Bernie Mac
Bernie Mac was born on October 5, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois.His first standup routine was at the age of eight for his church congregation. He established a variety show at Chicago's Regal Theatre, made appearances on HBO's "Def Comedy Jam" and joined the cast of "Ocean's Eleven." On August 9, 2008, Mac died of pneumonia. If bernie was still alive he would be 56 this year.Actor and comedian Bernie Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough.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.
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.Movies and tv shows tht he appeared in: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).
Interesting facts about Bernie Mac:1.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. 2.More than 6,000 people attended a memorial service for Mac at the House of Hope Church on Chicago's South Side.