Bernie Mac Deceased

Every once in a while a regular guy makes it in Hollywood, even if it takes him fifteen years to do so. Bernie Mac is one of those regular guys who has made it big, but continues to cling to his regular guy roots. And because of that, he has many adoring fans.

When Bernie Mac was nineteen he began a career as a professional stand up comedian. His material was garnered from his own family and his youth growing up in a rough neighborhood in Chicago. He was born in 1958, as Bernard Jeffrey McCollough. At a young age Bernie began to impersonate extended family members with whom he lived and recalled humorous anecdotes about his family for anyone who would listen. As a teenager, he would perform for money in Chicago parks. In 1977, Bernie took his act to the professional stage at Chicago’s Cotton Club.

In 1977 he also married Rhonda McCullough. The two now have a grown daughter, Je’Niece. They are still married.

During the 1980s, Bernie worked as a comedian, but he also took jobs such as a furniture mover and bread deliverer to make ends meet. He wasn’t the common type of comedian Hollywood was looking for, and he refused to change anything about himself, so it took him fifteen years to gain his first film role. In the early 1990s Bernie won the Miller Lite Comedy Search, which led to a gig on Def Comedy Jam. That eventually led to his HBO comedy specials.

In 1992, Bernie landed his first film role in Damon Wayans’ Mo’ Money. The role was small, but led to other roles in movies like House Party 3 in 1994, The Walking Dead in 1995, and Friday in 1995, with Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. Bernie also had a role in the Wayans brother’s comedy parody Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood in 1996.

In 1996, Bernie landed a recurring role on the popular sitcom Moesha as Uncle Bernie. He appeared on the show off and on for four years. During those four years he continued to perform his stand up routine, going out on tour with other African American comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D.L. Hughley. They were billed as the Kings of Comedy. In 2000, Spike Lee turned their comedy act into a movie called The Original Kings of Comedy. Bernie’s popularity increased after the film and in 2001 he was given his own show on Fox called The Bernie Mac Show. The series ran for five seasons and was cancelled at the end of the 2006 season.

The new millennium saw Bernie Mac getting larger film roles including ones in Ocean’s 11 in 2001 and its sequel Ocean’s 12, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle in 2003 in the role of Bosley, and his first leading role in Mr. 3000 with Angela Bassett. He also starred opposite Ashton Kutcher in Guess Who in 2005. His next two projects were Ocean’s 13 and Transformers, released in 2007.

On August 9th 2007 following a batte with a rare autoimmune disease called sarcoidosis which causes inflammation in tissue, Bernie passed away from complications due to pneumonia, in a Chicago area hospital.

YUDDY