Bernie Mac

A boisterous and hilarious African-American comic, Mac was over 30 when he made his first screen appearance and over 40 when he finally landed his eponymous sitcom, which was based on one of his stand-up routines. In the '90s, the bug-eyed Mac was a regular on Def Comedy Jam and played supporting parts in a number of films as he continued to tour as a comic. But the 2000 concert film The Original Kings of Comedy introduced his raunchy yet surprisingly heartwarming humor to a wider audience. Within a year, he had a prime-time show and, soon after, a number of A-list Hollywood films under his belt.Bernie Mac Fast Facts:

• Nicknamed "Beanie" by his mother, who died of breast cancer while Mac was still in high school.
• Won the 1990 Miller Lite Comedy Search.
• Author of two books, I Ain't Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is and Maybe You Never Cry Again.
• In 2003, 2004 and 2005, won the NAACP's Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Comedy Series for The Bernie Mac Show.
• Disclosed in 2005 that he's had sarcoidosis, a rare and sometimes fatal disease, since he was in his twenties.

• Bernie Mac Relationships:
• Darryl McCullough - Brother
• Howard McCullough - Brother
• Je'Niece Childress - Daughter
• Mary McCullough - Mother
• Rhonda McCullough - Wife
• Bernie Mac Awards:
• 2003 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
• 2004 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
• 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
• 2003 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee