Bernie Mac
Who Bernie Mac is
American stand-up comedian and actor from Chicago's South Side who broke through with a 1992 set on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and became one of the four stars of the film The Original Kings of Comedy (2000). He starred in Fox's The Bernie Mac Show (2001–2006), which earned him two Emmy nominations, and played Frank Catton in the Ocean's films. He died in 2008 at age 50; Rolling Stone ranked him No. 41 on its 2017 list of the 50 best stand-up comics.
At a glance
- Born
- 1957
- Died
- 2008
- Style
- Commanding storyteller, Storytelling
- Came up through
- Def Comedy Jam
- Stand-up specials
- Def Comedy Jam and The Original Kings of Comedy
- Podcasts
- I Ain't Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is and Maybe You Never Cry Again
- On screen
- Midnight Mac, Friday, Moesha and 4 more
Specials, shows and podcasts
Stand-up specials
- Def Comedy Jam 1992, HBO; breakthrough set
- The Original Kings of Comedy 2000, concert film
On screen
- Midnight Mac host, HBO
- Friday Pastor Clever, film, 1995
- Moesha Uncle Bernie, 1996–2000
- The Bernie Mac Show Bernie 'Mac' McCullough, 2001–2006
- Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen Frank Catton, films, 2001–2007
- Bad Santa Gin Slagel, film, 2003
- Mr. 3000 Stan Ross, film, 2004
Podcasts
- I Ain't Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is book, 2001
- Maybe You Never Cry Again book, 2003
Where they got their start
- Def Comedy Jam broke through with his set, 1992
Came up the same way
Other comedians in SUCDb who came through Def Comedy Jam:
Comedians like Bernie Mac
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- Adele Givens also in Moesha
- Chris Tucker also in Friday
- Faizon Love also in Friday
- Ali Siddiq also came through Def Comedy Jam
- Arnez J also came through Def Comedy Jam
- Dave Chappelle also came through Def Comedy Jam
- Martin Lawrence also came through Def Comedy Jam
- Larry Wilmore also in The Bernie Mac Show
Career timeline
- 1957Born
- 1992Def Comedy Jam (1992, HBO; breakthrough set) Special
- 1995Friday (Pastor Clever, film, 1995) On screen
- 1996Moesha (Uncle Bernie, 1996–2000) On screen
- 2000The Original Kings of Comedy (2000, concert film) Special
- 2001The Bernie Mac Show (Bernie 'Mac' McCullough, 2001–2006) On screen
- 2001Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen (Frank Catton, films, 2001–2007) On screen
- 2001I Ain't Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is (book, 2001) Book
- 2003Bad Santa (Gin Slagel, film, 2003) On screen
- 2003Maybe You Never Cry Again (book, 2003) Book
- 2004Mr. 3000 (Stan Ross, film, 2004) On screen
- 2008Died
Questions about Bernie Mac
What stand-up specials has Bernie Mac released?
Def Comedy Jam and The Original Kings of Comedy.
What podcast do they host?
I Ain't Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is and Maybe You Never Cry Again.
What TV shows and films are they in?
Midnight Mac, Friday, Moesha, The Bernie Mac Show, Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen and Bad Santa, among 7 credits.
Where did they get their start?
Def Comedy Jam (broke through with his set).
Who are some comedians like them?
Adele Givens (also in Moesha), Chris Tucker (also in Friday), Faizon Love (also in Friday), Ali Siddiq (also came through Def Comedy Jam) and Arnez J (also came through Def Comedy Jam).
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with their place on the Legends ballots.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Bernie Mac ↗ Birth and death years, Def Comedy Jam set, Kings of Comedy, The Bernie Mac Show and Emmy nominations, films, books, Rolling Stone ranking
Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026