Norm Macdonald | |
|---|---|
 Macdonald in 2009 | |
| Born | Norman Gene Macdonald (1959-10-17)October 17, 1959 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | September 14, 2021(2021-09-14) (aged 61) Duarte, California, U.S. |
| Education | Carleton University Algonquin College |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives |
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| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1985–2021 |
| Medium |
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| Genres | |
Norman Gene Macdonald[i] (October 17, 1959[ii] – September 14, 2021) was a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and writer whose style was characterized bydeadpan delivery, eccentric understatement, and the use of folksy, old-fashioned turns of phrase.[1][2][3] He appeared in numerous films and was a frequent guest on late-night talk shows, where he developed a reputation for his chaotic yet understated comedic style.[4] His appearances onConan O'Brien's programs were especially well-received, andDavid Letterman described him as "the best" stand-up comedian.[5][6]
Earlier in his career, Macdonald's first work on television included writing for comedies such asRoseanne andThe Dennis Miller Show. In 1993, Macdonald was hired as a writer and cast member onSaturday Night Live (SNL), spending a total of five seasons on the series, which included anchoring the show'sWeekend Update segment for three and a half seasons.[7] He was removed as host ofSNL'sWeekend Update in 1998, allegedly for relentlessly mockingO. J. Simpson duringhis murder trial, offending producerDon Ohlmeyer, who was a close friend of Simpson.[8][9] After being fired fromSNL, he wrote and starred in the 1998 filmDirty Work and headlined his own sitcom,The Norm Show, from 1999 to 2001. Macdonald was also a voice actor, and provided voice acting roles forFamily Guy,The Fairly OddParents,Mike Tyson Mysteries,The Orville, and theDr. Dolittle films.
Between 2013 and 2018, Macdonald hosted the talk showsNorm Macdonald Live (avideo podcast) andNorm Macdonald Has a Show (aNetflix series), on which he interviewed comedians and other celebrities. In 2016, he authoredBased on a True Story, a novel that presented a heavily fictionalized account of his life.[10] Macdonald died ofleukemia in September 2021, a condition he had not publicly disclosed.[11]
Norman Gene Macdonald was born on October 17, 1959, inQuebec City, Quebec.[12][13][14][15] His parents, Ferne (née Mains) and Percy Lloyd Macdonald (1916–1990),[16] were bothAnglophone teachers[13] who came from Glengarry County in Eastern Ontario. Norm and his brother Neil spent their summers on the family farm between Avonmore and Monkland, Ontario.[17] Their parents worked atCFB Valcartier, a military base north of Quebec City. As a child, his father would not let him learn French, as he wanted the family to speak English.[18][19] Macdonald's father died in 1990 ofheart disease.[13] Macdonald described himself as being "half-Scottish and half-Irish".[20]
He attendedQuebec High School[21] before his family moved toOttawa, Ontario. In Ottawa, Macdonald attendedGloucester High School. After high school he enrolled atCarleton University, where he studied mathematics and philosophy before dropping out.[22][23] Macdonald was later also briefly enrolled inAlgonquin College's programs for journalism and broadcasting-television, following his elder brotherNeil Macdonald's footsteps. In between periods of school and before starting in comedy, he worked a variety of manual labour jobs, including as achokerman for a logging company.[24][25][26]
Macdonald's first performances in comedy were at stand-up clubs inOttawa, regularly appearing on amateur nights atYuk Yuk's in 1985. Not appreciating how well his first performance at the club had gone, he bolted out, saying he would never do it again. The club's owner, Howard Wagman, had to persuade him to come back for more. Eventually his confidence grew.[27] Six months later he performed at the 1986Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, and he was heralded by theMontreal Gazette as "one of this country's hottest comics".[28][27] A number of sources reported he recovered from stomach cancer in 1986.[29]
In August 1989, 29-year-old Macdonald made his U.S.networktelevision debut by appearing onThe Pat Sajak Show. Over the following seven months, he would go on to make five more appearances on the show. By 1990, he performed as a contestant onStar Search.[30] He also appeared onLate Night with David Letterman in May 1990, and the host became a huge fan, saying: "If we could have, we would have had Norm on every week".[27] In 1992, Macdonald served as a writer for the only season ofThe Dennis Miller Show, working on a staff that also includedBarry Crimmins,Nick Bakay,John Riggi,Eddie Feldmann, andMark Brazill.[31] He was hired as a writer for television sitcomRoseanne for the1992–93 season before quitting to joinSaturday Night Live.[32][33]
Macdonald joined the cast ofNBC'sSaturday Night Live (SNL) television program in 1993, where he performed impressions ofLarry King,Burt Reynolds,David Letterman,Quentin Tarantino,Clint Eastwood,Charles Kuralt, andBob Dole, among others. The following year, during the show'stwentieth season, Macdonald began anchoring the news satire segmentWeekend Update.[34][27]
His version ofWeekend Update often includedrunning jokes aboutprison rape, "crack whores", and the success of American actor-singerDavid Hasselhoff in Germany. Macdonald would occasionally deliver a piece of news before taking out his personal compacttape recorder and leaving a "note to self" relevant to what he just discussed. He commonly used actor-singerFrank Stallone as anon-sequiturpunchline and absurdly blamed him for such events astoxic waste or high unemployment rates.[35] Frank Stallone took no offence, later stating: "He wasn't really attacking me, it was just randomly thrown in there".[36] Nonetheless, Macdonald stopped the Frank Stallone jokes after a 1997 request fromSylvester Stallone, Frank's brother, who was guest host forSNL.[36]
On theWeekend Update aired on February 24, 1996, Macdonald joked aboutJohn Lotter's sentencing for the murders ofBrandon Teena and two others:[37]
And finally, in Falls City, Nebraska, John Lotter has been sentenced to death for attempting to kill three people in what prosecutors called a plot to silence a cross-dressing female who had accused him of rape. Now, this might strike some viewers as harsh, but I believe everyone involved in this story should die.
The comments were met with sharp criticism from activist groups, includingThe Transexual Menace, who threatened to picketSNL.[38] Upon reviewing the show, NBC agreed the line was inappropriate and should not have aired, and said it would ensure that similar incidents would not happen in the future.[39]
After the announcement thatMichael Jackson andLisa Marie Presley planned to divorce, Macdonald joked about their irreconcilable differences onWeekend Update. "According to friends, the two were never a good match. She's more of a stay-at-home type, and he's more of a homosexual pedophile."[40] He followed this up a few episodes later with a report about the singer's collapse and hospitalization. Referring to a report that Jackson had decorated his hospital room with giant photographs ofShirley Temple, Macdonald added: "But don't get any ideas: Michael Jackson is ahomosexual pedophile."[41]
In early 1998,Don Ohlmeyer, president of NBC's West Coast division, had Macdonald removed asWeekend Update anchor, citing a decline in ratings and a drop-off in quality. He was replaced byColin Quinn at theWeekend Update desk beginning on the January 10, 1998, episode.[42]
Macdonald believed at the time that the true reason for his dismissal was his series ofO. J. Simpson jokes during and after thetrial, in which he frequently called him a murderer; Ohlmeyer was a good friend of Simpson and supported him during the proceedings.[8] After being removed from the role, Macdonald went onCBS'Late Show with David Letterman andHoward Stern'ssyndicated radio show. In both appearances, the hosts accused Ohlmeyer of firing him for making jokes about Simpson.[8] The jokes were written primarily by Macdonald and longtimeSNL writerJim Downey, who was fired fromSNL at the same time. Downey pointed out in an interview that Ohlmeyer threw a party for the jurors who acquitted Simpson.[9]
Ohlmeyer claimed that Macdonald was mistaken, pointing out he had not censoredJay Leno's many jokes about Simpson onThe Tonight Show.[8] Ohlmeyer stated he was concerned that ratings research showed people turning away from the program during Macdonald's segment; likewise, network insiders told theNew YorkDaily News that Ohlmeyer and other executives had tried several times to get Macdonald to try a different approach onUpdate.[43]
Macdonald remained onSNL as a cast member, but he disliked performing in regular sketches. On February 28, 1998, in one of his last appearances onSNL, he played the host of a fictitious TV series titledWho's More Grizzled?,[44] who asked questions from "mountain men", played by that night's hostGarth Brooks and special guestRobert Duvall. In the sketch, Brooks' character says to Macdonald's character, "I don't much care for you," to which Macdonald replies, "A lot of people don't." He was dismissed shortly thereafter.[45]
The situation re-ignited in early June 1998 when Ohlmeyer prevented NBC from airing advertisements fromMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer for Macdonald's new filmDirty Work out of retaliation for what he saw as Macdonald's disparagingSNL and NBC with Letterman and Stern.[8]Robert Wright, Ohlmeyer's boss, later overturned the decision not to show ads for the movie on NBC, but did leave in place the ban on playing it duringSNL.[46] Macdonald continued to insist that he did not personally dislike Ohlmeyer but that Ohlmeyer hated him.[46]
Macdonald complained to the New YorkDaily News about NBC's removal of advertising for his film, calling Ohlmeyer a "liar and a thug."[43] He claimed never to have badmouthedSNL or Michaels, who he felt had always supported him. Macdonald pointed out that he had only taken issue with Ohlmeyer, whereas the people taking shots at NBC andSNL were Letterman, who wanted Macdonald to come to CBS, and Stern, who wanted him to joinhis show oppositeSNL.[46] Macdonald also asserted that Ohlmeyer's influence had resulted in the cancellation of promotional appearances for his film onWNBC'sToday in New York, NBC'sLate Night with Conan O'Brien, and the syndicatedAccess Hollywood (a joint venture between20th Century Television and NBC).[43] The shows that Macdonald named denied being influenced by Ohlmeyer. Macdonald said Ohlmeyer was "about a thousand times more powerful than I am. It's difficult for anybody to take my side in this. This guy should get a life, man."[43]
Members of the media found irony in the situation, asDirty Work was promoted as a "revenge comedy." When an interviewer pointed this out, Macdonald said: "It would be good revenge if everybody went and saw this movie if they want to get revenge against Don Ohlmeyer for trying to ban my ads."[46] In aLate Show with David Letterman interview, Macdonald stated that after being dismissed from anchoringWeekend Update and leavingSNL, he could not "do anything else on any competing show."[47]
In later years, he came to the conclusion that Ohlmeyer had not removed him fromUpdate for his Simpson material; rather, he felt he was removed because he was seen as insubordinate: "I think the whole show was tired of me not taking marching orders.Lorne would hint at things... I'd do Michael Jackson jokes. And Lorne would say, 'do you really want a lawsuit from Michael Jackson?' And I'd say, 'Cool! That'd be fuckin' cool, Michael Jackson suing me!'"[48] Elsewhere, Macdonald would concede, "In all fairness to him, my Update was not an audience[-]pleasing, warm kind of thing. I did jokes that I knew weren't going to get bigger reactions. So I saw [Ohlmeyer's] point. Why would you want some dude who's not trying to please the audience?"[49]
Macdonald returned toSaturday Night Live to host the October 23, 1999, show. In his opening monologue, he expressed resentment at being fired fromWeekend Update, and then he concluded that the only reason he was asked to host was because "the show has gotten really bad" since he left.[50]
Soon after leavingSaturday Night Live, Macdonald co-wrote and starred in the "revenge comedy"Dirty Work (1998), directed byBob Saget, co-starringArtie Lange, and featuringChris Farley in his last film; the film was dedicated to his memory. Later that year, Macdonald voiced Lucky in theEddie Murphy adaptation ofDr. Dolittle. He reprised the role in bothDr. Dolittle 2 (2001) andDr. Dolittle 3 (2006).[51]
In 1999, Macdonald starred inThe Norm Show (later retitledNorm), co-starringLaurie Metcalf, Artie Lange, andIan Gomez. It ran for three seasons onABC. Earlier in 1999, he made an appearance in theAndy Kaufman biographical dramaMan on the Moon, directed byMiloš Forman. WhenMichael Richards refused to portray himself in the scene reenacting the famousFridaysincident in which Kaufman threw water in his face, Macdonald stepped in to play Richards, although he was not referred to by name. Macdonald also appeared in Forman's previous filmThe People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) as a reporter summoned to Flynt's mansion regarding secret tapes involving automakerJohn DeLorean.
In 2000, Macdonald played the starring role for the second time in a motion picture alongsideDave Chappelle,Screwed, which fared poorly at the box office.[52] He continued to make appearances on television shows and in films. Also, in 2000, Macdonald made his first appearance onFamily Guy, as the voice ofDeath. That role was later recast toAdam Carolla. On November 12, 2000, he appeared on the Celebrity Edition ofWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?, winning $500,000 forPaul Newman'sHole in the Wall Charity Camp, but could have won the million if he had ignored the advice of hostRegis Philbin.[53]
In 2003, Macdonald played the title character in theFox sitcomA Minute with Stan Hooper, which was cancelled after six episodes. In 2005, Macdonald signed a deal withComedy Central to create thesketch comedyBack to Norm, which debuted that May. The pilot, whosecold opening parodied the suicide ofR. Budd Dwyer, featured as a cast memberRob Schneider and never turned into a series. Later in 2005, Macdonald voiced agenie namedNorm on the Nickelodeon cartoon seriesThe Fairly OddParents.[54]
In 2006, Macdonald again performed as a voice actor, this time in a series of commercials for the Canadian mobile-services providerBell Mobility, as the voice ofFrank the Beaver.[55] The campaign was extended through 2008 to promote offerings from otherBell Canada divisions such as the Internet providerBell Sympatico and the satellite serviceBell Satellite TV.[56] In September 2006, Macdonald's sketch comedy albumRidiculous was released byComedy Central Records. It features appearances byWill Ferrell,Jon Lovitz,Tim Meadows,Molly Shannon, andArtie Lange. On the comedy websiteSuper Deluxe, he created an animated series entitledThe Fake News.[57] Macdonald filled in duringDennis Miller's weekly "Miller Time" segment onO'Reilly Factor, and guest-hostedMiller's radio show, on which he was briefly a weekly contributor.[citation needed]
Macdonald was a guest character onMy Name Is Earl in the episode "Two Balls, Two Strikes" (2007) as Lil Chubby, the son of "Chubby" (played byBurt Reynolds), similar to Macdonald's portrayals of Reynolds onSNL. On June 19, 2008, Macdonald was a celebrity panellist on two episodes of a revived version of the game showMatch Game.[58] On August 17, 2008, Macdonald was a participant in theComedy Central Roast of Bob Saget, performing intentionally cheesy and G-rated material that contrasted greatly with the raunchy performances of the other roasters.[59] In AT&T commercials around Christmas 2007 and 2008, Macdonaldvoiced agingerbread boy in a commercial forAT&T's GoPhone.[60]
In 2009, Macdonald andSam Simon pitched a fake reality show toFX calledThe Norm Macdonald Reality Show, where Macdonald would play a fictional, down-on-his-luck version of himself.[61] The show was picked up andGarry Shandling was added to the cast, but it was cancelled halfway through filming.[62][63] On the May 16, 2009, episode ofSaturday Night Live, Macdonald reappeared asBurt Reynolds onCelebrity Jeopardy!, and in another sketch.[citation needed] On May 31, 2009, he appeared onMillion Dollar Password.[64]
Macdonald became a frequent guest onThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien during its 2009 and 2010 run. He made frequent appearances on the Internet talk showTom Green's House Tonight, and on May 20, 2010, was guest host.[65]
In September 2010, Macdonald was developing a series for Comedy Central that he described as a sports version ofThe Daily Show.[66]Sports Show with Norm Macdonald premiered April 12, 2011.[67] Nine ordered episodes were broadcast. Macdonald's first stand-up special,Me Doing Stand-Up, aired on Comedy Central on March 26, 2011.[68] On February 26, 2011, he became a commentator and co-host (with Kara Scott) of the seventh season of the TV seriesHigh Stakes Poker onGame Show Network.[69]
Early in 2012, it was reported that Macdonald was developing a talk show forTBS titledNorm Macdonald is Trending, which would see Macdonald and a team of correspondents covering headlines from pop culture and social media.[70] Clips for the unaired pilot published byThe Washington Post resemble a sketch comedy show in the vein ofBack to Norm.[62]
In June 2012, he became the spokesman forSafe Auto Insurance Company. Along with television and radio commercials, web banners, and outdoor boards, the effort included a series of made-for-web videos. As part of the campaign, the state minimum auto insurance company introduced a new tagline, "Drive Safe, Spend Less."[71]
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In 2013, Macdonald premiered thepodcastNorm Macdonald Live, with sidekick Adam Eget, streaming live weekly on Video Podcast Network and posted later on YouTube.[72] It received positive notices fromUSA Today,[73]Entertainment Weekly,[74] and the "America's Comedy" website,[75] while theIndependent Film Channel stated that while Macdonald remained "a comedy force to be reckoned with" and "did not quite disappoint," the show was "a bit rough around the edges."[76] The second season ofNorm Macdonald Live began in May 2014, and the third began in September 2016.[77]
Macdonald played the role of Rusty Heck, Mike Heck's hapless-yet-crafty brother on the sitcomThe Middle, which ran from 2009 to 2018.
Macdonald also joinedGrantland as a contributor in the first two months of 2013.[78][79]
In 2014, Macdonald unsuccessfully campaigned on Twitter to be named the new host ofThe Late Late Show after then-hostCraig Ferguson announced he would be leaving.[80][81] On May 15, 2015, Macdonald was the final stand-up act on theLate Show with David Letterman. During his set, which ended with him breaking into tears as he told Letterman that he truly loved him, Macdonald included a joke Letterman had told the first time Macdonald had ever seen him during a 1970s appearance on the Canadian talk show90 Minutes Live, where a 13-year-old Macdonald had been in the studio audience.[82] Also in 2015, Macdonald was a judge for the ninth season of NBC'sLast Comic Standing, joining the previous season's judges,Roseanne Barr andKeenan Ivory Wayans and replacing fellow CanadianRussell Peters from 2014.[citation needed]
In August 2015, he succeededDarrell Hammond asColonel Sanders in TV commercials for theKFC chain of fast food restaurants.[83][84] Macdonald was replaced byJim Gaffigan in the role by February 2016.[85]
In September 2016, Macdonald's semi-fictional memoirBased on a True Story was published by Random House imprintSpiegel & Grau.[86] It debuted at number 15 on theNew York Times Best Sellers list for hardcover nonfiction,[87] and made number 6 on the Best Sellers list for humour.[88]
From May 2017, Macdonald moved his comedy to a more reserved,deadpan style. On stage, he claimed to have "no opinions" and the minimalist delivery was described as "reduc[ing] gesture and verbiage down to an absurd minimum."[89]
In March 2018,Netflix announced it had ordered ten episodes of a new talk show titledNorm Macdonald Has a Show, hosted by Macdonald.[90] The series premiered on September 14, 2018.[91]
In September 2018, Macdonald sparked controversy after the publication of an interview in which he appeared to criticize aspects of the#MeToo movement and defend friends and fellow comediansLouis C.K. andRoseanne Barr. Macdonald's scheduled appearance onNBC'sTonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon was subsequently cancelled.[92]
In 2019, Macdonald appeared onLights Out with David Spade and claimed to have changed his mind on O. J. Simpson's guilt, alleging that he could have rushed to judge the man. It was unclear if Macdonald's comments were meant to be taken as a joke, but Macdonald's close friend Lori Jo Hoekstra claimed Simpson himself reached out to Macdonald to thank him for the gentler commentary and offered to play golf.[93]
In February 2020, Macdonald launched Loko, adating app he co-created that relies heavily on video to make first impressions.[94]
That summer, he had a stand-up set prepared for a final Netflix special, and he taped his audienceless dry run with the intention of filming it professionally to an audience. While the proper filming never materialized, the run-through was released posthumously asNorm Macdonald: Nothing Special on May 30, 2022, to critical acclaim.[95] The special was followed with a discussion withDave Chappelle,Molly Shannon,David Letterman,Conan O'Brien,David Spade, andAdam Sandler.
He had a recurring role as Yaphit, a gelatinous engineer, on theFox science fiction seriesThe Orville, whose third season, subtitledNew Horizons, premiered in June 2022; Macdonald appeared posthumously in his last casting.[96]
Macdonald said his influences included the comediansBob Newhart,[97]Sam Kinison,[98]Rodney Dangerfield,[98]Dennis Miller,[99] and the writersLeo Tolstoy[100] andAnton Chekhov.[101] In a 2006 interview to promote his new albumRidiculous atThe Daily Show, Macdonald mentioned how he grew up listening to albums of fellow CanadiansCheech and Chong all the time, and wanted to make an adult comedy album once he became a professional comedian; Macdonald was also a big fan ofBill Cosby andGeorge Carlin.[102][103]
Speaking about Canada's homegrown comedy industry, Macdonald reflected that he would have liked there to have been more opportunity for him to stay in the country early in his career, stating:
Now I know there's more of, like, an industry there. Like I was happy thatBrent Butt gotCorner Gas. Because he's a really funny guy. But there wasn't that opportunity when I was there. I rememberMike MacDonald had oneshort-lived series, but that was about it. Otherwise, there was nothing to do. But it was great with standup. It was way, way better with standup than in the States. Like, I think the standups are generally much better in Canada. Because, like, when I was in Canada, none of us had any ambition to do movies or TV because there were no movies or television. So it was all standup and we just assumed we'd be standups for our whole lives and that was what was fun. And then when I came to the States, I realized, whoa, they don't take their standup very seriously here because they're just trying to do something other than standup and using standup as, like, a springboard to something else that they're generally not as good at.[104]
Reflecting on the state of modern comedy, he bemoaned the influx of dramatic actors into comedy and comedians into dramatic acting.[104]
During an interview on CTV News with his sister-in-law, Joyce Napier, Macdonald talked about his belief that imitation was the highest form of flattery and his distaste for the "low-hanging fruit" ofDonald Trump jokes.[105]
In 1988, Macdonald married Connie Vaillancourt, with whom he had a son, Dylan, born in 1992.[106] The couple separated in April 1999 and divorced later the same year.[107][27]
Macdonald was a Christian and discussed theology and his personal beliefs publicly.[108] Macdonald's views on faith have been compared to those of Christian philosopherSøren Kierkegaard and CardinalJohn Henry Newman.[109]
While judging onLast Comic Standing, Macdonald criticized a contestant for a joke about theHarry Potter books and the Bible, saying: "I think if you're going to take on an entire religion, you should at least know what you're talking about." He pointed out thatJ. K. Rowling was a Christian who once said: "If you were familiar with the Scriptures, you could easily guess the ending of my book."[110]
Macdonald had agambling addiction he claimed started with a six-figure win at acraps table inAtlantic City.[111] In an appearance on theWTF with Marc Maron podcast in 2011, Macdonald revealed that he lost all of his money gambling three times, and the largest amount he lost at once was $400,000.[112] He has gone bankrupt twice.[27][better source needed]
As a poker player, his best live result was cashing for $20,915 in the $1,000Bellagio Weekly Tournament in July 2006.[113] In the2007 World Series of Poker, he came in 20th place out of 827 entrants in the $3,000No-Limit Texas Hold 'em event, winning $14,608.[114] He also frequently played live cash games[113] as well as online poker. Macdonald said in a 2018 interview that, prior to the shutdown of online poker in the United States through theUnlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, he would play up to 20 online limit hold 'em games at once. "Since they went offline, it kind of saved my life. Because I was just grinding out and couldn't even sleep."[115]
In 2013, Macdonald was diagnosed withmultiple myeloma.[116] He disclosed his diagnosis only to his family, agent, and ex-wife, fearing that revealing his condition to the public would "affect the way he was perceived", according to his brother Neil.[117][118] Macdonald received severalstem cell transplants, using aliases to avoid attention.[116] He was prescribeddexamethasone, which caused him to gain weight. After chemotherapy, Macdonald suffered fromperipheral neuropathy, which led him to give up golf and tennis. The cancer went intoremission not long after, but in early 2020, Macdonald was diagnosed with treatment-associatedmyelodysplastic syndrome, a cancer that later developed intoacute myeloid leukemia.[116]
Macdonald's final stem cell transplant occurred in March 2021. In July 2021, Macdonald received chemotherapy at theCity of Hope National Medical Center inDuarte, California, where he developed an infection. While in the hospital, he recorded a voice-over role for the television seriesThe Orville. He remained hospitalized at the City of Hope until his death from complications from acute leukemia on September 14, 2021.[116][117] His remains were later cremated.[119]He is survived by his older brotherNeil, his younger brother Leslie, his son Dylan, and his mother Ferne.[120][121][122]
Jon Stewart called him the funniest person he knew in Macdonald's first interview atThe Daily Show to promoteThe Norm Show.[103] David Letterman called him "[The best] in every important way, in the world of stand-up... an opinion shared by me and all peers."[123] According to Conan O'Brien, "Norm had the most unique comedic voice I have ever encountered and he was so relentlessly and uncompromisingly funny. I will never laugh that hard again."[124] Canadian Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau wrote on Twitter: "The world was a much funnier place because Norm Macdonald was in it. We've lost a comedic genius, and a great Canadian."[125] BothJohn Oliver andLorne Michaels dedicated their victories at the73rd Primetime Emmy Awards to Macdonald's memory.[126] Season 3 ofThe Orville opened with an onscreen dedication to Macdonald.[127]
On July 12, 2022, Macdonald was posthumously nominated for threePrimetime Emmy Awards for his stand-up specialNorm Macdonald: Nothing Special.[128][129] Following O. J. Simpson's death on April 10, 2024,[130] Macdonald's regular Saturday Night Live jokes about Simpson's trial were shared across the internet.[131] Conan O'Brien remembered the late comic as giving the most notable commentary on the trial and murders, remembering him as having given "some of the most brilliant comedy of anybody" about the incident. He further remembered Macdonald as one of the greatest talk show guests and comedians of all time.[132]
Dave Chappelle dedicated his Netflix specialThe Closer to the memory of Macdonald, who had died shortly before its release.[133] Chappelle also opened his 2023 specialThe Dreamer by crediting Macdonald with making him fall in love with comedy again.[134]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Ridiculous | sketch album |
| 2011 | Me Doing Stand-Up | stand-up special |
| 2017 | Hitler's Dog, Gossip & Trickery | |
| 2022 | Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special | stand-up special; posthumous release Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2001 | The Norm Show | 3 seasons, 54 episodes, withBruce Helford |
| 2003 | A Minute with Stan Hooper | 1 season, 13 episodes, withBarry Kemp |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Based on a True Story: Not a Memoir | comic novel[135][136][137] |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Sports Show with Norm Macdonald | 9 episodes, with Mike Gibbons, Lori Jo Hoekstra, andDaniel Kellison |
| 2013–2017 | Norm Macdonald Live | 3 seasons, 36 episodes |
| 2018 | Norm Macdonald Has a Show | 10 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Billy Madison | Frank | |
| 1996 | The People vs. Larry Flynt | Network Reporter | |
| 1998 | Dirty Work | Mitch Weaver | Also co-writer |
| Dr. Dolittle | Lucky | Voice | |
| 1999 | Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo | Bartender | Uncredited cameo[138] |
| Man on the Moon | Michael Richards | Uncredited | |
| 2000 | Screwed | Willard Fillmore | |
| 2001 | The Animal | Mob Member | Cameo |
| Dr. Dolittle 2 | Lucky | Voice | |
| 2005 | Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo | Earl McManus | Uncredited cameo[138] |
| 2006 | Farce of the Penguins | Join Twosomes Penguin | Voice |
| Dr. Dolittle 3 | Lucky | ||
| 2007 | Senior Skip Day | Mr. Rigetti[139] | |
| Christmas Is Here Again | Buster the Fox | Voice | |
| 2008 | Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief | Lucky | Voice (uncredited)[140] |
| The Flight Before Christmas | Julius | Voice | |
| 2009 | Funny People | Himself | Cameo |
| Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts | Lucky | Voice | |
| 2010 | Grown Ups | Geezer | Cameo |
| Hollywood & Wine | Sid Blaustein | ||
| 2011 | Jack & Jill | Funbucket | Cameo |
| 2012 | The Adventures of Panda Warrior | King Leo | Voice |
| Vampire Dog | Fang | ||
| The Outback | Quint | ||
| 2014 | The Seventh Dwarf | Burner the Dragon | |
| 2015 | The Ridiculous 6 | Nugget Customer | Cameo |
| 2017 | Treasure Hounds | Skipper | Voice |
| 2019 | Klaus | Mogens | |
| 2021 | Back Home Again | Grandpaws | Voice; Final film role, posthumous release |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Star Search | Himself | Stand-up comedy competitor |
| 1991 | One Night Stand | Stand-up special | |
| 1992 | The Dennis Miller Show | Writer | |
| 1992–1993, 2018 | Roseanne | Writer, story editor and consulting producer | |
| 1993 | The Jackie Thomas Show | Jordan | Episode: "Strike" |
| 1993–1999, 2009, 2015 | Saturday Night Live | Various roles, Host | 98 episodes; also writer |
| 1995 | The Larry Sanders Show | Himself | Episode: "Hank's Sex Tape" |
| 1996, 2000 | The Drew Carey Show | Simon Tate / Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | NewsRadio | Roger Edwards | Episode: "The Injury" |
| 1999–2001 | The Norm Show | Norm Henderson | 54 episodes; also producer |
| 2000, 2017 | Family Guy | Death / Himself | Voice; Episode: "Death Is a Bitch; (uncredited); Episode: "Don't Be a Dickens at Christmas" |
| 2003 | A Minute with Stan Hooper | Stan Hooper | 7 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2004 | Oliver Beene | Hobo Bob | Episode: "Girly Dad" |
| 2005 | The Fairly OddParents | Norm the Genie | Voice; 2 episodes |
| Back to Norm | Various roles | Television special; also writer and producer | |
| 2007, 2009 | My Name Is Earl | Little Chubby | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | The Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget | Himself | Television special |
| 2010–2018 | The Middle | Orville "Rusty" Heck | 10 episodes |
| 2011 | High Stakes Poker | Himself (host) | Season 7 |
| 2014–2020 | Mike Tyson Mysteries | Pigeon | Voice; 69 episodes |
| 2015 | Real Rob | Himself | Episode: "The Penis Episode Part 1"[141] |
| Last Comic Standing | Himself (judge) | 8 episodes | |
| Sunnyside | Hole | 12 episodes | |
| 2016 | 4th Canadian Screen Awards | Himself (host) | Television special |
| 2016–2018 | Skylanders Academy | Glumshanks | Voice; 38 episodes |
| 2017 | Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee | Himself | Episode: "A Rusty Car in the Rain" |
| Girlboss | Rick | 4 episodes | |
| 2017–2022[142][iii] | The Orville | Yaphit | Voice; 22 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Ridiculous | Comedy album | |
| 2011 | Me Doing Stand-Up | ||
| 2017 | Hitler's Dog, Gossip & Trickery |
I've known Norm for nearly 57 yearsAdditionally, per photo caption: "Norm Macdonald's first day of school in Valcartier, Que., circa 1964. Norm was five in this photo, and his brother Neil, on the right, was seven. ([photo courtesy of] Macdonald family)."
Macdonald, 56... [...] He tells everyone he was born in 1963, but he was really born in 1959.
You were born Oct. 17, 1959, but until recently told people 1963. Why?
Marital status: Married for eight years to Connie Macdonald. Children: Dylan, 5.
Yeah, my brother is a news reporter. He lives in Washington now. I'm glad because he used to do war reporting.
His [Chappelle's] nostalgia for the venue soon gives way to a personal story about his father passing away before he could witness that initial special, and a nod to late comedian Norm Macdonald for helping him feel excitement and enthusiasm again by inviting him to the set ofMan on the Moon to meet one of his comedy idols, Jim Carrey.
The cast is anonymous (tellingly, comedian Norm MacDonald, who I believe has voiced Lucky the Dog in all the Dolittle films, is unbilled hereagain...)
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Weekend Update anchor 1994–1998 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
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| Other | |
