Mac, Bernie 1957-2008 (Bernard Jeffrey McCullough)

PERSONAL

Full name, Bernard Jeffrey McCullough; born October 5, 1957, in Chicago, IL; died of complications associated with pneumonia, August 9, 2008, in Chicago, IL. Actor and comedian. Born in Chicago's crime-ridden south side, Mac was able to parlay success as a stand-up comedian into a film and television career that would crown him one of the Original Kings of Comedy. Raised by a single mother who died when he was sixteen, Mac knew early that being a comedian was what he wanted to do. After high school he worked various jobs, including as a janitor, school bus driver, Wonder Bread truck driver, and mover, before finding a job at a General Motors plant. Meanwhile, he continued to hone his comic skills, performing for tips in Chicago subways and at clubs and other venues in Chicago. Mac's big break came in 1990, when he won the national Miller Lite Comedy Search. He was then invited to join the Def Comedy Jam tour, which featured young black comedians. The tour was filmed for cable television's HBO channel and has been credited with the launch of many black comedians' careers. Mac followed his successful appearance on the tour with small roles in films such as Mo' Money and Who's the Man in 1992, House Party 3 in 1994, and an HBO special, Midnight Mac, in 1995. In 1995 he was also cast as Pastor Clever in Friday, a bit part that earned him a cult following and proved to be a pivotal role in his career. Mac joined the Original Kings of Comedy tour featuring popular black comedians in 2000. The tour was a smash hit, generating huge revenues, several television specials, and a film of the same name directed by Spike Lee. After several guest spots as Uncle Bernie on television's Moesha, Mac was offered his own show, and in 2001 The Bernie Mac Show made its debut, with Mac playing a tough-loving uncle who is raising his sister's kids. The show was an instant ratings and critical success, garnering numerous awards, including two Emmys for Mac. He juggled his television schedule with numerous films, landing roles in hit after hit, including What's the Worst That Could Happen (2001) with Martin Lawrence; the star-studded heist series Ocean's Eleven (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004), and Ocean's Thirteen (2007); Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003); and Guess Who (2005) with Ashton Kutcher. In 2006, as ratings dropped and Mac received more lucrative film offers, The Bernie Mac Show left the air. In 2005 Mac disclosed that he had been battling sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease, since 1983 but that the disease had gone into remission and was not affecting his daily life. He announced in early 2007 that he was ending his stand-up career to focus more on his films and on his family; his death at age fifty was unexpected.

PERIODICALS

New York Times, August 9, 2008.

Chicago Tribune, August 9, 2008.