In his 2004 memoir, ``Maybe You Never Cry Again,'' Mac wrote about having a poor childhood _ eating bologna for dinner _ and a strict, no-nonsense upbringing.
His grandfather was the deacon of a Baptist church. He grew up on the city's South Side, living with his mother and grandparents. Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. ``I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit,'' Mac told Letterman. In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' ``Late Show'' that he planned to retire soon. His family was the most important thing in the world to him.'' After he made it, he stayed a very humble man. ``He never lost track of where he came from, and he'd often use real life experiences, his family, his friends, in his routine. ``From very early on I thought he was destined for success,'' Albritton said Saturday. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer.Ĭhicago music producer Carolyn Albritton said she was Bernie Mac's first manager, having met him in 1991 at Chicago's Cotton Club where she hosted an open-mike night. He also was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy album in 2001 along with his ``The Original Kings of Comedy'' co-stars, Harvey, D.L. ``Now everyone telling me what I CAN'T do, what I CAN say, what I SHOULD do, and asking, `Are blacks gonna be mad at you? Are whites gonna accept you?''' ``But television handcuffs you, man,'' he said in a 2001 Associated Press interview. ``The Bernie Mac Show'' garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mac. ``He was the king of his household,'' Childress said in Chicago, describing Mac as ``a loving grandfather'' to her daughter, his only grandchild. In real life, he was very much like his character on that series, his daughter, Je'niece Childress, told The Associated Press on Saturday. At the time, judges wrote they chose the sitcom for transcending ``race and class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion _ and cool.''
The series about a man's adventures raising his sister's three children, won a Peabody Award in 2002. The comedian drew critical and popular acclaim with his Fox television series ``The Bernie Mac Show,'' which aired more than 100 episodes from 2001 to 2006. Mac also had starring roles in ``Bad Santa,'' ``Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'' and ``Transformers.'' It was a comedy remake of the classic Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn drama ``Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?'' _ with Mac as the black dad who's shocked that his daughter is marrying a white man. His turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005's ``Guess Who'' topped the box office. ``It was such a popular show because of his bigger-than-life persona,'' Reiner said. Reiner told KNX-AM in Los Angeles that other comics had talked to the audience as Mac did on ``The Bernie Mac Show,'' but ``he took it to a new level.'' He will be missed, but heaven just got funnier.''Ĭomedian Carl Reiner, who also appeared in ``Ocean's Eleven'' and its two sequels, said Saturday he was ``in utter shock'' because he thought Mac was improving. ``The world just got a little less funny,'' Clooney said/ Don Cheadle, another member of the ``Oceans'' gang, concurred: ``This is a very sad day for many of us who knew and loved Bernie. Mac went on to star in the hugely popular ``Ocean's Eleven'' franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney. he gave them their money's worth,'' Steve Harvey, one of his co-stars in ``Original Kings,'' told CNN on Saturday. ``The majority of his core fan base will remember that when they paid their money to see Bernie Mac. He was one of ``The Original Kings of Comedy'' in the 2000 documentary of that title that brought a new generation of black standup comedy stars to a wider audience. In 1996, he appeared in the Spike Lee drama ``Get on the Bus.'' He began doing standup as a child, and his film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans comedy ``Mo' Money'' in 1992. Mac worked his way to Hollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side. ``Wherever I am, I have to play,'' he said in 2002. The performance earned him a rebuke from Obama's campaign.īut despite controversy or difficulties, in his words, Mac was always a performer. Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine, Mac joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language. Recently, Mac's brand of comedy caught him flack when he was heckled during a surprise appearance at a July fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate and fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama.