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Bernie Mac biography

Date of birth : 1957-10-05
Date of death : 2008-08-09
Birthplace : Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Nationality : American
Category : Famous Figures
Last modified : 2011-06-25
Credited as : Actor and comedian, The Original Kings of Comedy, The Bernie Mac Show

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Bernie Mac was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L. Hughley as The Original Kings of Comedy.
Bernie Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on October 5, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois. Growing up in a large family on Chicago's South Side, his grandfather was the deacon of a Baptist church.
Mac performed his first standup routine at the age of eight, impersonating his grandparents at the dinner table for the church congregation.
After losing his mother to cancer (his brother, father and grandmother died not long after), Mac realized the healing power of laughter. He began telling jokes for spare change in the Chicago subway. While working various odd jobs, he eventually established his own weekly variety show at Chicago's Regal Theatre and joined the comedy club circuit in 1977.
Mac's acting career started with a role as a club doorman in the comedy Mo' Money (1992) and also appeared as Pastor Clever in Friday (1995). Mac's frequent appearances on HBO's Def Comedy Jam in the early 1990s also helped put him on the map.
Mac's edgy comedy seemed an unlikely fit for television, but after frequent appearances on the series Moesha and gaining wide acclaim for his starring role in Spike Lee's The Original Kings of Comedy in 2000, Mac was primed to create a sitcom on his own terms.
Based on family experiences that shocked audiences into laughter in Kings, The Bernie Mac Show enjoyed a strong debut on Fox in 2001. The series ran through 2006 and starred Mac as a reluctant dad to three adopted kids. The show nabbed both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
Mac's film career also took off. In 2001, he joined an all-star cast in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven, playing a smooth con-artist who assisted co-stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt in high-profile heists.
In 2001, he also co-starred with Chris Rock in Head of State, then replaced Bill Murray's Bosley in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) and shared billing with John Ritter in director Billy Bob Thornton's Bad Santa (2003).
In 2004, he took on his first starring role as an aging baseball hero in Mr. 3000 and then starred again in the race relations comedy Guess Who? (2005). Mac also reunited with the cast for the sequels Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007).
Besides his work in film and television Mac also authored two books, 2001's I Ain't Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is and his 2003 memoir, Maybe You Never Cry Again. The latter described Mac's impoverished childhood, strict upbringing and his mother's belief in him.
In 1977 at age 19, Mac married his high school sweetheart, Rhonda, whom he credits with much of his success, particularly as the young couple struggled through the early years of Mac's fledgling career. They had a daughter, Je'Niece, and a granddaughter.
On August 9, 2008, Mac died of pneumonia. More than 6,000 people attended a memorial service for Mac at the House of Hope Church on Chicago's South Side.

Meet the family of Bernie Mac, one of the late Original Kings of Comedy

Bernie McCullough would forever be remembered as the African-American comedian who refused to dance to the tune of the industry. He was a mature performer with very intelligent and engaging appearances. For most of the eighties, he was not well known as he stuck with his nature and remained unflinching in his comedy style even though this did not go well with the entertainment business at the time. Mac remained focused and kept at his work and in no time, his gifts started paving way for him at the top.

Growing up was tough for the late comedian; he lived with a large family in one of the roughest neighborhoods of Chicago. This situation later proved to be a blessing in disguise as it provided him with a great insight into his comedy as his family condition became what dominated his comedy. In his younger days, he worked in the Regal theatre and performed in several parks before embarking on a professional journey in humor at the age of 19.

Date of Birth: October 5, 1957

Date of Death: August 9, 2008 (50 years)

Zodiac Sign: Libra

His biggest success was TheBernie Mac Show (2001 – 2006) but he had recorded a remarkable career before then. After the series ended, Mac’s health took a turn for the worse; his Sarcoidosis began to affect his lungs. He eventually died after over 20 years of being diagnosed and weeks on unsuccessful treatment regimes at a Chicago hospital. Family was everything to the funny man and he would forever be missed by the loved ones he left behind. Read on as we take you through the family life of the late comedy icon.

Jeffrey Harrison (father)

He was never in the picture for so long as he left while his son was still very young and they remained estranged. Jeffrey was never married with Mary.

Mary McCullough (mother)

Year of Death: 1973

Bernie was raised by a single mother but only for a short time as he lost his mother at a young age. Mary died of cancer when the Ocean’s Eleven (2001) actor was just 16 and in high school so the actor had to take odd jobs growing up so he could make ends meet.

Bernie Mac’s siblings

Darryl McCullough (older brother from same parents)

In his book Maybe You Never Cry Again Barnie mentioned that he had an older brother Darryl. He died of a heart attack when he was 26.

Bernie’s siblings from The Bernie Mac Show Bernita, Stacy, Carl are fictional characters. He did have only one brother Darryl.

Rhonda McCullough-Gilmore (spouse)

Duration of Marriage: 1977 – August 9, 2008; till his death (30 years)

They met in their school hall and Rhonda couldn’t understand why he was so popular with women. One thing led to another and both students fell in love. The gruff comedian was only 19 when they got married and they remained in love for decades till he died. While he was alive, Mac credited Rhonda with much of his success as she was present from the beginning when he was still struggling to begin his career and served as his biggest supporter. She remembers begging Mac not to die and promised that she was going to take care of him but life apparently had other plans.

His death was indeed a tough experience for Rhonda and she admitted that “the pain comes in waves”. Thankfully, she had Je’Niece who served as her pillar in those early days and vice versa. Three years after Bernie passed on, Rhonda moved on and got married to Horce Gilmore in 2011; she is still with him till date. Bernie’s widow and his only daughter now head the Bernie Mac Foundation for sarcoidosis.

Bernie Mac biography

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Bernie Mac’s siblings

Graphs And Chartthe Biography Of Bernie Mac