Bernie Mac

Comedian/Actor Known for his unflinching honesty about family, marriage and race, the Chicago-bred Bernie Mac hit like a meteorite during the early ‘90s explosion of black stand-up comedy. After appearing on Def Comedy Jam and his own HBO show, Midnight Mac, the comedian transitioned into TV and film. Small movie roles in classic comedies like Friday and Don’t Be a Menace to South Central...  led to starring roles in hit films like Mr. 3000 and Ocean’s Eleven. And after joining Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric the Entertainer as The Original Kings of Comedy, the tell-like-it-is comedian earned his own hit TV sitcom, The Bernie Mac Show. Suffering from a lung illness called sarcodoisis, Bernie Mac died in 2008 from complications caused by pneumonia.