Comedian Bernie Mac has died, the New York Times and Associated Press report.
His publicist told the press he suffered from complications from pneumonia and died early Saturday.
The Tribune newspaper in his native Chicago reported, “”[He]could cut an imposing figure. He stood six-foot-three, was built like a fullback and carried himself with a bouncer’s reticence. But perhaps the strongest weapon in the Chicago comedian’s arsenal was that voice, that amalgam of thought and a delivery that could rise like a tidal wave, outpace a Gatling gun and remained, to his last days, loud and unapologetic. He wasn’t scared, he told us time and again, to tell anyone what he thought, to say what others were afraid to say.””
The comedian, Bernard Jeffrey McCollough, was born in Chicago in 1957 and grew up there in a rough neighborhood with a large family living under one roof. This provided him with a great insight into his comedy, as family life dominated his comedy.
Mac worked in the Regal Theater, and performed in Chicago parks in his younger days. He became a professional comedian in 1977, at the age of 19. He refused to change his image for television and films, and therefore was not very well known for most of the eighties.
In 1992 he made his film debut with a small part with Mo’ Money (1992). This started a string of small parts in a string of movies, mostly comedies, including Who’s the Man? (1993), House Party 3 (1994) and The Walking Dead (1995). 1995 proved to be a turning point in his career. He did an HBO Special called “”Midnight Mac”” (1995), and took a part as Pastor Clever in the Chris Tucker comedy Friday (1995).
Bernie Mac developed a cult following due to the movie and had many small parts since. In 1996 he starred in the memorable Spike Lee movie Get on the Bus (1996), and was very funny in Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996). About this time he had a recurring role in the TV series “”Moesha”” (1996). Mac’s star was slowly rising from this point.
His next couple of movie parts were more substantial, including How to Be a Player (1997) and The Players Club (1998). In 1999 Bernie Mac got his most high profile part up to that point in the film Life (1999/I) starring Eddie Murphy.
The new century started a new era for the brash Chicago comedian. He was a featured comedian in The Original Kings of Comedy (2000). This performance made him more of a household name, and led to many more major parts. In 2001 he played Martin Lawrence’s uncle in What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (2001) and later that year, was in the star studded remake of Ocean’s Eleven (2001). However his biggest success to this date has been “”The Bernie Mac Show”” (2001), which debuted in 2001 to instant acclaim.
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