About me: "Actor and comedian Bernie Mac died on August 9, 2008 at the age of 50 due to complications of pneumonia.
Born Bernard Jeffery McCollough on October 5, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois. Growing up in a large family on Chicago's South Side, 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 and both brothers early on, Mac realized the healing power of laughter. 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 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 1997, 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 an Emmy and a Peabody award.
Mac’s film career has also taken off. In 2001, he joined an all-star cast in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven. In 2003, he co-starred with Chris Rock in Head of State, replaced Bill Murray's Bosley in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and shared billing with John Ritter in director Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa.
In 2004, he took on his first starring role as an aging baseball hero in Mr. 3000; he starred again in the race relations comedy Guess Who? in 2005. Mac also reunited with the cast for the sequels Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen.
In 1977 at age 19, Mac married his wife 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 have a daughter Je'Niece and live in Chicago . Besides his work in film and television Mac has 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." Information courtesy of: www.biography.com
Who I'd like to meet: I can't say who he would've liked to meet because I am yet a fan in grief! You will always be loved and remembered in this household.
