications were not attributed to his sarcoidosis, according to his publicist.[16]Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa andSoul Men were released posthumously and dedicated to his memory.
The first two of Mac's posthumous films,Soul Men andMadagascar: 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; it too was dedicated in part to Mac. The 2008Bud 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 stationWCIU-TV aired an exclusive television special,A Tribute to Bernie Mac, and had interviews with his former colleagues includingCamille Winbush,Chris Rock,Joe Torry,Cameron Diaz,Don Cheadle, and some of his family members & close friends.
DuringSteve Harvey's television show which aired November 14, 2016, Harvey read a proclamation from Chicago's MayorRahm 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'sThe Original Kings of Comedy co-starsD. L. Hughley,Cedric the Entertainer, andGuy 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 materChicago Vocational High School (CVS), revealed and unveiled the renaming of CVS Auditorium to the "Bernie Mac Auditorium".[19]
On February 14, 2017,Rolling Stone named Bernie Mac #41 of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time.[20]
